Swedish

fileexit · Post by **fileexit** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 11:17 pm

... YES... Swedish...the lang of the much hated neighbor who is just there because it is on the way to Spain..

Or is it? Just out of interest, i started studying Swedish.. but is it true, Finns get offended/annoyed if you tell them you are not studying Finnish, but Swedish instead?

If you are a Finn, and meet a foriegner who is studying (or maybe speaking) swedish (but he/she is not a swede)... what would you do?

**Sponsor:**

enk · Post by **enk** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 11:42 pm

Well they didn't lynch me when I did it

I learned Swedish first because my uni didn't have Finnish.

-enk

Mark I. · Post by **Mark I.** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 11:45 pm

Depends on a foreigner.

Well, perhaps I'd say at least 95% of Finnish society works with Finnish. Swedish speakers who don't understand Finnish are quite limited. So, the same for a foreigner - you can survive, in a really small circles.

Dunno what else to say - but as you know the saying:

If it feels right, there's a possibility it's right.

sinikettu · Post by **sinikettu** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 8:35 am

fileexit wrote:...

If you are a Finn, and meet a foriegner who is studying (or maybe speaking) swedish (but he/she is not a swede)... what would you do?

I would probabably ask him/her "vad som helst grund du studera inte i Sverige?"

When I first came to Finland it was from Sweden where I had been working for several months, when ever I could not make myself understod in English, I tried Swedish..Many times, especially in Turku, I was then able to communicate.

You ask..but is it true, Finns get offended/annoyed if you tell them you are not studying Finnish, but Swedish instead?

Why should they even Finns need to study Swedish if they want to enter some professions. (Govt Official/Tourist Industy).
A Finn might well assume that you needed Swedish for a job application.
Or that you intended to live in SW Finland.
The fact that Swedish is a much easier (closer) language for English speakers to learn than Finnish is also an acceptable reason.
Most Finns are not neurotic about the Swedes and their languge..
There are occasional mutterings about.."must learn/qualify in Swedish language"..but that "must" word is almost removed from the "needed/essential" qualification lists nowdays.

enk · Post by **enk** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 10:41 am

One small thing:

It was also a good way to understand what was said on cans, etc. in
stores. I've never had to go through that phase where I didn't know what
I was buying or where to get what I needed. And as I was responsible for
grocery-shopping, that was a big deal.

-enk

sammy · Post by **sammy** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 10:51 am

fileexit wrote:Or is it? Just out of interest, i started studying Swedish.. but is it true, Finns get offended/annoyed if you tell them you are not studying Finnish, but Swedish instead?

If you are a Finn, and meet a foriegner who is studying (or maybe speaking) swedish (but he/she is not a swede)... what would you do?

Strange question... why should I feel offended or annoyed if you decide to learn a certain language instead on another?

Your choice of language might only appear a bit strange or "unpractical" -but there's nothing more to it than that- if you lived in an area of Finland where Swedish is not much spoken at all (for example, in central of eastern Finland). It would be a bit like... going to Åland to learn Finnish

Incidentally, maybe it's just me but I've never had any friends who'd regarded Sweden as the "hated neighbour"

Cracking jokes about the Swedes is another matter

:lol:

Alicia · Post by **Alicia** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 12:26 pm

I have had so many Finnish lessons I have lost count. I have never had a Swedish lesson. But my Finnish sucks and my Swedish is excellent. I have too little contact with Finnish (through social, family and work contacts). Only so much Finnish can be learnt from watching the news.

Nowadays I don't mention the fact that I can speak Swedish. Initially, I got funny looks and questions.

I also don't want some Finns to think that I am some Swedish-speaking-Finn that can't speak Finnish. I say quickly that I am foreign, as I don't want to stregthen their sterotypical view that Swedish speakers can't speak Finnish.

sinikala · Post by **sinikala** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 12:32 pm

enk wrote:One small thing:

It was also a good way to understand what was said on cans, etc. in
stores. I've never had to go through that phase where I didn't know what
I was buying or where to get what I needed. And as I was responsible for
grocery-shopping, that was a big deal.

-enk

You don't even need Swedish for that; German will tell you what's in the can.

Millie · Post by **Millie** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 8:09 am

http://download.yousendit.com/9002FA3E132A00FF

Let me know if the pronunciation is correct.

Its called:

Flickan kom ifran sin alsklings mote Op. 37, No 5[/code]

enk · Post by **enk** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 11:01 am

sinikala wrote:You don't even need Swedish for that; German will tell you what's in the can.

Don't know German and last time I looked, it wasn't an official language
of Finland

-enk

ojanm · Post by **ojanm** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 7:23 am

enk wrote:Don't know German and last time I looked, it wasn't an official language
of Finland

-enk

Apparently someone has been shopping in Lidl...

fileexit · Post by **fileexit** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 11:29 am

Strange question... why should I feel offended or annoyed if you decide to learn a certain language instead on another?

When I first joined my current team, my manager took me to introduce me to the team memebers, naturally, there are Finns. We stopped to talk to one Finn and my manager made a joke that I speak Finnish and he should teach me even more, so the guy started speaking to me in Finnish, but I appologized and said i don't speak finnish... Then the manager joyfully said... no no no... he speak Swedish, he is now study swedish (which i am), only to my surpise that the Finnish guy turned his face away, went back to whatever he was doing on his PC and started talking without even looking at us.....

A very strange reaction that made me think that Finns really hate the swedes...

jessesuomi · Post by **jessesuomi** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 2:30 pm

Ahh, some finns may or may not hate the Swedes, but the Swedish speaking Finns are just as Finnish as any other Finn. From what I have seen the Finnish speakers make that distinction.

Horst · Post by **Horst** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 2:34 pm

Of course it pisses everyone off if the foreigner doesn't want to intergrate into our society. Not just in Finland, but everywhere.

Pecchio · Post by **Pecchio** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 10:10 pm

Sorry to correct this, it's now a law (Act of Those who No-Understand, 20.1.2007/000)

1 §
Swedish speakers who don't understand Finnish are quite limited.

2 §
English is widely used but quite nice. Not forbidden but they that speak it, are to be humoured and ignored.

3 §
Limited Finnish is to be used when writing to any office. Delays of any language but for German, which are inevitable, are to happen and if the person readingn this clause should have died, we do not really care.

4§
Finnish speakers who do not understand Finnish are quite out.

5§
Foreigners that try to understand, will not understand.

6§
So be it, or was it, dunno. Ok?

There 'tis. A day at a parliament.

P.

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