Sounding Grouchy?

ilikepeanutbutter · Post by **ilikepeanutbutter** » Tue Dec 28, 2004 5:48 pm

I've lived here for awhile, well sorta awhile. Anywho my Finnish is slow in learning. I took French for 4 years and I still mix up both languages. When Finns speak do they sound grouchy the way they pronounce words? I swear that sometimes it sounds like my husband and his mom are going at it, and it's actually about groceries or something.

I'm super sound sensitive (oh what a joy

) and wonder if that has something to do with it? Anyone else think the language sounds "harsh" alittle?

Kat

**Sponsor:**

mookoo · Post by **mookoo** » Wed Dec 29, 2004 2:24 am

Finnish sounds a bit harsh to me in the sense that there are a lot more 'k' sounds and the "finnish R". Or maybe the word I am looking for is abrupt. Lots of starts and stops. It isn't as slurry and floaty as American English. It sounds very structured. But it doesn't really sound like fighting to me. Especially since my dad's girlfriend is Chinese and they REALLY sound like they are fighting!

Maybe thats just the way your husband sounds. I have known people who speak English in such a way that it sounds like they are mad at me, but they aren't (my boss for example).

Jarkka · Post by **Jarkka** » Wed Dec 29, 2004 11:26 am

Also, the Finnish monotonous, slowly falling intonation probably sounds somewhat aggressive to English speakers at least.

ilikepeanutbutter · Post by **ilikepeanutbutter** » Wed Dec 29, 2004 5:19 pm

Jarkka wrote:Also, the Finnish monotonous, slowly falling intonation probably sounds somewhat aggressive to English speakers at least.

It does! I'm used to what sounds like auctioneering hick talk where I'm from

Let me get my banjo out...

Kat

ilikepeanutbutter · Post by **ilikepeanutbutter** » Wed Dec 29, 2004 5:22 pm

mookoo wrote:Finnish sounds a bit harsh to me in the sense that there are a lot more 'k' sounds and the "finnish R". Or maybe the word I am looking for is abrupt. Lots of starts and stops. It isn't as slurry and floaty as American English. It sounds very structured. But it doesn't really sound like fighting to me. Especially since my dad's girlfriend is Chinese and they REALLY sound like they are fighting! Maybe thats just the way your husband sounds. I have known people who speak English in such a way that it sounds like they are mad at me, but they aren't (my boss for example).

American English is prettu unique that way

. I can understand a drunk American slurring better than a Finn slowly speaking Finnish

.

lol Could be, my husband is a very passionate speaker

Kat

kalmisto · Post by **kalmisto** » Fri Dec 31, 2004 10:28 am

ilikepeanutbutter

You are not alone. Most ( if not all ) English speakers find Finnish harsh sounding. Read what Stuart McNaughton says about Finnish ! :

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2557589.stm

Finnish certainly sounds less hard to Germans, Arabs, Koreans and the Jpanese.

ilikepeanutbutter · Post by **ilikepeanutbutter** » Fri Dec 31, 2004 1:17 pm

kalmisto wrote:ilikepeanutbutter

You are not alone. Most ( if not all ) English speakers find Finnish harsh sounding. Read what Stuart McNaughton says about Finnish ! :

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2557589.stm

Finnish certainly sounds less hard to Germans, Arabs, Koreans and the Jpanese.

Thanks for the article!

True, my mom in law has a Finn who lives in Germany and she had no problem adjusting to the language. I'm used to French

lol

Kat

Dolamar · Post by **Dolamar** » Sat Jan 29, 2005 8:03 am

Hi all,

I've just started studying Finnish a few months ago and so far as a native English speaker it actually doesn't sound that harsh to me.
I actually enjoy the sound of Finnish.

Perhaps it's because most of the time when I hear it it's being sung to me.

A language that does soung "harsh" to me though is Arabic, mostly when spoken by people from the gulf.

ilikepeanutbutter · Post by **ilikepeanutbutter** » Thu Feb 03, 2005 10:56 pm

Dolamar wrote:Hi all,

I've just started studying Finnish a few months ago and so far as a native English speaker it actually doesn't sound that harsh to me.
I actually enjoy the sound of Finnish. Perhaps it's because most of the time when I hear it it's being sung to me.

A language that does soung "harsh" to me though is Arabic, mostly when spoken by people from the gulf.

cool!

I'm slowly getting used to it

I spend my summers in America so I have 3 months of hearing no Finnish. It's always kinda shocking to hear it when I come back

I'm used to Arabic here, but Russian does have a harsh sound when I hear it:) Also Swedish sounds super weird to me:)lol

Kat

kalmisto · Post by **kalmisto** » Fri Feb 04, 2005 7:49 am

ilikepeanutbutter

>> Also Swedish sounds super weird to me. <<

If you think Swedish sounds weird you should hear Norwegian.!

efahey · Post by **efahey** » Sat Feb 05, 2005 12:00 pm

Oh wow...I 100% agree with the view that Finnish sounds harsh. Perhaps I have sensitive ears also. Every single time my Fiance and his mom speak I think they are fighting. He sounds so..angry.

Drives me crazy, because I can only pick out words here and there. And when he gets off the phone, I am always like..waht did she want? Is everything okie? What happened?

And he's gives me a weird look (everytime) and says, "she invited us over to dinner at 6 Liz..."

mrrk..

Liz

ilikepeanutbutter · Post by **ilikepeanutbutter** » Sat Feb 05, 2005 12:07 pm

kalmisto wrote:ilikepeanutbutter

>> Also Swedish sounds super weird to me. <<

If you think Swedish sounds weird you should hear Norwegian.!

I've seen some tv shows here in Norwegian. I was confused

lol I wish we could have english subscripts at the bottom telling us what's going on

Whenever there's a Finnish show my hubby gets tired of translating

lol

Kat

kalmisto · Post by **kalmisto** » Sat Feb 05, 2005 3:46 pm

ilikepeanutbutter

I like the sound of Swedish. On this page you can listen to some nice songs ( some of the songs are sung in Swedish,some in English ) :

http://www.inbeportal.com/music/godis.htm

"Örongodis" means "ear candy".

Song lyrics are included.

ilikepeanutbutter · Post by **ilikepeanutbutter** » Sun Feb 06, 2005 12:20 am

kalmisto wrote:ilikepeanutbutter

I like the sound of Swedish. On this page you can listen to some nice songs ( some of the songs are sung in Swedish,some in English ) :

http://www.inbeportal.com/music/godis.htm

"Örongodis" means "ear candy".

Song lyrics are included.

Okay thanks!

Kat

ilikepeanutbutter · Post by **ilikepeanutbutter** » Sun Feb 06, 2005 12:24 am

efahey wrote:Oh wow...I 100% agree with the view that Finnish sounds harsh. Perhaps I have sensitive ears also. Every single time my Fiance and his mom speak I think they are fighting. He sounds so..angry.

Drives me crazy, because I can only pick out words here and there. And when he gets off the phone, I am always like..waht did she want? Is everything okie? What happened?

And he's gives me a weird look (everytime) and says, "she invited us over to dinner at 6 Liz..."

mrrk..

Liz

I have that too!

Just today my husband and his mominlaw were talking. I swear it was about a fight but nope

It was about my broinlaw's engagment.

Oopsy:)lol

Whenever anyone calls I swear they're injured or something. There is a weird way they say MITA?????? and I'm AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

It's kinda hard when the inlaws are deaf almost

Scares me crapless everytime someone says that

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