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From: alahelma@cc.Helsinki.FI (Antti Lahelma)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.nordic,soc.answers,news.answers
Subject: soc.culture.nordic FAQ, part 4/8 (Finland)
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Date: 15 Feb 1995 16:32:08 +0200
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Summary: This posting is a part of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
file for the newsgroup soc.culture.nordic. Its purpose is to
introduce new readers to the group, provide some general information
about the Nordic countries (Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark and
Iceland) and to cover some of the topics frequently discussed in
the group.
Xref: bloom-beacon.mit.edu soc.culture.nordic:34971 soc.answers:2555 news.answers:35135
Archive-name: nordic-faq/finland
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Version: 1.0
A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) -file for the newsgroup
S O C . C U L T U R E . N O R D I C
*** PART 4: FINLAND ***
------------------------------
Subject: 4.1 Fact Sheet
Name: Suomen Tasavalta / Republiken Finland
Telephone country code: 358
Area: 338,127 km2 / 130,125 sq mi
Terrain: mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes
and low hills
Natural resources: timber, copper, zinc, iron ore, silver
Land boundaries: Russia, Sweden, Norway
Population: 5,010,274 (1991)
Life expectancy: male: 71, female: 80 (1991)
Capital: Helsinki/Helsingfors (pop. 501,514. Metropolitan area:
ca. 1 mill).
Other major towns: (note: many places in Finland have two names,
Finnish and Swedish)
Tampere/Tammerfors (174,859), Turku/Aabo
(159,916), Espoo/Esbo (179,054), Vantaa/Vanda
(159,213), Oulu/Uleaaborg (103,358) (1992)
Flag: a blue Nordic cross on white background.
Type: Republic
Head of state: President Martti Ahtisaari
Languages: Finnish (93%), Swedish (6%) (both official), small Sami
and Romani minorities.
Currency: markka (Finnish mark, FIM). 1 USD = 5.23 FIM (Jul 1994)
Climate: cold temperate. Gulf stream warms up parts of the country,
Lapland is sub-arctic. Average temp. in Helsinki:
-9C - -4C in Feb., 12C - 22C in July.
Religion: Evangelic-Lutheran (87%), Greek Orthodox (1%) (both
churches are official state-churches)
Exports: paper, metal, machinery, ships, timber, textiles, chemicals,
electronics, furniture
------------------------------
Subject: 4.2 General information
Finland is the easternmost of the Nordic countries, and has a long land
border with Russia (1269 km). Finland is among the largest countries in
Europe, and also one of the most sparsely populated. The ice age left
clear marks in Finland, for example in the form of the complex archipelagos
in the south and the equally complex inland lake-system. One of its effects
is also the fact that most of Finland is relatively flat, although
in the northern parts of the country the fells can rise to over 1000 metres.
Finland is a highly wooded country (most common trees being pine, spruce
and birch), as well as having a great number of lakes (estimates range from
60,000 to about 140,000 depending on what counts as a lake) -- lakes and
forests alone cover over 2/3 of Finland's area, and in addition to that,
the largest marshlands in Europe are located in (northern) Finland. It is
therefore no wonder that Finland's main industry lies in paper and timber,
not agriculture.
Finland is a bilingual country (with a Swedish-speaking minority living
mostly in the coastal areas), except for the autonomous island-province of
Aland, which is monolingually Swedish-speaking. Aland, with ca. 25,000
inhabitants, is a demilitarized area which has a flag of its own (a red
Nordic cross outlined in yellow, on blue background) and a separate
legistlation.
The origin of Finns is still subject to a lot of discussion; the traditional
theory is that Finns emigrated from the Urals to Finland ca. 2000 years ago,
but the current view seems to be that Finns have evolved into what they are
in Finland as a result of numerous successive waves of immigration coming
from east, south and west. Whatever the roots of Finns is, a fact is that
they speak a language that isn't Indo-European like the other Nordic lan-
guages, but Finno-Ugric; it's closest major relative is Estonian (but even
those two languages aren't mutually intelligible), and it's distantly
related to Hungarian, Sami, and several small languages spoken in European
Russia and Siberia. The Swedish-speaking minority of Finland arrived chiefly
with the Christian missionaries and crusaders in the early middle ages. They
speak a dialect called 'finlandssvenska' that differs slightly from Swedish
spoken in Sweden ('rikssvenska'), most notably for its Finnish intonation
and some archaic vocabulary.
In Lapland (the northernmost province of Finland), a small Sami (Lapp)
minority still survives. Their number is only ca. 2500, but nowadays there
are schools for Sami-speakers and the language is considered official in
municipalities with at least 7% of the population speaking Sami. For more
information about the Sami, see section 3.4.
Finnish culture could be characterized as a mixture of Swedish and Finnish
elements, with a touch of Russian influence especially in the eastern pro-
vinces. Important cultural figures include e.g the architect Alvar Aalto
(1898-1976), the reformator and father of Finnish written language Mikael
Agricola (1510-57), the composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957), the historian
H.G.Porthan (1739-1804), the poet J.L.Runeberg (1804-77), the scholar Elias
Lo"nnroth (1802-84), the authors Aleksis Kivi (1834-72) and Tove Jansson
(1914-) and the painter Akseli Gallen-Kallela (1865-1935).
------------------------------
Subject: 4.3 History
A chronology of important dates (for the period 1155-1809, see also
the Swedish history section):
800-1050 Viking age. Finns don't participate in Viking raids outside
the Baltic.
1155 The First Crusade to Finland, launched by Swedes and led by
the English bishop Henry and the Swedish king Erik (later
canonized and made Sweden's patron saint, St.Erik). By
this time Finland was, however, already mostly Christian so
the real motivations of the 'crusade' are obscure. SW Finland
appears to have been allied with central Sweden already in
the Viking age, so it has been hypothesized that the campaign
was a punitive expedition against an ally that become unre-
liable, perhaps because of the influence of Greek Orthodox
missionaries. In due time, Finland becomes an integral part
of the kingdom of Sweden.
1156 According to the legend, bishop Henry is murdered by the
peasant Lalli on the frozen surface of lake Ko"ylio". He is
canonized St.Henry and becomes Finland's patron saint.
1229 The bishop's seat is moved from Nousiainen to Koroinen in
the vicinity of modern Turku; the year is considered to be
the founding year of Turku, which becomes the capital of
the eastern half of the kingdom.
1249 After a pagan uprising, the Second Crusade to Tavastia
(a province of western/central Finland) is launched and the
pagans are defeated.
1293 The Third Crusade to Karelia, a province of eastern Finland,
establishes the borderline between Catholic/Lutheran West
and Orthodox East for the centuries to come. The castle and
town of Viipuri/Viborg are founded to defend the border.
1323 The peace of No"teburg (Pa"hkina"saari) between Sweden and
Russia. Finland's eastern border defined for the first time.
1362 Finns receive the right to participate in the election of
the king.
1396- The era of the Kalmar Union, with Finland, Sweden, Denmark
1523 Norway and Iceland united as a single kingdom.
1495-97 War against Russia. During a siege of Viipuri, just as the
Russians are about to get over the city walls, St. Andrew's
cross appears in the sky and the frightened Russians flee
from battle. In reality, what happened was probably the
exploding of a gunpowder tower.
