Nordic FAQ - 4 of 7 - FINLAND
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A Frequently Answered 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 ***
Index
4.1 Fact Sheet
4.2 General information
4.2.1 Geography, climate, vegetation
4.2.2 Economy
4.2.3 Population and language
4.2.4 Culture
4.2.5 Government
4.3 History
4.3.1 A chronology of important dates
4.3.2 A list of Grand Dukes and presidents of Finland
4.4 The Finnish parliament, government and political
parties
4.4.1 The 1995 general elections
4.4.2 The present cabinet
4.4.3 The political parties
4.5 Main tourist attractions
4.5.1 Helsinki
4.5.2 Turku
4.5.3 Tampere
4.5.4 Jyväskylä
4.5.5 Porvoo
4.5.6 Other places of interest
4.6 The Finnish sauna
4.7 Finnish literature
4.8 Books for learning Finnish
4.8.1 Grammars, Primers, Phrase Books.
4.8.2 Dictionaries
4.8.3 Readers
4.8.4 Materials for Teaching Finnish
4.8.5 Miscellaneous
4.8.6 Course Details
4.8.7 Acknowledgements
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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; fells and some mountains in the extreme
northwest.
Highest mountain: Haltiatunturi (1'328 m).
Natural resources: timber, copper, zinc, iron ore, silver
Land boundaries: Russia, Sweden, Norway
Population: 5"004'273 [1992]
Population density: 14.8 persons per km²
Distribution: 62% urban, 38% rural. [1989]
Life expectancy: women 80, men 72. [1992]
Infant mortality: 6 per 1,000 live births. [1992]
Capital: Helsinki/Helsingfors (pop. 501'514.
Metropolitan area: ca. 1 mill).
Other major towns: Tampere/Tammerfors (174'859),
Turku/Åbo (159'916),
Espoo/Esbo (179'054),
Vantaa/Vanda (159'213),
Oulu/Uleåborg (103'358) [1992]
(note: many places in Finland have
two names, Finnish and Swedish)
Flag: a blue Nordic cross on white background.
Type: Republic
Head of state: President Martti Ahtisaari
Languages: Finnish (93%),
Swedish (6%) (both official),
small Saami and Romani minorities.
Currency: markka (Finnish mark, FIM).
Climate: cold temperate. Gulf stream warms up parts of the country,
Lapland is sub-arctic. Average temp. in Helsinki:
-9°C - -4°C in Feb., 12°C - 22°C in July.
Religion: Evangelic-Lutheran (84%),
Greek Orthodox (1%) (both churches are official state-churches)
Exports: paper, metal, machinery, ships, timber, textiles, chemicals,
electronics, furniture
------------------------------
Subject: 4.2 General information
4.2.1 Geography, climate, vegetation
Finland (Finnish: Suomi) is the fifth largest country in Europe, excluding
the Russian federation. Roughly 1/3 of the country lies north of the Arctic
Circle. Finland shares a common border in the north with Norway, in the east
a long border (1269 km) with Russia, on the south it is bordered by the Gulf
of Finland, and on the west by the Gulf of Bothnia and Sweden. Most of
Finland is lowland, but in the far northwest (the "arm" of Finland) some
mountains rise to over 1000m. Most of Finland is made of ancient granite
bedrock, which has been shaped and fractured by numerous ice ages, the marks
of which can be seen e.g in the complex lake system, the equally complex
archipelagos and the huge boulders scattered all over the country.
Finland has three main physical regions: the coastal lowlands, the inland
lake system, and the northern uplands. The coastal lowlands extend along
coasts of the Gulfs of Finland and Bothnia, off which lie thousands of rocky
islands; the principal archipelagos are the Åland (in Finnish: Ahvenanmaa)
Islands and the archipelago of Turku. The lake district is an interior
plateau of southern central, heavily forested and studded with lakes, swamps
and bogs. The northern upland, much of which lies north of the Arctic
Circle, has rather poor soils and is the most sparsely populated region of
Finland. In the far north, arctic forests and swamps eventually change to
tundra.
Finland's climate shows both maritime and continental influences.
Surrounding seas cool the climate on the coast in spring but on the other
hand warm it up in the autumn.The climate becomes more continental, i.e more
extreme, the further east and north one goes. The furtherst north, however,
has a rather marine climate because of the influence of the Arctic Ocean.
The summer lasts 2 to 4 months, the growing season 4 to 6.
The tourist cliche of Finland as "the country of thousands of lakes" has
some basis; in one count, a number of 187'880 islands was reached (but it
all depends on what counts as a lake). They are often connected by rivers
and canals to form large lake-systems. Finland's largest lake, Saimaa, is in
fact a system of more than 100 interconnected smaller lakes. Finland's
rivers are short and shallow, the longest being located in the north.
Finland has about 30'000 coastal islands, of which the especially the
southwestern archipelago is known for its beauty.
The country is situated entirely within the northern zone of coniferous
forests. Forests cover about 65% of the total area (45% pines, 37% spruces,
15%). Oaks, lindens, elms, and ashes appear mostly in the southwest corner.
Among the large wild animals are e.g ear, elk, deer, lynx, wolverine and
wolf.
4.2.2 Economy
Forests are Finland's most important natural resource, and paper, timber,
etc. are a major source of national income. The granite bedrock contains a
diversity of minor mineral deposits, including copper, nickel, iron, zinc,
chromium, lead, and iron pyrites. In recent years, diamonds have been found
in eastern Finland, but they aren't mined yet. In addition, limestone,
granite and sand are quarried for building materials.
