taiteilijasielu/taiteilijansielu

[apricotflower]

Which one is grammatically correct and what *exactly* dooes it (or do them, if both are right) mean?

[Rob A.]

Which one is grammatically correct and what *exactly* dooes it (or do them, if both are right) mean?

Well...taiteilijansielu is not really grammatically correct. It should be taiteilijan sielu... Taiteilijasielu is a compound word that means "artist soul" and taiteilijan sielu means "artist's soul".... So the meaning is similar, though there is a difference of nuance....

[Jukka Aho]

Taiteilijasielu is a compound word that means "artist soul" and taiteilijan sielu means "artist's soul".... So the meaning is similar, though there is a difference of nuance....:D

Yes, taiteilijasielu means someone who has “the soul of an artist”. Maybe a bit boheme, restless, creative, sensitive and moody kind of person, not always adhering to the norms of society or behaving or thinking “straight” the way ordinary people do.

Taiteilijan sielu, on the other hand, is just “(the) artist’s soul” the same way kirjanpitäjän sielu is “(the) accountant’s soul” or teurastajan sielu is “(the) butcher’s soul” – just a normal, plain possessive indicating to whom the soul in question belongs, with no special connotations... unless the context leads us to believe otherwise.

Apparently the compound taiteilijasielu has been coined (and stabilized as a common word with a specific meaning) because such word handily fills some specific need or purpose... Haven’t heard of kirjanpitäjäsielu or teurastajasielu, though.

[apricotflower]

Thanks a lot (: Guess I'll stick with the first one. (I need this for a tattoo I'm gonna have done)

[AldenG]

Is it just me or does kirjanpitäjäsielu have the potential for spit-take humor?

[Rob A.]

Is it just me or does kirjanpitäjäsielu have the potential for spit-take humor?

Hmmm...I had to look up the definition of "spit-take"....I can't say I've heard that expression before... "A take (recorded performance), generally expressing surprise or disbelief, in which the actor in the act of drinking spits out the drink."

Now, where is the "spit-take" humour here?... "Accountants are "soulless"???....

Here's my attempt at "spit-take" humour ....lakimiessielu....

[AldenG]

Now, where is the "spit-take" humour here?... "Accountants are "soulless"???....

It's more like that's not the attribute you care about in your accountant, one way or the other.

"She's such a whiz with numbers" is an expected compliment for a good accountant. But how about, "I've never met another watercolorist to match Alice's mastery of subtleties in the federal tax code." Regardless of the intent of this "compliment," I can easily imagine someone, upon hearing it delivered with a deceptively straight face, doing an involuntary spit-take.