1527 Reformation. Finland becomes Lutheran with the rest of Sweden.
1550 Helsinki founded by Gustav Vasa, but remains little more
than a fishing village for more than two centuries.
1551 Mikael Agricola, a bishop of Turku, publishes his transla-
tion of the New Testament in Finnish.
1595 The peace of Ta"yssina" (Teusina); Finland's borders are
moved further east and north.
1596-97 The so called Cudgel War. Manipulated by the usurper duke
Karl, Finnish peasantry rises into a rebellion prompted by
the worsened living conditions; after short-lived success,
the poorly armed peasants are brutally defeated by the
troops of Klaus Fleming, a Finnish aristocrat and regent
of Finland.
1617 Karelia joined into Finland in the peace treaty of Stolbova.
1630-48 Finns fight in the Thirty Years' War in the continent. The
Finnish cavalry, known as hakkapeliitta's, spreads fear among
the Catholic troops who're used to more orderly warfare.
1637-40 Count Per Brahe as the general governor of Finland. Many
and important reforms are made, towns are founded, etc. His
1648-54 period is generally considered very beneficial to the deve-
lopment of Finland.
1640 Finland's first university founded in Turku.
1714-21 Russia occupies Finland during the Great Northern War The
period of the so called "Great Wrath".
1721 The peace of Uusikaupunki gives Karelia to Russia.
1741-43 The "War of the Hats". Adventurous politics by the "Hat"
party leads to a new disastrous war with Russia and a new
occupation of Finland, known as "The Lesser Wrath", which
ends in the peace treaty of Turku in 1743.
1808-09 "The War of Finland". Russia attacks Finland in Feb. 1808
without a declaration of war; Finnish troops retreat all the
way to Oulu, which forces Russians to leave a large part of
their army as occupation forces, giving the Swedish general
Klingspor superiority in force. A reconquest starts in June
and Klingspor receives several victories; however, the
baffling surrender of the mighty Sveaborg fortress and
the fresh Russian troops received in autumn of 1809 force
the Swedish-Finnish troops to retreat all the way to Sweden
and Russia once again occupies Finland.
1809 In the diet of Porvoo, while the war still goes on, the
Finnish estates swear an oath of loyalty to Emperor
Alexander I, who grants Finland a status of an autonomous
Grand Duchy, retaining its old constitution and religion.
A few months later the peace treaty of Hamina (Fredrikshamn)
is signed and Finland becomes under Russian rule.
1812 Helsinki, being closer to Russia than the Swedish-oriented
Turku, is made the new capital. Karelia is joined to the
Grand Duchy as an act of goodwill.
1809-99 Finland prospers under the extensive autonomy and more liberal
conditions than in the rest of Russian Empire. National
identity and nationalism awakens.
1827 The great fire of Turku destroys most of the former capital.
The university is moved to Helsinki.
1835 The first publication of the _Kalevala_, the Finnish national
epic. It was collected by Elias Lo"nnroth from traditional
Karelian oral poetry, and became the most important source of
inspiration to Finnish nationalists when it appeared in its
final form in 1849.
1866 Finnish becomes, alongside with Swedish and Russian, an
official language.
1899 Russia starts a Russification policy of Finland with the
so called "February manifesto". After the initial shock and
disbelief, a well-organized passive resistance follows.
1904 The dictatorical general governor and active adherent of
Russification of Finland, Nikolai Bobrikov, is assassinated
by the young clerk Eugen Schauman.
1906 Finnish women receive the right to vote and to run for
parliament. Finland was the first country in Europe (and
second in the world, after New Zealand) to grant women an
equal right to vote in elections. The Finnish diet, which
up until now had been a system of four estates (nobility,
clergy, merchantry, peasantry), becomes a unicameral
parliament and a universal suffrage is declared.
1917 As Russia plunges into the chaos of the October Revolution,
Finland seizes the opportunity and declares independence
on the 6th of December.
1918 A civil war erupts between "whites" and "reds", and ends in
"white" victory under the commander C.G.Mannerheim. Even
though the war is relatively brief, the casualties rise high
because of 'red' and 'white' terror, poor conditions at
prison camps and random executions of prisoners. The war
leaves bitter marks on the nation, which are eventually
healed in the Winter War of 1939-40, when both sides have to
unite forces against a common enemy.
The civil war increases scepticism towards the effeciency
of democratic institutions, and monarchists in the parlia-
ment succeed (chiefly because the Social Democrats had
not been allowed to partake in the parliament) in turning
Finland into a monarchy, and the German prince Friedrich
Karl of Hessen is made King of Finland. However, as Germany
soon lost the World War I, the king voluntarily gave up
the crown and monarchism in general suffered an inflation.
In 1919 Finland gets a republican constitution, with a
strong position for the president as a concession to the
monarchists.
1920's- Finland prospers after the war and adopts a neutral Nordic
30's profile in its foreign policy, although with strong German
sympathies. In early 1930's fascism in the Italian fashion
emerges and the so called Lapua-movement attempts a coup
d'etat in 1932, but fails and is banned. The IKL ('Patriotic
Movement'), an extreme right party, is formed to continue
the legacy of Lapua-movement, but it never gains significant
support and Finnish fascism remains a fringe phenomenon.
1939-40 Soviet Union attacks Finland. Fierce Finnish resistance
surprises the overwhelming but poorly prepared Soviet
troops and the "Winter War" lasts for roughly three and
a half months, causing heavy casualties on the Soviet side.
Eventually Finland has to give in and cede Karelia to the
USSR, causing some 400,000 people to lose homes.
1941-44 The Continuation War; Finland attacks the Soviet Union
with Germany, hoping to regain the lost areas, but
eventually has to accept the borders of 1940 and, and also
cede Pechenga, lease Porkkala peninsula as a military base
for 50 years (SU returns it already in 1956) and pay war
reparations.
1944-45 The War of Lapland. As a part of the peace treaty, Finland
has to force all German troops to leave Finland. Germans
put up a fight and burn much of Finnish Lapland as they
retreat.
1947 Paris peace treaty. Finland assumes a policy of careful
neutrality (e.g declining to receive Marshall aid) and
realpolitik, taking into account Finland's geographical
location next to the USSR. This policy becomes known as
the Paasikivi-Kekkonen line.
1944-48 So called "Years of Danger" ('vaaran vuodet') when a
communist takeover was hanging in the air. Some leading
Finnish communists proclaimed that the "Czechoslovakian
model" was to be Finland's future as well. This ends in
the signing of the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation
and Mutual Assistance ('YYA' is the Finnish acronym)
with the Soviet Union in 1948. In it, Finland among other
things commits itself to defend its territory against any
foreign power that might use Finland as a way to attack
Soviet Union. The treaty guarantees Finland's sovereignty
in the years to follow, but places Finland in between
the two blocs of the Cold War, trying hard to please both
sides.
1950's- "Finlandization" era. Finland remains an independent western
80's European democracy, but falls into exaggerations in keeping
the eastern neighbour pleased. On the other hand, the
bilateral trade arrangements with the Soviet Union are very
beneficial to Finnish economy, which make possible the
emergence of Finland as a rich welfare state.