Wood processing has traditionally been the most important economy. The metal
and engineering industries have developed rapidly and today are the largest
source of industrial employment. Since the 1950s large-scale swamp drainage,
fertilizing, and reforestation have improved woord production. The state
owns 20% of the forests; the rest are privately controlled. The chemical,
graphics, and food industries are also significant to the economy, followed
by textile and electrochemical enterprises. Mining activity has decreased in
importance, although Finland still produces one-half of the copper and
nickel needed for the domestic market. In 1960, 30% of Finland's work force
was engaged in farming; by 1990 the figure was less than 10%, and only 7% of
the total land area was cultivated. Nevertheless, the agricultural sector
produces a surplus of dairy products, meat, and eggs. Wheat and rye are the
most important bread grains; other major crops include hay, potatoes, oats,
and barley. Finland's climate and small farms favor dairy and livestock
production, which account for most of the farm income. The problems created
by overproduction have led to soil banking (a policy of purposely leaving
farmland uncultivated) and reforestation.
4.2.3 Population and language
Finland is a bilingual country (with a Swedish-speaking minority living
mostly in the coastal areas), except for the autonomous island-province of
Åland, which is monolingually Swedish-speaking. Åland, 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 the Finnish people 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
are, a fact is that they speak a language that isn't Indo-European like the
other Nordic languages, but Finno-Ugric; its closest major relative is
Estonian (but even those two languages aren't really mutually intelligible),
and it is distantly related to Hungarian, Saami, and several minor languages
spoken in European Russia and Siberia. The Swedish-speaking minority of
Finland descends chiefly from the settlers that arrived with the Christian
missionaries and crusaders in the early middle ages. They speak a variety
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 Saami (Lapp)
minority still survives. Their number is only ca. 2500, but nowadays there
are schools for Saami-speakers and the language is considered official in
municipalities with at least 7% of the population speaking Saami. For more
information about the Saami, see section 2.1. The Romani or Gypsies who
arrived to Finland in late 16th century have long had to experience the
prejudices of the majority population, but in recent years their situation
has been improving, Romani language is taught at schools, etc. They number
ca. 5500.
4.2.4 Culture
Finnish culture could be characterized as a mixture of Swedish and Finnish
elements, with a touch of Russian influence especially in the eastern
provinces. Mikael Agricola (1510-57) established Finnish as a written
language. The national epic Kalevala, collected from Karelian oral poetry by
the scholar Elias Lönnrot, has had enormous effect on the forming of the
Finnish culture in the last century, as did the poetry of Johan Ludvig
Runeberg (1804-72) and the drama of the author Aleksis Kivi (1834-72). The
scholar H.G.Porthan (1739-1804) awakened the public interest in Finnish
mythology and folk poetry, and laid a firm basis to humanist sciences. Tove
Jansson (b. 1914) has won popularity with her books about the Moomins.
Music has had a special place in Finnish culture, the best known and loved
composer being of course Jean Sibelius (1865-1957); others include Fredrik
Pacius (1809-91), Oskar Merikanto (1868-1924), and Aarre Merikanto
(1893-1958), Leevi Madetoja (1887-1947), and Uuno Klami (1900-61). Aulis
Sallinen, Joonas Kokkonen and Magnus Lindberg are major contemporary
composers. Hundreds of music festivals draw large crowds in the summer;
among the best known are Kaustinen Folk Festival, Savonlinna Opera Festival
which is held in a medieval castle, and Ruisrock in Turku.
Finnish architecture has won international fame; it is represented by people
such as Eliel Saarinen (and his son Eero Saarinen, who worked chiefly in
North America) Wivi Lönn (1872-1966), and Lars Sonck (1870-1956) who were
pioneers of the national romantic style. Neoclassicism was introduced by J.
S. Siren (1889-1961), and functionalism by Alvar Aalto (1898-1976). Aalto is
also well known as an urban planner, interior designer, and industrial and
furniture designer. Reima and Raili Pietilä are contemporary architects well
known for their unconventional, expressionistic style.
Among painters, Albert Edelfelt (1854-1905) and Akseli Gallen-Kallela
(1865-1931) are the best known representatives of the golden era of Finnish
painting; their styles were naturalism, realism, and symbolism, the themes
often being taken from Finnish history or mythology. Helene Schjerbeck
(1862-1946) was a leader in the break with realism, Hugo Simberg (1873-1917)
was one of the foremost symbolists, and Tyko Sallinen (1879-1955) was one of
the first expressionists.
Other famous Finns can be found at the Finnish governmental website for
Finland information.
4.2.5 Government
The Finnish constitution was adopted in 1919. Finland is a republic, headed
by a president elected for a 6-year term. The president is chosen by the
general electorate (all citizens over 18). Supreme executive power is vested
in the president, who heads the country's foreign policy. Legislative power
is shared by the president and the one-chamber parliament of 200 members.
The government which is headed by a prime minister, is responsible for the
country's general administration. Judicial power is vested in independent
courts of justice. Finland has had an ombudsman (oikeusasiamies), an
impartial public officer whose duty is to handle public complaints against
actions of the government, since 1919.
The constitution of Finland allows freedom of religion, but the Evangelical
Lutheran church is an official state church to which 84% of the population
belongs to. The Orthodox church is also a state church, 1.1% of Finns are
members (chiefly in the east); those with no church affiliation constitute
9.6% of the population.
See section 4.4 for more information about the current parliament, cabinet
and political parties. The virtual Embassy by the Finnish Ministry for
Foreign Affairs publish among a lot of interesting documents also a weekly
newsletter on the web.
------------------------------
Subject: 4.3 History
4.3.1 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
unreliable, 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 Köyliö. 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 Nöteburg (Pähkinäsaari) 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.
