valkea & valkoinen

[Nikama]

Hello,

Is there a usage difference between valkea and valkoinen? Wiktionary says that valkoinen is also used in the sense of 'Caucasian' (white skin colour etc.), but otherwise both are 'white'. Is one more formal than the other? More poetic? ...?

kiitos

[jahasjahas]

Valkea is more poetic. A quick Google search shows us many names (cafeterias, theaters, books, etc.) that use the word, but you don't really use 'valkea' to describe anything in everyday speech. The only exception I can think of is "white Christmas" (=snow on the ground on Christmas time) which can be either "valkea joulu" or "valkoinen joulu". (The Christmas song "White Christmas", translated as "Valkea joulu", might explain that one.)

Valkea is also an old/poetic word for "fire". It's also used in certain compound words, like "aarnivalkea", will o' the wisp, and "rakovalkea", a type of open fire where the fire burns in a crack between two large logs.

Btw, be sure not to use "kaukasialainen" to describe a white person, since it literally means they're from the Caucasus.

[Nikama]

Thank you, jahasjahas. That clarifies it. Thanks for the extra knowledge, too. I suppose that the link with fire is because fire is 'light' ('white') in the dark?

Wiktionary says that aarni is an archaic word for 'treasure', though aarnio also has the meaning of 'thicket' - as in aarniometsä I suppose - which could be its meaning in aarnivalkea? Nice to know that word. I recently was introduced to a Norwegian/Danish(?) song 'Lyktemannen/Lygtemanden'... same thing. Are they prominent in Finnish lore? I guess there's a lot of swamp gas...

[jahasjahas]

Thank you, jahasjahas. That clarifies it. Thanks for the extra knowledge, too. I suppose that the link with fire is because fire is 'light' ('white') in the dark?

Wiktionary says that aarni is an archaic word for 'treasure', though aarnio also has the meaning of 'thicket' - as in aarniometsä I suppose - which could be its meaning in aarnivalkea? Nice to know that word. I recently was introduced to a Norwegian/Danish(?) song 'Lyktemannen/Lygtemanden'... same thing. Are they prominent in Finnish lore? I guess there's a lot of swamp gas...

We'd need a proper etymology dictionary to get definitive answers, but the connection between valkea the fire and valkea the color must be something like that. (There's obviously also vaalea, light (color); vaaleahiuksinen, blond; vaaleansininen, light blue; vaaleanpunainen, pink, etc.)

It seems that aarni could mean both a mythological treasure and a mythological creature guarding it. Another word for aarnivalkea / will o' the wisp is virvatuli, where 'virva' is an archaic word for something like flicker or quiver, and 'tuli' is fire.

[Rip]

I could at least use word 'valkea' to describe for example peace of clothing which is close to but not quite white.