1952 The Olympic Games held in Helsinki.
1955 Finland joins the United Nations and the Nordic Council.
1960's- A time of intensive urbanization, Finland turns from a
70's predominantly agrarian state into an urban one almost
"overnight". This results in severe unemployment, and large
numbers of Finns emigrate to Sweden in search of jobs.
1973 Finland signs a free trade treaty with the EEC (a precedent
of the European Union), but remains outside the community.
1975 The first CSCE conference in held in Helsinki. The 'spirit
of Helsinki' becomes to epitomize the process of detente
between East and West after the Cold War era.
1987 Finland becomes a full member of EFTA (European Free Trade
Association). A special FINEFTA customs treaty had been in
effect already since 1961.
1989 Finland becomes a member of the European Council.
1994 On 16th of October Finns voted YES (57% vs. 43% NO) to
membership in the European Union; the parliament ratified
the result after a long filibustering campaign by the
NO-side.
1995 As of January 1st, Finland became a full member in the EU.
4.3.1 Grand Dukes and presidents of Finland
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For a list of kings and queens of Sweden-Finland, see Part 7
of the FAQ, section 7.3.1.
Grand Dukes of the Grand Duchy of Finland
=========================================
Alexander I (1809-25)
Nikolai I (1825-55)
Alexander II (1855-81)
Alexander III (1881-94)
Nikolai II (1894-1917)
Presidents of the republic of Finland
=====================================
Kaarlo Juho Staahlberg (1919-25)
Lauri Kristian Relander (1925-31)
Pehr Evind Svinhufvud (1931-37)
Kyo"sti Kallio (1937-40)
Risto Heikki Ryti (1940-44)
Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (1944-46)
Juho Kusti Paasikivi (1946-56)
Urho Kaleva Kekkonen (1956-81)
Mauno Henrik Koivisto (1981-94)
Martti Ahtisaari (1994- )
------------------------------
Subject: 4.4 The Finnish parliament and political parties
[By: Hiski Haapoja>
The Finnish parliament is unicameral, elected by citizens over 18 every
fourth March (to commemorate the opening of the Estates' Diet by Tsar
Alexander I in March 1809). The President, with the consent of the Prime
Minister, can dissolve the Parliament and call for new elections. This
last occurred in 1975. In the election of March 1991 the 200 seats went
as follows:
Centre 55, Social Democrats 48, National Coalition 40, Left-wing
Alliance 19, Swedish Party 12, Greens 10, Christian League 8, SMP 7,
Liberals 1.
The Centre (Keskusta, abbr. Kesk) was called Agrarian League until 1965
and still derives its main support from rural areas covering most of
Finland. Not nearly all the voters have anything to do with farming, but
loyalty to the Centre is almost a family value in the provinces,
particularly the two northern ones (Oulu and Lapland). The higher voting
percentage of the rural areas is an additional asset. The party has a
strong anti-EU wing, which has close ties with Vapaan Suomen Liitto (Union
of Free Finland), whose sole issue is to terminate the EU membership.
Esko Aho has been chairman of the Centre since 1990 and Prime Minister
since 1991. Other main politicians include the controversial Paavo Våyrynen,
Seppo Kååriåinen, Olli Rehn, Tytti Isohookana-Asunmaa, Anneli Jååtteenmåki.
The chairman of VSL is the noted troublemaker Ilkka Hakalehto.
The Social Democrats (SDP) are strongest in Southern industrial towns,
also sharing much of the middle-class and official vote. Party chairman
Paavo Lipponen (the first Finnish politician to suggest EU membership)
is widely believed to become the next Prime Minister after the March 1995
elections. Other notable names: Arja Alho, Erkki Tuomioja, Pertti Paasio,
Ulf Sundqvist, Antti Kalliomåki, Lasse Lehtinen, Kalevi Sorsa. President
Martti Ahtisaari, EU commissioner Erkki Liikanen and many trade union
figures come from SDP.
The National Coalition (Kokoomus, abbr. Kok), or Conservatives, presents
itself as the party of entrepreneurs and patriots, winning 90 per cent
shares of vote in army bases. Helsinki and the other main cities are
National Coalition strongholds. While most of rural Finland is dominated
by the green of the Centre, Eastern Håme is blue for some reason. Chairman
Sauli Niinist÷ and his minions (Pertti Salolainen, Pekka Kivelå, Ilkka
Suominen, Harri Holkeri) are currently worried about a new rival,
Nuorsuomalaiset (Young Finns - the name harks back to the days of the
Tsar), which appears as a more modern, "cool" urban alternative. Risto
E. J. Penttilå is the champion of the Young Finns, while the image of
the National Coalition is burdened by the ruthless know-it-all Minister
of Finance, Iiro Viinanen. Riitta Uosukainen is the first-ever Chairwoman
of the Parliament.
The Left-wing Alliance (Vasemmistoliitto, abbr. Vas) is a 1990 attempt to
gather together the quarreling Communist movement. Some splits are still
visible both inside and outside of the party. Much stronger in the North
than in the South, the party gets most of its votes from industrial
workers. The eternal struggle with SDP over trade unions goes on and on.
The chairman is Claes Andersson, psychiatrist and novelist.
The Swedish People's Party (SFP in Swedish, RKP in Finnish) unites the
Swedish-speaking minority of the Southern and Ostrobothnian coasts,
from leftist intellectuals through farmers and fishermen to nobility.
The language issue gives SFP the stablest electorate of any Finnish party.
It manages to worm its way to most Finnish governments, thus having
influence far greater than its size. One of the 12 mandates is the
representative of Aland Islands, Gunnar Jansson, who technically is not
a member of the party as the islands have a political system of their own.
The Greens first entered the Parliament in 1983. Their main concern
is the environment (attitudes ranging from moderate to fanatical)
but many counter-culture youths and citizens' rights activists feel home
here as well. Paradoxically, the nature party thrives mainly in the
big cities (the "Neon Greens") as well as in the Universities.
The Christian League (founded in 1958) owes most of its seats to
skilful electoral alliances which give the party benefit from votes
originally given to other parties. Many of its faces represent
Revivalist movements rather than mainstream Lutheranism. The
chairman is Toimi Kankaanniemi.
SMP (Finnish Rural Party, although changing the meaning of the letters is
continually proposed) originated in 1959 as a rebellious (anti-Kekkonen)
fraction of the Agrarian League. The party's electoral success has been
very variable and despite government participation during the 1980s it
never achieved, or much sought for, respectability, preferring to fish
the populist vote with anti-refugee statements. The current state of
SMP is chaotic: four of the 7 MPs have left the party and an electoral
burial is expected. However, this has happened before and SMP has risen
like a phoenix from the ashes.
The sole Liberal MP is the party's chairwoman Tuulikki Ukkola, a political
commentator from Oulu. LKP has a history of power despite its small size,
but is facing extinction and is hysterical about the threat of the Young
Finns.
There are a dozen registered parties outside the Parliament. The law
states that a party which twice consecutively fails to enter the
Parliament must be dissolved, but usually they re-arrange themselves
with the collection of another 5,000 signatures. Among them are three
pensioners' parties (the least of them called Party of Shared Responsibility
of Pension Receivers and Greens), the Women's Party and the Natural Law
Party which aims to heal the Finnish economy by the means of yoga.