1396-1523
The era of the Kalmar Union, with Finland, Sweden, Denmark 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 translation of the
New Testament in Finnish.
1595 The peace of Täyssinä (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 and 1648-54
Count Per Brahe as the general governor of Finland. Many and important
reforms are made, towns are founded, etc. His period is generally
considered very beneficial to the development 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 Lönnroth 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 . 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 parliament 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 Hesse is invited to become King of Finland. However,
as Germany soon lost the World War I, Friedrich who had delayed
answering to the invitiation refused the crown so Finland never
officially had a king; as a result 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-30'2
Finland prospers after the war and adopts a neutral Nordic 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
(ironically, using the laws the movement was itself most eager to push
into force). 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 their 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 Germany or any other country allied with Germany 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-80's
"Finlandization" era. Finland remains an independent western 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-70's
A time of intensive urbanization, Finland turns from a 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.
4.3.2 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)
Nicholas I (1825-55)
Alexander II (1855-81)
Alexander III (1881-94)
Nicholas II (1894-1917)
Regents of the period of Civil War
==================================
Pehr Evind Svinhufvud (1918)
Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim (1918-19)
Presidents of the republic of Finland
=====================================
Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg (1919-25)
Lauri Kristian Relander (1925-31)
Pehr Evind Svinhufvud (1931-37)
Kyösti 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 (1982-94)
Martti Oiva Kalevi Ahtisaari (1994- )
------------------------------
Subject: 4.4 The Finnish parliament, government and political parties
<From Jorma Kyppö, Hiski Haapoja et al>
4.4.1 The 1995 general elections
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 1995 the 200 seats went as
follows:
Party % of votes Seats (change from -91)
Social Democrats 28.3 63 (+15)
Centre Party 19.9 44 (-11)
National Coalition (cons.) 17.9 39 (-1)
Left-wing Alliance (comm.) 11.2 22 (+3)
Greens 6.5 9 (-1)
Swedish People's Party 5.1 11 (0)
Christian League 3.0 7 (-1)
Young Finns 2.8 2 (+2)
Rural Party 1.3 1 (-6)
Ecological Party 0.3 1 (+1)
Aaland representative 1
Voting percentage: 71.8
Of the new MP's 143 are men and 67 women. The parliament elected in 1991 had
77 women out of the total 200 MP's (a world record in its time), and as many
women's organizations had set the goal as 101 women MP's to be elected, the
result was clearly a disappointment and one of the most surprising elements
of the elections.
The Social Democrats got a great victory as a result of their being in the
opposition in the last government. Centre party, the leading party of the
previous governement, was the greatest loser of the elections, probably
because the party's split-up in the question of EU-membership. The National
Coalition, the other major party in the government, was among the losers but
was much less affected by government responsibility than the Centre. The
gallups lied to the Greens once again and for the first time since its
formation the party stopped growing. Young Finns got their first seats, not
as many as they expected but it's a start. The Rural Party was one of the
biggest losers of the elections; a once significant populist party, it has
waned away almost completely and may soon disappear entirely from the
Finnish political chart as it is currently in deep economical problems. The
little known Ecological Party got its sole seat because of its candidate
Pertti "Veltto" ("Slack") Virtanen, a well-known eccentric rock musician and
psychologist, who was also a candidate in the presidential elections (and
did surprisingly well).
Riitta Uosukainen (Cons.) continues as Mrs. Speaker of the Parliament.
4.4.2 The rainbow cabinet
The new cabinet appointed by president Ahtisaari is nicknamed "Rainbow
cabinet" as it includes 7 Social Democrats, 5 Conservatives, 2 ("ex-")
Communists, 2 Swedes, one Green and one independent minister. The only major
party left out is the Centre, which dominates rural Finland. Cuts in
agricultural subsidies are expected. The notion of Conservatives and
Communists in the same cabinet is unheard before, as is the presence of the
Green (party chairman Pekka Haavisto, who lost his seat in the Parliament),
as Minister of Environment. 11 men and 7 women.
Prime Minister: Paavo Lipponen (born 1941). The slow-speaking, 197cm tall
chairman of the Social Democratic Party was the first Finnish politician to
suggest EC membership, at a time when it was highly unrealistic and
potentially career-damaging (anti-Soviet).
Foreign Minister: Tarja Halonen (SocDem). A surprise choice. Red hair and
onetime Minister of Justice is all I can remember. Unless I'm mistaken, our
first female Foreign Minister.
Minister of the Treasury: Iiro Viinanen (Cons.) The most hated member of the
former cabinet continues to persecute women, children and the trade unions.
He has also gained much respect among some people, which shows e.g in that
he got one of the biggest shares of votes in the parliamentary elections of
all candidates.
Second Minister of Treasury: Arja Alho, a Social Democrat from Helsinki with
an independent mind.
Minister of Trade and Commerce: Antti Kalliomäki, vice-chairman of the
Social Democratic Party. A gray bore and former athlete.
Minister of Interior Affairs (such as the Police): Jouni Backman (SocDem). A
totalitarian character. 2nd minister Jan-Erik Enestam (Swedish People's
Party), a municipal leader from Västanfjärd.
Minister of Labour: Liisa Jaakonsaari (SocDem, from Oulu). Faces a huge task
of reducing the record-high unemployment. Good luck!
Minister of Justice: Sauli Niinistö, Chairman of the Conservatives. Lost his
wife in a car accident earlier this year.
Minister of Defence: Anneli Taina (Cons.) Apparently they decided to make
this a permanent women's job.
