I didn't do much for Juhannus, and that's why I'm unable to write much about it. Rami was very sick on Juhannusaatto, and I spent the day caring for him. I did, however, venture out at around 22:30 to observe the goings-on. Everyone was wild and drunk on more than just viina. I was approached by a few brave (read: drunk) Finns, to whom I simply said, "En puhu suomea." It worked like a charm.
In honor of Juhannus, I'd like to discuss another of my favorite things about the Finnish language.
Nominals that end in a (usually rounded, I think) short vowel + s drop the -s and acquire a -kse- in their inflectional stem.
What does this look like?
Linnoitus = fortress (I use this example because we happen to have one here in Lappeenranta. See the above photo.)
Nominative pl.: linnoitukset
Genitive sing.: linnoituksen Genitive pl.: linnoitusten
Partitive sing.: linnoitusta Partitive pl: linnoituksia
Inessive sing.: linnoituksessa
Elative sing.: linnoituksesta
Illative sing.: linnoitukseen
etc.
As you can see, the partitive singular and the genitive plural are exceptions, as they both maintain the final -s, and add -ta and -ten respectively. (Yes, the partitive plural drops the -e-.)
I'm not sure what I like so much about this inflectional change, exactly. There's just something pleasing about a plosive, placed precariously in the middle of an inflected noun, when no such plosive is contained within the word's nominative singular form. It was quite mysterious when I first heard an example of it. Now, like several other types of inflectional changes, I understand it. I think.
I also like the way it sounds. Try it out: lin-noi-tuk-ses-sa. It just sounds good to my ears and feels good to my throat. There's no explaining it, really. It's like asking why this song makes my toes curl.
I hope you all had a chance to put your duties aside and get drunk on booze and sunshine over the weekend.
Your syllabification looks like a wild mix of English, Finnish and overcompensated varieties. I don't know, if there's any harm in "doing it wrong" or any particular advantage in doing it right, but the Finnish way would be lin-noi-tuk-ses-sa.
ReplyDeleteI guess in English something like linn-oit-uks-ess-a, right? Or have I been looking too much at spelled pronunciation guides?
Anyway, your enthusiasm is inspiring.
You're quite right, and I'm really not quite sure what I was thinking. Oh, I know, I wasn't!
DeleteActually, I think, if we were to use English rules, it'd still be lin-noi-tuk-ses-sa, as there are conveniently two of the same consonants in two places that can be used to end one syllable and begin the next one. (That's how it'd be in IPA, I believe). Also I'm fairly sure you can't end a syllable with a short vowel. There are a couple of conflicting principles at work which are confusing me, and it's been way too long since I studied it.
I think I'll just edit it using the Finnish/(English?) version.
And thanks. :)
So, it's the dictionary.com pronunciation guides throwing me off.
Delete[lin-'oyt-ooks-ess-uh]
Close enough?
From what I know of pronunciation guides, that looks about right. Since my linguistics professor at university was always suspicious of those things, I know very little about how they work.
DeleteYou could always consult PronunciationManual...:D
I agree with Blind Sniper about your enthusiasm. I never really thought of the above examples this way. :-D Always interesting to see someone else's POV. :-D
ReplyDeleteIt probably seems slightly crazy, but I've just always enjoyed this particular little thing. Thanks for understanding my POV (ramblings). :)
DeleteSlightly crazy? I don't think so. It's just YOU. :-D As long as you enjoy it, why not? :-D
Delete