The status of bad old IKL (the main Fascist party, banned in 1944) is
somewhat unclear at the moment.
------------------------------
Subject: 4.5 Main tourist attractions
4.5.1 Helsinki
~~~~~~~~
Starting from the capital, Helsinki/Helsingfors, the most important sights
include the following:
The Senate Square, in the very centre of Helsinki, is one of the most
beautiful neo-classical squares in Europe. On one side of the square
is situated the Senate palace, and on the other, the maiun building
of Helsinki University; above them rises the Helsinki Cathedral (all
are designed by the architect C.L.Engel in early 19th century), and in
the centre of the square is a statue of Emperor Alexander II. The
university library is next to the main building of the university is
considered to be perhaps Engel's finest work, especially the inte-
rerior is beautiful. Ateneum Art Museum located in the Rautatientori-
square nearby has the best collection of fine art in Filnand; mostly
Finnish painters and some foreign masters of turn of the century (the
rest of the collection of foreign art is housed in the Sinebrychoff
museum on Bulevardi street); on the same square is the railway
station, which is a large and highly innovative Art Nouveau building.
The Market Square, in the South Harbour, is a lively year-round market
in beautiful surroundings. Beside the square is the fountain of Havis
Amanda, the symbol of Helsinki. The Esplanade, a park avenue lined
with shops and cafes starts from the fountain; at it's other end is
the Swedish Theatre and the Stockmann department store, reputedly the
largest in Scandinavia, and certainly the best one in Helsinki. A part
of the Stockmann, although located in a separate building next to it,
is the Academic Bookstore which is a must for every bookhoarder. They
have a large selection of books in English, as well as several other
major languages. For slightly cheaper shopping, you could take the
subway to the Ita"keskus -station (East Centre). The station is right
next to a huge suburban mall.
On the other end of the Market Square rises the golden, onion-shaped
cupola of the Uspensky Cathedral, representing the other major
religion in Finland, Greek Orthodoxy. Ferries leave from the square
to the 18th century island fortress of Suomenlinna (Sveaborg), once
called "the Gibraltar of the North" (but unlike Gibraltar, never
had much military significance), located just outside the harbour;
it's a beautiful place for picnics and just strolling around. Tickets
cost only about 10 FIM. There are also ferries to Korkeasaari Zoo,
also located in a nearby island. Another good place for picnics is
the Kaivopuisto park, where free pop-concerts are held in summers.
Going down the Mannerheimintie-street, which starts from the other
end of the Esplanade, you'll pass the following places of interest:
the parliament, which is a massive granite building that daties from
the 1930's (and, frankly, looks like something that Albert Speer might
have designed..). The Finlandia-house, by Finland's most famous
architect Alvar Aalto, built of white marble, where e.g the founding
conferences of the CSCE were held in 1975. The National Museum, which
is an interesting Art Nouveau building, displaying objects from
different periods of Finnish history. The collection is relatively
interesting, but displayed in a somewhat conservative (or 'dull', if
you prefer) way. Also, the museum is far too small for it's purpose.
The National Opera is the next building on the line, it's a piece
of modern architecture finished in 1993, more beautiful from the
inside than the outside; and finally, the Olympic Stadium, where the
1952 Olympics were held. You might also want to check the Temppeli-
aukio church in the district of To"o"lo", which is carved into a low
hill of granite rock and covered by a copper dome. Seurasaari island
has an open-air museum of traditional Finnish wooden houses, not
quite as good as Skansen in Stockholm or Bygdo/y in Oslo, but if
you're interested in folk culture it's certainly worth checking out.
Linnanma"ki amusement park is the largest in Finland; it differs in
no way from your average large amusement park, but might still be
a nice place to spend a day, especially if you're travelling with
children.
4.5.2 Turku, the old capital
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Turku/Abo is Finland's oldest city, founded sometime in the early
13th century, but not very many old buildings remain because of tens
of disastrous fires, the worst one being that of 1827 which destroyed
the city almost completely. Most of the buildings are, therefore,
fairly new, with a couple of old monuments remaining. Turku is
divided by the river Aura, on the bank of which rises the Turku
Cathedral, the most important medieval cathedral in Finland and a
national sanctuary. It was started in 1230, and it's present shape
(except for the cupola and the roof, which were built after the
1827 fire) dates from late middle ages. The other major medieval
monument in Turku is the castle, started in the 1310's. The castle
acted as the main castle of Finland in the middle ages and renais-
sance; it's an impressive construction, although not exceptionally
romantic. In the river Aura, there are two 19th century sailing-
ships acting as museums, the Suomen Joutsen and Sigyn. The Cloister
Hill (Luostarinma"ki) has an attractive collection of simple wooden
merchants houses that were spared from the fire.
4.5.3 Tampere, the third largest city of Finland
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[from: Kari Yli-Kuha>
Tampere, founded in 1779, the largest inland city in Scandinavia.
The location between two lakes, Na"sija"rvi and Pyha"ja"rvi, and the
rapids (Tammerkoski) joining the lakes gave birth to the industry in
the city. The cathedral is a masterpiece of Finnish national-romantic
Art Nouveau. Lake tours, 'Hopealinja' (Silver Line) in Pyha"ja"rvi
and 'Runoilijan tie' (Poet's Way) in Na"sija"rvi, are popular
in the summer. A gravel ridge, Pispalan harju, and the settlement
there is also a major tourist attraction. Tampere has two theatres
(TT and TTT) and a summer theatre with a revolving auditorium. The
Sa"rka"nniemi amusement park is very popular in the summer. One of
gastronomic delicacies typical for Tampere is black sausage ('musta-
makkara') which is made of blood, though not nearly all regard it as
a delicacy.
Other tips: [from Tuukka Kirveskoski>
* Main shopping street Ha"meenkatu
* Pyynikki natural park only two kilometres west from downtown
* Take a ferry to Viikinsaari island or a longer boat trip to the
town of Ha"meenlinna (about 100km; there's a medieval castle
there). Scenic waterways.
* places to be:
Amarillo, Night Club Ilves, Crazy Horse, Cafe Metropol, Doris
* luxurious baths:
- Spa Lapinniemi, near the city centre, about 60FIM/2 hours
- Eden, in the neighbouring town Nokia, about 70FIM
- Ikaalisten Kylpyla", in the small town of Ikaalinen, 50km
from Tampere, about 50FIM
4.5.4 Jyva"skyla"
~~~~~~~~~~~
[from: Jarmo Ryyti>
Jyvaskyla was where Alvar Aalto began his career as an architect;
from 1920's up until our days, dozens of buildings designed by
him have been built in and around Jyvaskyla, thus making the city
famous for its architecture.
Jyvaskyla in the area of Finnish language culture it has a remarkable
succession of "firsts": the first Finnish-language lyceym, the first
school for the girls, the first teachers' training college (the semi-
nary) the first national song and instrument festivals, the first
society for the advancement of public education, the first "summer
university", and the first arts festival.