Minister of Traffic: Tuula Linnainmaa (Cons.) A nobody.
Minister of Education: the 30-year old Conservative Olli-Pekka Heinonen
continues.
Minister of Social and Health Issues: Sinikka Mönkäre (SocDem) and Terttu
Huttu (Comm.), a newcomer from Suomussalmi.
Minister of European Affairs: Ole Norrback, the Ostrobothnian chairman of
the Swedish People's Party and just about our most provincial politician.
Minister of Culture: Claes Andersson, Comm. Chairman, poet, jazz pianist,
ex-football player, psychiatrist and father of six or more. It's not often
that we see a Minister of Culture who actually understands something about
culture.
4.4.3 The political parties
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 Väyrynen, Seppo Kääriäinen, Olli Rehn, Tytti
Isohookana-Asunmaa, Anneli Jäätteenmäki. 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 public employee vote. Party chairman
Paavo Lipponen is the new Prime Minister. Other notable names: Arja Alho,
Erkki Tuomioja, Pertti Paasio, Ulf Sundqvist, Antti Kalliomäki, 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 Häme is blue for some reason. Chairman
Sauli Niinistö and his minions (Pertti Salolainen, Pekka Kivelä, 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.
Penttilä 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, but it has happened before and SMP has risen like a phoenix from
the ashes.
The Liberal Party lost its only MP, the party's chairwoman Tuulikki Ukkola,
in the elections. LKP has a history of power despite its small size, but is
facing extinction and is hysterical about the threat of the Young Finns.
The ultra green Ecological Party got one MP, one of the surprises of the
elections.
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 flying. The status of bad old IKL (the
main Fascist party, banned in 1944) is somewhat unclear at the moment.
See the URL <http://www.mofile.fi/fennia/um/> for official government
information (foreign ministry press pages).
------------------------------
Subject: 4.5 Main tourist attractions
4.5.1 Helsinki
Helsinki (Swedish: Helsingfors) is the capital and largest city of Finland.
It is in the southern coast of the country on the Gulf of Finland and
occupies the tip of a small peninsula. The "cities" of Vantaa and Espoo are
effectively suburbs of Helsinki, and together with Kaunianen, form the
metropolitan where ca. 1 million people or nearly 20% if Finland's
population live.
The city is protected from the sea by a fringe of islands, so that its
harbor is almost landlocked. It is underlain by hard rock, which shows in
rounded masses, smothered and polished by ice sheets. Hollows in this
surface are occupied by lakes or the sea, although some have been filled
with urban waste to create new land. Summers in Helsinki are rather mild,
with an average temperature of 18C in July; winters are pretty long and
cold, January temperatures averaging -6°C. A belt of sea ice forms close to
the coast during the winter months,but a passage is usually kept open by
icebreakers.
Helsinki was founded in 1550 by King Gustav Vasa to compete with the
Hansaetic city of Tallinn in Estonia, some 50km south across the Gulf of
Finland, and merchants from several smaller towns were ordered by force to
move to Helsinki. It didn't start out well, however; many of the merchants
moved back to their own towns, the place of the town had to be moved a
couple of times to more suitable locations, fires and war destroyed the town
several times, and plague killed most of the ihabitants. For over two
hundred years, Helsinki was little more than a fishing village, but things
started to improve when the construction of the huge fortress of Sveaborg
started in 1748 on the islands just outside Helsinki and brought tens of
thousands of soldiers, builders, officers, etc. to Helsinki.
In 1809 Sveaborg (the modern Finnish name is Suomenlinna) surrendered almost
without a shot to a Russian army that was much smaller than the
Swedish-Finnish garrison, and Finland became an autonomous Grand Duchy of
Russia. Helsinki was made capital in 1812, the university (founded 1640) was
moved there from Turku in 1827, and the modern growth of the city started.
The war had destroyed much of the old Helsinki, and the central city was
rebuilt according to the plans of the German-born architect C.L.Engel in
grand imperial scale to show the power of the Russian Empire. The city was
bombed during the World War II, but not as badly as it might have because of
the ingenious air raid defense (for example, a fake Helsinki was built next
to the real one and set on fire to fool the Russian bombers).
The Helsinki accords was the "declaration of policy intent" signed in
Helsinki in 1975, by the United States, Canada, the USSR, and 32 European
countries at the end of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe
(1973-75). The accords declared inviolable the frontiers of all the
signatory nations, provided for scientific, technological, and cultural
exchanges, and pledged the signatories to respect human rights, including
"freedom of thought, conscience, religion, or belief."
The most important sights in Helsinki 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 C.L.Engel), 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 intererior is beautiful. Slightly "hidden" behind
the square is the old House of the Estates, a fine piece of exuberant
neo-renaissance architecture with golden decorations. Ateneum Art
Museum located in the Rautatientori square nearby has the best
collection of fine arts in Finland; mostly Finnish painters and some
foreign masters of turn of the century (the rest of the somewhat modest
collection of foreign art is housed in the Sinebrychoff museum on
Bulevardi street); on the same square is the railway station, designed
by Eliel Saarinen, which is a large and innovative Art Nouveau building
(the main entrance looks a bit like an old radio set).
* 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 Itäkeskus -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. There's also a centre for
Scandinavian art in one of the old barracks, and a museum dedicated to
the man behind Sveaborg's building, Augustin Ehrensvärd. The fortress
is included in the UNESCO list of world heritage. Tickets to the
ferries 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 summer.
