Is Finnish a difficult language to learn?

[Karhunkoski]

And personally I find it really quite strange that for some the simple fact of living in Finland isn't enough motivation to learn the local language, at least I myself don't want to be the eternal outsider in whatever goes on in the country........I don't understand that some seem to prefer self-isolation. And whether or not the other people around me speak my language in my mind doesn't have anything to do with my learning of the local language...

I was discussing this with a Finnish construction engineer at the weekend. He was telling that his workers down there in Helsinki are so international that they will shortly make English the official language at work. These guys also tend to mix together outside of work, where they also use English. He has guys there who have lived here in Finland for close to 10 years and still can't get the hang of Finnish. They are outsiders in Finland yes, but insiders within their own group. Since they arrived, many have had to learn a language other than their mother tongue, and for some reason they chose English. I suggested that this would enable them to work elsewhere in the world when this contract ends. "No, no", he said, "these guys have moved to Finland permanently, have put down roots, got permanent housing, put kids in schools, etc.". Strange that they chose not to learn Finnish?

[blaugrau]

The phenomenon as such is nothing new, and of course it's ultimately a personal issue whether you're satisfied with spending your entire life in Finland within your own expat circle (be it with other international people or people from your own homecountry). I think there's nothing as such "wrong" in the latter, but personally I would find it utterly unsatisfying to live in a foreign country and never venture out of the expat ghetto and never take part in anything that isn't targeted at that expat-population. Personally I find that this means missing out on so many things, e.g. cultural activities like theatre, or even cinema -- e.g. I also like watching non-English-language films in the cinema for example, something I couldn't do in Finland if I didn't understand the Finnish substitles etc (not to mention watching Finnish films of course; and not counting films in other languages I understand). And apart from making use of the cultural offers, I just want to be aware of what's going on around me, even if it's small stuff like understanding ads, election posters, graffiti on the wall, or the lyrics of the iskelma songs that the bus driver is listening to, apart from stuff like domestic news or even TV series. The expat bubble is fine and comfy, and people of course are allowed to live there if they want and feel happy in it, and it's none of my business. Personally, however, I wouldn't have the feeling to be living in Finland, as in my opinion the expat bubbles tend to be the same in most places, whereas living abroad only gets interesting when you try understand what's going on around you outside this generic ghetto. But, I repeat, this is certainly a personal preference, and from a general point of view, I understand that people prefer to remain in their comfort zone if they're not work-wise or socially dependent on the language. From a personal point of view, however, this attitude it's something completely obscure to me.

[Karhunkoski]

Good summary, "agree strongly"