4.5.5 Other places of interest in Finland
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aland islands (Ahvenanmaa in Finnish) are a beautiful archipelago,
perfect for cycling, with medieval churches scattered around and
the castle ruins of Kastelholm. Porvoo/Borgaa is a small medieval
town east of Helsinki; a well-preserved, mostly wooden old town,
with a medieval cathedral. Naantali/Nadendal, close to Turku, is
another charming small, medieval town by the sea, where a Brigittine
cloister was located (the church still remains). Likewise, Rauma,
located some 100km? north of Turku has a very charming old town, and
a church that was part of a Franciscan monastery. The inland lake-
system, with such lakes as Saimaa and Pa"ija"nne is perfect for a
canoeing holiday; trips on one of the many lake steam boats are also
recommended. The mightiest of Finnish medieval castles, Olavinlinna,
is located in an island in the Saimaa, and a famous opera-festival
is arranged in the castle every summer. The province of Lapland is
among the last wild natural areas in Europe; no real mountains
(except in some areas close to Norwegian border), but low fells that
rise to some 500 metres. Good for trekking, but be prepared for
mosquitoes.
------------------------------
Subject: 4.5 Addresses; Internet and regular mail
INTERNET
--------
* e-mail addresses *
Ministers and MP's of the Finnish parliament can be reached by sending
email to:
First_name.Surname@eduskunta.mailnet.fi
FINLANDIA is the Finnish classical music mailing list.
The purpose of this list is to offer a forum of discussion about
Finnish classical and modern composers, their life and works,
performing artists and orchestras, Finnish publications (scores,
books, sheet music etc.), recordings (CD, LP - even video) and the
music life in general. To subscribe send E-mail to:
Majordomo@phoenix.oulu.fi
The Subject: header is ignored. In the message body there should be
the following line:
subscribe finlandia
Everyone with an interest in Finnish music is welcome. The list language
is English.
Maintainer: Marko Hotti finlandia-owner@phoenix.oulu.fi
University of Oulu
* FTP *
ftp.funet.fi (perhaps the largest file-server in Europe)
* Gopher *
University of Helsinki, information in English:
http://gopher.helsinki.fi:70/11/english
Soccer results from Scandinavia:
http://sotka.cs.tut.fi/riku/soccer/html
* WWW *
A nice general introduction to Finland can be found at:
http://www.cs.hut.fi/finland.html
Information about Helsinki can be found at:
http://cui_www.unige.ch/w3catalog?helsinki
For information in Finnish & Engilish, you can look at the University
of Helsinki main WWW page at:
http://www.helsinki.fi/
The complete timetables of the passenger traffic of VR, the Finnish
state railways can now be found at:
http://www.hut.fi/~ovr/VR.html
The gopher service at "gopher://otax.tky.hut.fi/11/verkkotieto/avoin/
Aikataulut/VR/" will be there at least until May 1995.
REGULAR MAIL
------------
- Tourist information
Finnish Tourist Board
Toolonkatu 11, P.O. Box 625
Helsinki, Finland
phone: +358-0-403011; FAX +358-0-40301333
Helsinki City Tourist Office
Pohjoisesplanadi 19, 00100
Helsinki, Finland
phone: +358-0-169-3757; FAX +358-0-169-3839
Finnish Tourist Board (Canada, Toronto)
P.O. Box 246, Station Q
Toronto, ON M4T 2M1
phone: +1-416-964-9159
Finnish Tourist Board (USA)
655 Third Ave.
New York, NY 10017
phone: +1-212-949-2333; 800-FIN-INFO; FAX +1-212-983-5260
- Other addresses
The Finnish Sauna Society
Vaskiniemi
00200 HELSINKI
Phone: +358-0-678-677, Fax:+358-0-679-180
------------------------------
Subject: 4.6 The Finnish Sauna
[by Mauri Haikola>
While the word 'sauna' (in the Finnish pronounciation, the "au" sound is
like "ou" in "loud") means different things in different countries,
for a Finn it means an elementary part of everyday life. Ever since
childhood, Finnish people learn to bathe in sauna, usually at least
once a week. Yes, they do it naked, and yes, they go in there together
with other people, while naked. This and other aspects of the Finnish
sauna are discussed in the following questions and answers.
Q1. Why is sauna something special in Finland?
A1. Mostly because of ancient traditions. Wherever there have lived
Finns, there have also been a sauna nearby their residences. In the
early days of Finnish history, it was a small wooden hut near a lake,
and people used it not only for cleaning themselves, but for childbirths,
some medical operations and other duties that required a clean, bacteria-
free environment. Today, practically all houses in Finland have a sauna.
In urban areas, you usually have one per building, but even in a relatively
small apartment it is not a rare piece of luxury these days. This being
the case, Finns discover at an early age what a refreshing way it is to
clean oneself both physically and mentally. The tradition is not a dying
one either.
Q2. What is a Finnish sauna like?
A2. The basic parts are the stove ('kiuas'), filled with fist-sized
stones, and the benches or platforms ('lauteet'), made of wood
(anecdotes of metal benches in the saunas of some Finnish-built
Russian warships are told :). There are usually two benches, one of
which is higher (the seat) and the other one lower (place to rest your
feet on, or another seat if you feel it's too hot). These are what all
saunas have. The modern saunas have the usual shower and dressing
rooms too, but the traditional ones near a lake or sea (usually in the
vicinity of a summer cabin, or built in one) do not require anything
but a stove for heating and a bench to sit down on -- you can do the
cleaning in the lake. The stove is traditionally fuelled by wood, but
electrically heated saunas are common due to their safe, easy and
clean use. The average sauna has room for 3-6 people at a time.
Q3. How are you supposed to bathe?
A3. There are no rules, only guidelines. Finns like their traditions,
but do not enforce them on themselves or foreigners. Usually you bathe
together with your family. If you are with friends or others that
aren't family members, men and women take turns to bathe separately. Most
public saunas are separate for men and women, but not all. You take your
clothes off (this is not a rule, mind you; if someone wants to use a towel
or bathing suite, it's not a breach of any important etiquette), go and
sit down on the benches and relax. The air is not particularly humid at
first (there is no visible steam), and when you feel like it, you throw
some water on the stones to increase humidity. This causes the water to
vaporize very quickly, and it makes the bathers feel a momentary breath
of hot air in their backs. It may be uncomfortable, if the stove is too
hot or if you use too much water, and in those cases it helps to step down
on the lower bench, or to go out entirely. This is also perfectly acceptable,
and first-time sauna bathers shouldn't feel obligated to stay in if they
don't feel like it. The basic goal is to enjoy and relax, and sweat. After
you've done enough of that, you go to the showers, and/or swim in the lake,
depending on the facilities. After swimming or showering, you can go back
to the sauna, and repeat this cycle as many times as you want.
Q4. How hot is it in there?
A4. This varies according to the bathers' wishes. Usually the temperature
is between 60 C and 110 C, the widely-agreed-upon ideal temperature being
somewhere around 85 degrees. Sometimes (after a few drinks) Finnish men
engage in an unhealthy competition over who can stay in a hot sauna the
longest time. This is not the way sauna is meant to be enjoyed, not to
mention that it can be dangerous. Also, you shouldn't be drunk in sauna.
A cold beer after sauna, however, tastes usually great, even a mediocre
brand.
Q5. What is a smoke sauna? How does it differ from the usual one?