* Going down the Mannerheimintie (Mannerheim 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
dates 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 the Helsinki
accords were signed (it's also the home of e.g the Finnish Radio
Symphony Orchestra). The Italian Carrara-marble plates haven't quite
stood the test of Finnish weather, so it might be a good idea to wear a
helmet in case of falling marble. :) The National Museum built in Art
Nouveau style displays objects from different periods of Finnish
history. The collection is relatively interesting, but displayed in a
somewhat conservative 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 Temppeliaukio church in the district
of Töölö, which is carved into a low hill of granite rock and covered
by a copper dome (architect Reima Pietilä). Take a look from above,
some of the staircases of the houses next to it for example; it looks
like a landed UFO. Seurasaari island has an open-air museum of
traditional Finnish wooden houses, not quite as good as Skansen in
Stockholm or Bygdøy in Oslo, but if you're interested in folk culture
it's certainly worth checking out. Linnanmäki 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. Heureka Science Center
in the suburb of Vantaa is another good place to spend time with
children; it popularizes science, lets you do all sorts of experiments
of your own, and has a globular movie theatre. You can get there by
local train or a special bus line leaving from Rautatientori. Ainola,
home of the composer Jean Sibelius, is located in Järvenpää not far
from Helsinki.
* Internet addicts visiting the city can cure their withdrawal symptoms
at the CompuCafe at Annankatu 22 in the center of the city. Free net
access is also provided by an increasing number of public libraries,
for instance the Kirjakaapeli library in the Kaapelitehdas (Cable
Factory) culture center in western Helsinki. The place is well worth a
visit on its own right. It's a huge old factory building where cables
used to be made (hence the name), which after the closing of the
factory was spontaneously taken over by various artists, workshops,
clubs, etc., and after a brief wrestle with the city authorities and
the company owning the building, it was turned in its entirety into a
culture complex. It now houses, in addition to the library, cafes,
galleries, several museums, repetition rooms for rock bands, classical
orchestras, martial arts clubs, theatre groups, etc, and its a site for
all sorts of cultural happenings. Getting there is easiest by taking
the subway to the Ruoholahti station.
For more information on Helsinki, you may wish to check these URLs:
The Virtual Traveller to Helsinki:
<http://www.spellbound.com/helsinki/>
A clicable map of Helsinki WWW-resources:
<http://www.funet.fi:80/resources/maps/helsinki/>
Official Helsinki city information:
<http://www.hel.fi/>
4.5.2 Turku, the old capital
Turku (Swedish: Åbo) is a port city in southwestern Finland at the mouth of
the river Aura, about 160 km west of Helsinki. It has several important
libraries, museums, and theaters. The Swedish University of Åbo (Åbo
Akademi, 1917) and the University of Turku (1920) serve, respectively, the
Swedish and Finnish populations of this bilingual city.
Turku/Åbo 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. Before the Russian takeover in 1809,
Turku was Finland's largest city and served as its capital. It was rather
heavily damaged during also during the WWII.
The city 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. In the cathedral are buried e.g the wife of Erik XIV, Queen
Karin Månsdåtter (Kaarina Maununtytär) and some of the most famous of Gustav
II Adolf's military leaders from the Thirty Years' War (the Finnish
marshalls Evert Horn and Åke Tott, the general of the Hakkapeliitta cavalry
Torsten Stålhandske and the Scottish colonel Samuel Cockburn). There's also
a museum in one of the galleries.
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 renaissance and experienced it's best days in the 16th century when the
duke of Finland, Johan, held his court there together with the Polish-born
princess Katarina Jagellonica whom he married in 1562. Later, in 1568, Johan
imprisoned his brother, the mad renaissance king Erik XIV, and he was held
prisoner in Turku castle. It's an impressive construction, but perhaps not
exceptionally romantic. In the river Aura, there are two 19th century
sailingships that act as museums, the Suomen Joutsen and Sigyn. The Cloister
Hill (Luostarinmäki) has an attractive collection of simple wooden merchants
houses that were spared from the fire of 1827.
For more information on Turku: <http://www.tku.fi/>
4.5.3 Tampere, the third largest city of Finland
<from: Kari Yli-Kuha >
Tampere (in Swedish Tammerfors) lies about 160 km northwest of Helsinki. A
major manufacturing hub and the textile center of Finland, Tampere also
produces metals, heavy machinery, pulp, and paper, etc. The heavy
concentration of industry has prompted some to call it Finland's Manchester
(the center, with several rather attractive old factory buildings, looks
pretty industrial, too).
Tampere was founded in 1779 and is the largest inland city in Scandinavia.
The location between two lakes, Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi, and the rapids
(Tammerkoski) joining the lakes gave birth to the industry in the city. The
cathedral by Lars Sonck is a masterpiece of Finnish national-romantic Art
Nouveau; it's frescoes by the symbolist painter Hugo Simberg are especially
fascinating. Lake tours, "Hopealinja" (Silver Line) in Pyhäjärvi and
"Runoilijan tie" (Poet's Way) in Näsijärvi, 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 Särkänniemi amusement park is very
popular in the summer. One of the gastronomic delicacies typical for Tampere
is black sausage ("mustamakkara") which is made of blood, though not nearly
all regard it as a delicacy.
Other tips: <from Tuukka Kirveskoski>
* Main shopping street Hämeenkatu
* Pyynikki natural park only two kilometres west from downtown
* Take a ferry to Viikinsaari island or a longer boat trip to the town of
Hämeenlinna (about 100km; there's a medieval castle there). Scenic
waterways.