A5. A smoke sauna (savusauna) is perhaps the most traditional kind of
sauna. There is no smoke pipe: all the smoke from the stove goes inside
the sauna while heating. Of course, it has to be removed before bathing,
and this is done by opening a small hatch on the wall. The fire on the
stove must not be burning while bathing, but this doesn't matter, since
the massive stove radiates plenty of heat for many hours. A smoke sauna
is often considered the ultimate sauna experience, complete with the
wonderful smoke odour. Smoke saunas are somewhat rare compared to the
normal ones these days, but sauna enthusiasts praise them so that there
still exist plenty of them.
Q6. Do Finns really jump out naked into the snow in the middle of sauna
bathing and roll around in winter time? Or go swimming in a frozen lake?
A6. Some do, most don't. This is a habit that requires a healthy heart
and a bit of courage, but it is practised, and there are some enthusiasts
who think sauna in the winter is nothing without a quick swim in the snow
or freezing water. Of course, others think this is sheer madness.
Q7. What about sauna and sex?
A7. Even though people are naked in sauna, Finns do not see anything
sex-related in their sauna tradition. Of course you can have sex in
there if you feel like it, but that is neither a part of any tradition
nor very comfortable. Women used to give birth in saunas a long time
ago, but the conceiving was done mostly elsewhere. Massage parlours and
other (sometimes sexual) services that often come with a public sauna in
the red-light districts of big cities are unknown phenomena in Finland.
Going to sauna naked with all your family is not at all perverted, as the
reader might think. Instead, the sauna tradition makes it natural and
comfortable for children to learn about human body, and for parents to
tell them about it.
------------------------------
Subject: 4.7 Finnish literature, language, etc.
4.7.1 Some classic novels and poetry
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
_The Kalevala_, (1849)
Poetry originating from the Viking ages and earlier, compiled
in the 19th century by the scholar E.Lo"nnroth. The national
epic of Finland and a classic of world literature. Several
translations; the most recent one, and widely acclaimed, is
by Keith Bosley (published e.g in the series Oxford Classics).
It's counterpart is the _Kanteletar_ published in 1840-41,
which contains non-mythical, everyday poetry often sung by
women.
_The Tales of Ensign Staal_, by J.L.Runeberg (I 1848, II 1861)
Heroic poetry describing the war of Finland, 1808-09. Had
great historical impact in both Finland and Sweden. Trans-
lations exist but could be difficult to find.
_The Railroad_, by Juhani Aho, (1884)
A 19th century classic novel about the first railroad trip
of an old peasant couple.
_Helkavirsia"_, by Eino Leino, (1902)
Leino is one of Finland's best loved poets; this is a book
of Kalevala-inspired poetry.
_Poems_, by Edith So"dergran (1916)
The first of the Finland-Swedish modernists. She died rather
young without achieving much recognition in her time, but is
now regarded one of Filand's foremost poets. _Dikter_ (poems)
was her first publication.
_Silja_, by F.E.Sillanpa"a" (1931)
Sillanpa"a" won Finland's first (and so far only) Nobel
prize for literature with this novel which, however, has now
to some extent fallen into oblivion.
_The Egyptian_, by Mika Waltari, (1945)
A historical novel based in ancient Egypt. Waltari is one
of the best-known Finnish writers, and this is his most
famous novel. Been translated and even filmed into a boring
Hollywood spectacle.
_The Unknown Soldier_, by Va"ino" Linna, (1954)
A novel on the Continuation War of 1941-45. Without doubt
the most important postwar Finnish novel, at least regarding
its impact on the Finnish people. Unfortunately, it is
practically untranslatable because the use of dialects
is an essential part of the novel. Translations exist, but
I can't recommend them very highly.
_The Time in Prague_, by Pentti Saarikoski, (1967)
Often remembered better for his unhealthy lifestyle, Saari-
koski was nevertheless a genial poet and a translator of
e.g Homer and Joyce.
_Moominpappa and the Sea_, by Tove Jansson
The Moomins, philosophical-minded, friendly trolls who live
in Moominvalley, are popular characters created by Tove
Jansson. There are many books in the series, this one being
(IMO) one of the best. Charming reading for all ages.
_The Year of the Hare_, by Arto Paasilinna,
Paasilinna is a much loved humorist in Finland whose books
have recently started to win international acclaim. This one,
perhaps his most popular, is the story of an advertising
man who gets sick of urban life and escapes to the wilder-
ness with his pet hare.
4.7.2 Dictionaries and other study-material
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Compiled by N.O.Monaghan>
BOOKS USEFUL FOR LEARNING FINNISH (Version 2.3)
Many thanks to all those who have contributed and commented on this
list. As usual any additions, corrections, and other comments should be
mailed to monaghan@lingua.cltr.uq.oz.au.
This list contains works which may be found useful for learning Finnish
- either whether by self-study or other means. Some works are directed
towards teachers rather than students. Older works are retained as these
are often the ones that will be stumbled across in libraries.
INDEX
Grammars, Primers, Phrase Books.
Dictionaries
Readers
Materials for Teaching Finnish
Miscellaneous
Course Details
Acknowledgements
GRAMMARS, PRIMERS, PHRASE BOOKS.
Maija-Hellikki Aaltio: Finnish for Foreigners (1963)
A good book to work through, it teaches grammar and
vocabulary in small chunks with plenty of grammatical exercises
and reading exercises. The emphasis on obtaining a practical
command of the language (even if mainly a reading knowledge)
makes it very useful. I think there may well be an updated
version available these days. A new edition is now available. [NOM]
Maija-Hellikki Aaltio: Finnish for Foreigners (1987):
Finnish for Foreigners 1 Textbook
Finnish for Foreigners 1 Exercises
Finnish for Foreigners 2 Textbook
Finnish for Foreigners 2 Exercises
Finnish for Foreigners 3 Textbook
[ There are also 2 cassettes per book giving aural
versions of the chapter readers and listening
exercises for the exercise books. ]
I find these books OK for learning progressively, and the
reference tables in the back are more useful as a quick grammar
reference than Fred Karlsson's book, however there are two
distinct drawbacks:
1. It is very difficult to find anything in the books, e.g. if
you decide you want to check up a particular grammatical
feature or item of vocabulary.
2. The texts are getting a bit out of date (they're quite
sixties/seventies in their topics and attitudes in places).
[Matthew Faupel]
A complete revision of the original 1963 book which
bore the same title, this has long been the standard work
for teaching Finnish to English-speaking foreigners. The
book is slightly dated with respect to language teaching
methodology, but it takes the student from the basics to
a solid command of the language. The 1987 edition devotes
considerable attention to the peculiarities of spoken Finnish.
[Eugene Holman]
J. Atkinson: Finnish Grammar (Helsinki, 1956)
A course in Finnish grammar for the learner. It concentrates
on explaining the grammar and thus contains only a
few short reading passages and a very limited vocabulary.
Michael Branch et al: A Student's Glossary of Finnish: The Literary
Language Arranged by Frequency and Alphabet (Werner Soderstrom
Osakeyhtio, Porvoo, 1980)
1200 items, graded and accompanied by morphological
information. Glossed in several languages, including English.
[Lance Eccles]
Berlitz Finnish for Travellers
Various editions in various languages.
A typical inexpensive Berlitz pocket language guide.
Like all the these guides, it of great help unless you actually
know a little bit already, but then it is very helpful for
vocabulary in various situations - especially menus. [NOM]
Bjo"rn Collinder: A Handbook of the Uralic Languages. Part 2. Survey of
the Uralic Languages (Stockholm, 1957) [This may have been
issued separately entitled 'A Finnish Primer'.]
Although a book aimed at compartative linguists, the Finnish
section contains a graded grammatical introduction together
with reading passages and a vocabulary. I have seen this Finnish
section as a separate pamphlet but without any publication
details. [NOM]
Artem Davdijants Inge Davidjants, Eugene Holman, Riitta Koivisto-Arhinma"ki:
Terve, Suomi! Conversational Finnish in video ( Helsinki/Tallinn
1992)
This is the first attempt to produce an audiovisual
course in Finnish. The course consists of a 45-minute video
(VHS-PAL) dramatization of a trip to Finland, a 60-minutte
audio cassette, and a 140-page textbook. The English version
is a translation and expansion of the Estonian original. The
course was produced under difficult circumstances during the
last days of Soviet Estonia, and it has some unfortunate
shortcomings. Nevertheless, it represents a totally new
approach to presenting and teaching Finnish as a foreign langauge.
Contact holman@katk.helsinki.fi for further information.
[Eugene Holman]
Eugene Holman: Handbook of Finnish Verbs. 231 Finnish verbs
conjugated in all tenses (Finnish Literature Society, 1984)
Modelled on the famous Barrons 201 Verbs series, this
book contains a detailed discussion of all the regularities
and peculiarities of Finnish verb morphology, in
addition to which it has information on the cases used in
conjunction with more than 1200 Finnish verbs.
Eugene Holman: Finnmorf (1986)
An MS-DOS computer program which generates
all the forms of a Finnish verb, noun, adjective, numeral
or pronoun if given the dictionary form. It is thus a computer
emulation of a handbook of Finnish inflectional morphology.
Particularly useful for teachers of Finnish because it
quickly produces neatly formatted full paradigms
which can be saved as text files for further editing. Available
as freeware upon request from holman@katk.helsinki.fi. [Eugene
Holman].
Leena Horton: First Finnish (Helsinki, 1982)
Teaches a very basic knowledge of Finnish with a limited
vocabulary through pictures. There are no grammatical
explanations beyond the translations in the vocabularies for
each chapter. This book was designed for use with children in a
classroom situation. [NOM]
Mirja Joro et al.: Askelia Suomeen (Ammattikasvatushallitus,
Helsinki, 1985-86)
Four slim vols, all in Finnish, and intended for
newcomers to Finland. [Lance Eccles]
Fred Karlsson: Finnish Grammar (tr Andrew Chesterman, WSOY,
Porvoo-Helsinki-Juva, 1983).
Finnish edition: Suomen peruskielioppi (1982)
Swedish edition: Finsk grammatik (1978).
Karrlsson systematically covers the grammar of Finnish. This
is an excellent book - the grammar rules are easy to read and
understand and numerous examples are given. The book uses a very
clear and understandable style of layout. However, it is a
grammar and will need to be used in conjunction with other
material. [NOM]
I've got this book, and while I find it useful, I'd
hesitate to call it "excellent". It's difficult to find things
in it sometimes, it doesn't cover everything (e.g. I would dearly
love to have information on such things as the use of "fossilised"
cases (e.g. maanatai/sin, posti/tse) and I find the rule blocks
written entirely in capitals difficult to read. There is
definite room for improvement. [Matthew Faupel]
Aira Haapakoski, Seija Koski & Mirja Valkesalmi: HUOMENTA SUOMI (Valtion
painatuskeskus, Helsinki, 1990, ISBN 951-861-175-0)
I've used it for adults and children. It
illustrates basic grammar fairly clearly and may make teaching
grammar more fun, it does not, however, give verbal rules, mainly
the info is given in "boxes". Huomenta Suomi costs around 100
FIM (= $25 CAD). [Marja Coady]
Marjatta Karanko & Ulla Talvitie: TOTTAKAI! (Oy Finn Lectura Ab, Loimaan
kirjapaino, Loimaa 1993, ISBN 951-8905-71-1)
I have not used it much yet but it would seem to
be suitable especially for teenagers since its texts are geared
towards them. Grammar is explained somewhat and the book
contains exercises as well. Everything is done in Finnish.
[Marja Coady]
Meri Lehtinen: Basic Course in Finnish (Ural and Altaic Series #27,
Indiana UP, Bloomington, 1963)
A huge book, full of drills. Unfortunately now out of
print. [Lance Eccles]
Terttu Leney: Teach Yourself Finnish (New Version, Hodder and Stoughton,
ISBN 0-340-56174-2) [An audio casette is also available]
Whitney's notorious _Teach Yourself Finnish_ has been
superseded by a new Finnish textbook compiled according to the
Council of Europe's Threshold guidelines on language learning.
It is an excellent introduction to spoken and written
Finnish. [Eugene Holman]
Teach Yourself has just recently brought out a
new version. A colleague recckons its pretty good. [Matthew Faupel]
The new version seems to be a *much* better
book [Antti Lahelma]
Anneli Lieko: Suomen kielen fonetiikkaa ja fonologiaa ulkomaalaisille
(1992) [Finnish phonetics and phonology for foreigners].
A clearly written presentation of the Finnish sound
system intended for foreigners with a good reading knowledge
of the language. The book concentrates on the learning
difficulties foreigners speaking a wide range
of languages face when trying to master Finnish pronunciation.
[Eugene Holman]
I would like to say that the book is certainly useful
but far from being a complete presentation of Finnish phonetics and
phonology for foreigners. It does not, for example, specify exactly
when a two-vowel pair is pronounced as a diphthong (instead of two
vowels belonging to distinct syllables), nor does it describe the
rules for secondary stress in Finnish. Admittedly, these are areas
which have not been studied extensively enough, and they seldom have
any phonematic effect. But the phenomena certainly affect the
naturalness of one's speech in Finnish. [Jukka "Yucca" Korpela]
Olli Nuutinen: Suomea Suomeksi 1. (Suomalaisen Sirjallisuuden Seura,
Helsinki, repr. 1992) Vocabuary available in Danish, Icelandic,
French, Spanish, Swedish, Norwegian, English, German, and Italian.
Teaches everything in Finnish only. Probably less suitable
for self studies. No audio cassettes available. As a student
I know only this one and can't compare, but my impression is
quite good. Seems to be up to date. The German vocabulary
contains many errors. [Uwe Geuder]
At first the book looks extremely childish but all of
the grammar is there. I have found it quite effective when used in
tandem with Karlsson's grammar. I first used this book in
1982 and I would guess it was first published in the
late 70's. This book makes Finnish feel EASY and
with a little imagination is fun to learn from (and teach with!).
[Cecelia A Musselman].