* places to be: Amarillo, Night Club Ilves, Crazy Horse, Cafe Metropol,
Doris
* luxurious baths:
o Spa Lapinniemi, near the city centre, about 60FIM/2 hours
o Eden, in the neighbouring town Nokia, about 70FIM
o Ikaalisten Kylpylä, in the small town of Ikaalinen, 50km from
Tampere, about 50FIM
For more information on Tampere:
A clicable map of Tampere WWW-resources:
<http://www.funet.fi:80/resources/maps/tampere/>
Official Tampere city information:
<http://www.tampere.fi/>
Maps of Tampere:
<http://www.uta.fi/maps/sisluettelo.html>
4.5.4 Jyväskylä
<from: Jarmo Ryyti>
Jyväskylä 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.
Jyväskylä in the area of Finnish language culture it has a remarkable
succession of "firsts": the first Finnish-language lyceum, the first school
for the girls, the first teachers' training college (the seminary) 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 Porvoo
Porvoo (Swedish: Borgå) on the coast of the Gulf of Finland received its
town rights in 1346. The town lies 48 km northeast of Helsinki, along the
Porvoonjoki River. It's a rather small town with only 30,000 or so
inhabitants, but it's rather attractive and the (mostly wooden) Old Town
still has a rather medieval character. Building of the the cathedral in the
center of the Old Town was finished 1414-18, and the Diet of Porvoo where
Finland was granted its autonomous status as a Grand Duchy was held there in
1809 by emperor Alexander I. The house of Porvoo Gymnasium, built 1760, is
on the cathedral square. The town hall was built in 1764 and now houses a
historical museum; the art collection of the museum is in the Holm house
(1762), included are works by two great artists of the golden age of Finnish
art who were born in Porvoo, the painter Albert Edelfelt (1854-1940) and the
sculptor Ville Valgren (1855-1940). Edelfelt's studio is one of the most
popular museums of Porvoo area, it's located close to the Haikko manor (now
a hotel) a few kilometers from Porvoo. The poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg spent
the 25 last years of his life in Porvoo; his home at the corner of
Aleksanterinkatu and Runeberginkatu has been a museum since 1880. He is
buried in the Näsimäki cemetary of Porvoo. Next to the Old Town, on a hill
across the Porvoo river, is Linnanmäki or Borgbacken (Castle Hill, which has
given Porvoo its name; Borgå = Castle River). There are no stone
fortifications left, the only remains are moats that have belonged to
hillfort built by the Danes in the late 12th or early 13th century.
4.5.6 Other places of interest in Finland
Åland islands (Ahvenanmaa in Finnish) are a beautiful archipelago, perfect
for cycling, with medieval churches scattered around and the castle ruins of
Kastelholm. Naantali/Nådendal, close to Turku, is a charming small, medieval
town by the sea, where a Brigittine cloister was located (the church still
remains). A popular place to visit in summers. Likewise, Rauma, located
100km north of Turku, has a very charming old town which is included in the
UNESCO world heritage list, and a church that was part of a Franciscan
monastery. The inland lake-system, with such lakes as Saimaa and Päijänne 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.
For general information through WWW see the clicable map of Finnish
resources at <http://www.funet.fi:80/resources/maps/>
------------------------------
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
Fire has destroyed most of the early literature the Finnish church and
monasteries must have produced. The first known Finnish author was Jöns
Budde, a Franciscan monk who lived in the Brigittene monastery at Naantali
in the latter part of 15th century, chiefly translating from Latin to
Swedish, but he also wrote a few things of his own. Codex Aboensis written
probably in Turku in the 1440's is an important collection of law texts;
Missale Aboense printed in 1488 for the Finnish church is a beautiful book
and a source of medieval Finnish religious life.
Mikael Agricola (ca.1510-57), a bishop of Turku and great advocate of
Lutheranism, is considered the father of Finnish literature. His ABC-book
published 1538 is the first known book in Finnish, but the translation of
New Testament (1548) is his greatest achievement. Paavali Juusten (?1512-72)
was another important 16th century author; his Chronicon episcoporum
Finlandensium (Chronicle of the Finnish Bishops) is an important source of
early Finnish history. Erik Sorolainen (1545-1625) did most of the
translation of the Old Testament when the whole Bible was eventually
published in Finnish in 1642, delayed by the Thirty Years' War. The first
grammar of Finnish, Linguae Finnicae brevis institutio, was written by Eskil
Petraeus in 1649.
Daniel Juslenius (1676-1752) was an enthusiastic advocate of things Finnish.
He wrote a baroque study on Finland (Aboa vetus et Nova, 1700) which among
other things traced the origins of Roman civilization to Finland; a defense
of Finnishness (Vindicae Fennorum, 1702); and most importantly, the first
major Finnish dictionary (Suomalaisen Sana-Lugun Coetus, 1745), containing
16,000 entries. He and his ideological followers became known as Fennophiles
(proto-nationalists, but not separatists). Jakob Frese (1691-1729) and
Gustaf Filip Creutz (1731-1785) contributed importantly to the
Swedish-language poetry of the era.
The first major Finnish poet, however, was Frans Mikael Franzén (1772-1847),
whose fresh, romantic poetry was enormously popular in Sweden-Finland in his
time. His teacher was the great scholar Henrik Gabriel Porthan (1739-1804),
a student of Juslenius and a Fennophile, who brought Finnish
history-writing, study of mythology and folk poetry, and other humanistic
sciences to an international level. His De Poësi Fennica (published in five
parts 1776-78), a study on Finnish folk poetry, had great importance in
awakening public interest in the Kalevala-poetry and Finnish mythology, and
the study was also the basis of all later study of the poetry. He was among
the founders of the Aurora Society that advocated Finnish literary pursuits
and was the editor of the first Finnish newspaper, Tidningar utgifne af et
sällskap i Åbo, founded in 1771. Antti Lizelius (1708-1795) published the
first newspaper in Finnish, Suomenkieliset Tieto-Sanomat, 1776.
Porthan inspired the following generation of Finnish authors, poets and
researchers, many of whom were among the founders of the Finnish Literature
Society in 1831. A movement literary trend known as Helsinki Romanticism was
born in the 1830's when the university was moved to the new capital. Four
young university students came to have towering importance to the forming of
the Finnish literature, and ultimately, the Finnish national identity. These
were the poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg (1804-77), the scholar Elias Lönnrot
(1802-84), the author Zachris Topelius (1818-1898) and the Hegelian
philosopher and statesman Johan Vilhelm Snellman (1806-81).
Especially important was Elias Lönnrot (1802-84), who did a huge task of
collecting folk poetry from the remote wildernesses of Karelia, and
compiling these to what was to become Finland's national epic, the Kalevala.
(1849). It is composed of 50 poems (sometimes called runes), altogether
22,795 verses. The book starts with a creation-myth, then goes on to recount
the deeds and adventures of the three protagonists, Väinämöinen the magician
and bard, Ilmarinen the smith, and Lemminkäinen the wanton loverboy and
warrior, and ends with the introduction of Christianity to Finland. Lönnrot
was under the influence of Homeric ideals and tried to forge the poems into
a single epic, adding bits and pieces of his own and altering some parts to
make them appear a whole, which they however never have been. Nevertheless,
its role to the development of Finnish literature, arts and identity can
hardly be over-estimated, and having been translated to all major world
languages and lots of minor ones, it is no doubt the most important
contribution of Finland to world literature. Lönnrot also published a
counterpart to Kalevala, the Kanteletar, a collection of ancient lyrical
poetry often sung by women. These two books, however, cover but a small part
of the recorded Finnish folk poetry. For instance, between 1908-48 was
published a massive, 33-volume book series called "Suomen Kansan Vanhoja
Runoja", containing altogether 85,000 poems, with well over a million
verses. Kalevala & Kanteletar can be found (in Finnish) at the URL
<http://www.sci.fi/kalevala/>.
Runeberg's main works were the realist/idealist poem Älgskyttarna (Elk
Hunters, 1832), which can be called the first major literary portrayal of
ordinary people in Scandinavia, the Ossianic epic Kung Fjalar (King Fjalar,
1844) and the emotional and humane heroic poem Fänrik Ståls Sägner (The
Tales of Ensign Stål, I 1848, II 1860) on the war of 1808-09, which enjoyed
huge popularity in both Finland and Sweden and became something of a
national romantic symbol. Topelius was a full-blooded romantic, more
superficial as a literary artist than Runeberg, and less of an innovator.
His Fältskärns Berättelser (1851-67, The Barber-Surgeons Stories) is a
historical novel set in the Thirty Years' War, in the tradition of Sir
Walter Scott; he is also well known in Finland for his fairy tales.
Snellman's chief achievement was in his role as a national awakener, the
editor of two newspapers, strongly encouraging literature as part of the
process leading to independence.
The first great prose writer in Finnish - considered by some to be the most
genial - was Aleksis Kivi (1834-72), a novelist and playwright who during
his lifetime was largely ignored. Major works include Seitsemän Veljestä
(The Seven Brothers, 1870), his most celebrated play, and the comedy
Nummisuutarit (The Heath Shoemakers, 1864). He was more modern and
many-sided in his expression than Runeberg, but his image of the Finnish
people was too "raw" and realistic for most people of his era, and he died
in extreme poverty, suffering from a mental illness.
Minna Canth (1844-97), an energetic fighter for women's rights and social
justice, was a contemporary of Juhani Aho (1861-1921), a novelist and
short-story writer known for his humorous sketches and lyrical, dreamy
descriptions of nature. Eino Leino (1878-1926) was a poet of exceptional
talent, drawing heavily on the Kalevala tradition. His main themes are love
and nature, and poem collections such as Helkavirsiä (Helka-hymns, 1903),
Halla (Frost, 1908) which includes the wonderful love/nature poem Nocturne,
and Hymyilevä Apollo (The Smiling Apollo) are still much-loved. V. A.
Koskenniemi often turned to classical themes. Uuno Kailas wrote harsh,
self-analytic verse, whereas Kaarlo Sarkia sought solace in aestheticism and
fantasy. The personal, abrupt, and humorous poetry of Aaro Hellaakoski and
the equally humorous, learned, yet folklike verse of P. Mustapää were only
appreciated after 1945. The generation of the 1950s, including Paavo
Haavikko and Eeva-Liisa Manner, introduced new poetic forms to which their
successors often added absurd humor, formalist experimentation, and social
criticism.
Finland-Swedish modernism was introduced by Edith Södergran (1892-1923). She
didn't receive much recognition in her lifetime, but is now regarded one of
Finland's foremost poets. She was first influenced by French symbolism, then
German expressionism and Russian futurism, and creativee, and she was almost
without exception misunly applied these to her own poetry. Her free rhythm,
strong, challenging images fired by a Nietzschean self-conscience and
conviction of the importance of her message were new and baffling to the
Finnish ' audiencderstood and even ridiculed. Her first collection of poems
was Dikter (Poems, 1916), which was followed by Rosenaltaret (The Rose
Altar, 1919) and Landet som icke är (The land that is not, 1925) among
others. Always physically weak and somewhat sickly, she died young just as
she was starting to get followers. Among these the most important were Elmer
Diktonius (1896-1961), Gunnar Björling (1887-1960) and Rabbe Enckell
(1903-74).