John B. Olli: Fundamentals of Finnish Grammar (Northland Press, New
York, 1958)
This book concentrates mainly on long lists of declensions
and conjugations. The approach taken is not a very helpful for the
learner. [NOM]
Anges Renfors: Finnish Self-Taught (Thimm's System) with Phonetic
Pronunciation (Marlborough's Self Taught Series, London, 1910)
Quite a old one! It is really a structured vocabulary with a
brief grammar and a mini-phrase book. Very similar in many ways
to the modern Berlitz books. [NOM]
Thomas A. Sekeboed (?): Spoken Finnish
It seems to be good for having lots of conversational
stuff in it, though probably you need the tapes (and a grammar)
to make a good go of it [Robert Cumming]
Leena Silfverberg: Suomen kielen jatko-oppikirja (Finn Lectura,
Helsinki?, 1990)
An intermediate course. All in Finnish. Has vocab lists,
but no translations. [Lance Eccles]
Arthur H. Whitney: Finnish (Teach Yourself Books, Hodder and Stoughton,
1956)
Being available in the cheap Teach Yourself Series, this book
is easily and widely available. Which makes it such a shame that
it is so bad. It consists of 20 chapters each of which has a
grammatical section, a vocabulary, and exercises including short
reading passages. The grammar is dreadfully complicated with the
reader learning rare variations almost immediately. It is also
very poorly laid out with no attempt at making it even vaguely
easy on the eye and brain. The vocabularies seem somewhat
pointless - they are normally 4 or 5 pages long which is an
incredible amount of learning expected for a single chapter - it
would have been better to include them alphabetically at the end
of the work and then tell the reader "learn the words beigining
with 'a' today". The exercises and reading passages are short
and no great aid to someone working alone - as 'Teach yourself'
implies. A replacement by Terttu Leney is now available in this
series. [NOM]
Yes, that book presents the reader with the most massive
vocabulary lessons I have seen in any text book. But, I liked
one thing about it; the reading passages form a real continuing
story. This is something most language books lack completely.
Personally, I also liked the fact that even the first passage is
far from trivial, not on the order of "Hello, Mrs. Paivinen.
That is a house." But as usually happens with me and language
books, I didn't assimilate the whole of the book. A
lot has stuck, though. [konarj@eua.ericsson.se]
DICTIONARIES
Suomi-Englanti-Suomi taskusanakirja, WSOY, Porvoo-Helsinki-Juva 1989.
A small pocket dictionary with a stylised picture of the Union
Jack as its cover. Just about passable as a pocket dictionary,
but it often doesn't give an indication of whether the word is
a noun, adjective or verb (not always obvious) and only gives
the basic form of each word (not helpful if it has an irregular
partitive or whatever). It also lacks most Finnish
colloquialisms (the dictionary seems to be designed for Finns
coming to Britain rather than vice-versa). [Matthew Faupel]
WSOY Suomi/Englanti and Englanti/Suomi.
Two volumes, about the same size as the Concise Oxford
(i.e. about 25cmx20cmx8cm). Hence lots of words and
examples. [Matthew Faupel]
Suomi/Englanti/Suomi Sanakirja, Gummerus Kirjapaino OY, 1989
A single volume mid-size dictionary with a reasonable amount
of colloquial information in, but still no information on
things other than the basic forms of words (other than
indirectly via examples). [Matthew Faupel]
Nykysuomen sanakirja
Something like 6 volumes. Irreplaceable for knowing
which words inflect in which ways, and for less common words.
Clearly not for beginners, because of the total lack of English,
but it's currently a bargain at around 300FIM (40 pounds
sterling) in softback. [Steve Kelly]
READERS
Robert Austerlitz: Finnish Reader and Glossary (Research and Studies in
Uralic and Altaic Languages No 14, Indiana UP, 1963)
Aili Rytko"nen Bell & Augustus Koski: Finnish Graded Reader (1968)
(Foreign Service Institute. Department of State. 1968)
[Audio cassettes are also available]
A behemoth (744 pgs.) of a book, this book takes the
student from the advanmced elementary level (approx. 500 words
and basic grammar) up to unedited journalistic, literary, and
historical texts. Jam packed with interesting exercises and
information otherwise unavailable about Finnish vocabulary,
idioms and phraseology. In my opinion this is the
BEST BOOK AVAILABLE for mastering Finnish in all of its
stylistic variety after you have learned the basics. The book
is a public document and costs $17.50 according to the latest
information I have available. [Eugene Holman]
MATERIALS FOR TEACHING FINNISH (Language Centre for Finnish Universities)
Eija Aalto (ed.): Kohdekielena" suomi. Oppimateriaalien kommentoitu
bibliografia. (Information from the Language Centre for Finnish
Universities, 1991) (in Finnish)
Jo"nsson-Korhola & White: Rakastan sinua. Pida"tko" sina" minusta? Suomen
verbien rektioita. (Language Centre Materials No. 66, 1989)
H. Koivisto: Suomi-tyto"n kieli. Suggestopedinen alkeiskurssi (Finnish-
English). (Language Centre Materials No. 75, 1990)
K. Siitonen: Auringonvalo. Ela"ma"a" suomalaisessa kyla"ssa". (Reading
materials for conversation classes). (Language Centre Materials
No. 79, 1990)
E. Aalto: Kuule hei! Suomen kielen kuunteluharjoituksia
vieraskielisille, (listening comprehension material, booklet + tapes).
(Language Centre Materials No. 80, 1990)
Ahonen & White: Monta sataa suomen sanaa. (reader for vocabulary
building and revision, English glossaries). (Language Centre
Materials No. 101, 1993)
All the above can be ordered from: Language Centre for Finnish
Universities, University of Jyva"skyla", P.O. Box 35, 40351 Jyva"skyla",
Finland. If you want further information, feel free to contact Helena Valtanen
valtanen@jyu.fi. [Helena Valtanen]
MISCELLANEOUS
Peter Hajdu: Finno-Ugrian languages and peoples (tr and adapted by G.F.
Cushing fr Hungarian "Finnugor nepek es nyelvek", Deutsch,
London, 1975).
Gives a background to the peoples and cultures of the
Finno-Ugrian family of languages. [NOM]
COURSE DETAILS
Suomea/Finska/Finnish
Soumen kielen ja kultuurin opinnot kesa"lla" 1994 /
Att studera finska och Finlands kultur sommaren 1994 /
Courses in Finnish language and culture summer 1994
(Council for Instruction of Finnish for Foreigners, Ministery of
Education)
This brochure is available from UKAN/Opitusministeri|
PL 293, FIN-00171 Helsinki, Finland [Uwe Geuder]
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
With lots of additions & help gratefully received from:
Uwe Geuder [Uwe.Geuder@informatik.uni-stuttgart.d400.de>
matthew@cpdapo.tele.nokia.fi (Matthew Faupel)
Antti A Lahelma [alahelma@cc.helsinki.fi>
holman@katk.helsinki.fi (Eugene Holman)
rjc@mail.ast.cam.ac.uk (Robert Cumming)
Cecelia A Musselman [cam17@edu.columbia>
Helena Valtanen [valtanen@tukki.jyu.fi>
Arndt.Jonasson@eua.ericsson.se (Arndt Jonasson)
Brian Wilkins [bew@cix.compulink.co.uk>
Hans-Christian Holm [hcholm@idt.unit.no>
Lance Eccles [leccles@laurel.ocs.mq.edu.au>
Steven Kelly [stevek@cs.jyu.fi>
Jukka "Yucca" Korpela [jkorpela@gamma.hut.fi>
Marja Coady [COADY@ERE.UMONTREAL.CA>
plus others.
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