Joel Lehtonen, Volter Kilpi, and especially Frans Eemil Sillanpää (1888-
1964) dominated naturalistic prose in the first half of the 20th century.
Sillanpää was awarded the 1939 Nobel Prize for literature for the book
"Silja, nuorena nukkunut" (Silja, Fallen Asleep While Young, 1931). Also
important are Toivo Pekkanen, who wrote about the plight of industrial
workers, and Pentti Haanpää, who portrayed with a bitter but defiant humor
the struggle of humans against harsh nature in northern Finland.
After World War II, Vainö Linna had great success with the novel Tuntematon
Sotilas (The Unknown Soldier, 1954) which played a part in the healing of
the wounds of the war and is read by almost every Finnish schoolkid. The
extensive use of dialects make the book quite impossible to translate;
translations into English and many other languages do exist, but cannot be
recommended very highly (although I hear the Swedish one is pretty good).
His other major work is the trilogy Täällä pohjantähden alla (Here Under the
North Star, 1959-62), a story of the struggles of poor farmers that
culminated in the Civil War of 1918. More recently, Veijo Meri has described
the violence and absurdity of human life, especially during times of war.
Mika Waltari (1908-79) is among the Finnish prose writers best known to an
international audience. He wrote his most successful novels in the 1940s and
50's, many of them on historical subjects; among these is Sinuhe
egyptiläinen (The Egyptian, 1945), a novel set in ancient Egypt, about the
collapse of traditional ways of life and the inflation of inherited values.
It's also been filmed into a dreary Hollywood spectacle.
From the 1960s, social issues became central to the young novelists and
poets. Hannu Salama went through a famous trial for blasphemy (after which
the blasphemy laws were repealed) for his novel Juhannustanssit (Juhannus
Dances, 1964). Pentti Saarikoski was the leading poet of the 60's. Often
better remembered for his for his unhealthy lifestyle, Saarikoski was
nevertheless one of the most genial poets in Finnish and a brilliant
translator of e.g Homer and Joyce. Such younger writers as as Alpo Ruuth and
Antti Tuuri have also dealt with social issues.
The author Tove Jansson (b. 1914) has won much international fame for her
creation of the Moomins, philosophical-minded, friendly trolls who live in
Moominvalley. There are many books on their adventures, e.g Muminpappan och
Havet (Moominpappa and the Sea). Her fantasy world charms with its richness,
inventiveness and wisdom of life spiced with witty humor. The events and
imagery flow freely and uninhibited, yet reflecting the phenomena of the
real world. Another author who has long been very popular in Finland and has
started to win international fame recently is the humorist Arto Paasilinna;
Jäniksen Vuosi (The Year of the Hare, 1974), is the story of an advertising
man who gets sick of urban life and escapes to the wilderness with his pet
hare.
For electronic versions of some of the works of Nordic literature, see the
collection of Project Runeberg:
* <http://www.lysator.liu.se/runeberg/>
* <ftp://ftp.lysator.liu.se/pub/runeberg>
* gopher.lysator.liu.se ; path: /project-runeberg
------------------------------
Subject: 4.8 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
<mona...@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
4.8.1 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]
Björn 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-Arhinmäki:
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 <hol...@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 <hol...@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.
[ <kon...@eua.ericsson.se> ]
4.8.2 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]
4.8.3 Readers
Robert Austerlitz: Finnish Reader and Glossary (Research and Studies in
Uralic and Altaic Languages No 14, Indiana UP, 1963)
Aili Rytkönen 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]
4.8.4 Material for teaching Finnish
(Language Centre for Finnish Universities)
Eija Aalto (ed.): Kohdekielenä suomi. Oppimateriaalien kommentoitu
bibliografia. (Information from the Language Centre for Finnish
Universities, 1991) (in Finnish)
Jönsson-Korhola & White: Rakastan sinua. Pidätkö sinä minusta? Suomen
verbien rektioita. (Language Centre Materials No. 66, 1989)
H. Koivisto: Suomi-tytön kieli. Suggestopedinen alkeiskurssi (Finnish-
English). (Language Centre Materials No. 75, 1990)
K. Siitonen: Auringonvalo. Elämää suomalaisessa kylässä. (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 Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40351 Jyväskylä,
Finland. If you want further information, feel free to contact Helena Valtanen
<valt...@jyu.fi>.
[Helena Valtanen]
4.8.5 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]
4.8.6 Course details
Suomea/Finska/Finnish
Soumen kielen ja kultuurin opinnot kesällä 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]
4.8.7 Acknowledgements
With lots of additions & help gratefully received from:
Uwe Geuder <Uwe.G...@informatik.uni-stuttgart.d400.de>;
Matthew Faupel <mat...@cpdapo.tele.nokia.fi>
Antti Lahelma <alah...@cc.helsinki.fi>
Eugene Holman <hol...@katk.helsinki.fi>
Robert Cumming <r...@mail.ast.cam.ac.uk>
Cecelia A Musselman <ca...@edu.columbia>
Helena Valtanen <valt...@tukki.jyu.fi>
Arndt Jonasson <Arndt.J...@eua.ericsson.se>
Brian Wilkins <b...@cix.compulink.co.uk>
Hans-Christian Holm <hch...@idt.unit.no>
Lance Eccles <lec...@laurel.ocs.mq.edu.au>
Steven Kelly <ste...@cs.jyu.fi>
Jukka "Yucca" Korpela <jkor...@gamma.hut.fi>
Marja Coady <CO...@ERE.UMONTREAL.CA>
plus others.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- END OF PART 4 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
© Copyright 1994-96 by Antti Lahelma and Johan Olofsson.
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