Showing posts with label sweden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sweden. Show all posts

Monday, September 18, 2023

"EDUCATION" - Learning the Finnish Language

The Finns believe that Finnish is the most difficult language to learn as it has a highly complex grammar structure. This is certainly true. 

If you go to a normal Finnish language class you will find yourself quite frustrated as the teacher focuses on teaching the students this complex grammar.

This is not the way children learn any language. Little children communicate with others. As they build a vocabulary they learn how to structure the language. 

In my own case, I was busy learning Finnish at evening classes twice a week in Pohjankartano. In the meantime, our 13 year old daughter was playing and speaking with her Finnish friends in the neighbourhood and none of them spoke any English.

So I asked my teacher why this was so? 

She had no logical answer. 

I decided to learn Finnish the way my daughter had learned it.

I studied the way Finnish was spoken. The first difference I noted was that the alphabet was different to the English language and the language was highly phonetic. Especially difficultb was the letter "y" as the Finnish "y" sound has no equivalent in any Indian language but because of my knowledge of French, I knew it was equivalent to the "eu" sound in French.

I first mastered the Finnish alphabet. 

I then decided that I would not use the English language to study it as English the least phonetic of languages! 

As my "Delhi" Hindi was reasonable, I decided to use the phonetic basis of my poor Hindi to learn Finnish.

The second aspect I noted was I understood how Finnish was spoken. The first syllable of every word is stressed, so it was easy to follow the spoken language, word by word.




Then I did a study the normal words used by a Finn. In my fields of Plastics, Rubber  and Microelectronics, I found that there was a paucity of words in the Finnish language. 

The Finns had added words from German, English and Swedish liberally to their dictionary, making them fit to the structure of the language. For instance, my title at Oulu University was "yli insinööri Mikroelektronikka Laboratorio". Leaving aside the first word "yli" the other three were derived from English "Engineer, Microelectronics Laboratory".








I picked up a workbook  produced by BBC “List of first degree derived words from the “Technology Tomorrow Workbook””. 

I found that over 90%  of the words in Microelectronics were derived from English.

We had an interesting public debate at that time when we were working on Gas Sensors.  There was strong views in some circles that we should not use the word sensor, as in Finnish it was supposed to relate to censoring a movie or document. The debate became quite heated as the Finns wanted us to use the word "antuuri".

I let the debate reach a climax and then I threw the grenade.

I pointed out the word "antuuri" was derived from the English word “antenna", which was a sensing device.

A hush fell over those in the debate! :-)

Some language experts say that between 3000 to 5000 words is sufficient to consider oneself well on the way to understanding a language. When I did an analysis, because of my knowledge of Gerrman, French and English, my Finnish "derived" vocabulary was well over 10000 words. Of course, the bulk of the words were in the technical field.

However, I quickly started to apply these rules to my grocery shopping. Sugar was "sokeri", coffee was  "kahvi" and tea was "tee". I worked out my shopping list and started to use these first as single words and then started to create short sentences.

When I joined Oulu University, which was six months after coming to Finland, I had mastered enough of the language but I did not divulge my methodology. When I went  to take part in a business meeting between our laboratory and the Finnish Oil giant, Neste Oy, a month after my joining, my professor was quite surprised as I was busy making notes at the meeting.

I knew that if they knew I was following their spoken Finnish , the more prudent ones would have dropped into good Finnish, leaving me in the dark. 

I kept quiet about my method all through my life in University. I only revealerd it when Annikki and I wrote our book "Handbook For Survival in Finland" in 1994.

However, in my daily life I was able to carry on a normal life in Finland.

I did not, and still have not mastered written Finnish. I did not bother as Annikki was always there to help me out in difficult situations.

My sincere advice to all foreigners in Finland is that they should not fall into the trap that says the Finnish is a difficult language. This is especially true for those who have children. 

Send your children to Finnish schools rather than International Schools as the children will make great friends in their locality and these friendships can be valuable in life, even if they move out from Finland. 

Our children are now scattered around the world and yet they value their Indian and Finnish roots and traditions and are comfortable wherever they go.

In the fifties, Finland was recovering from the war . Poverty was widespread. There was no free food for children in schools, for instance. 

Annikki left Finland when she was just 17 and went to work in a Hospiz caring for old people in the more prosperous Sweden which had not been ravaged by war.

She learnt Swedish quickly. Then a colleague said there were more prospects in England to learn nursing. So off she went to England, but before she got into the system, she met me and she decided that she would concentrate on her inborn skills, language and art. She mastered English quickly as she had a devoted teacher! :-)

She then thought to broaden her horizons and moved to Germany and quickly mastered the German language as she was working with children.

She returned to Finland but love was in the air so she moved back to England. Soon after I graduated and got a job, the Findian culture was born. We were just 23 and 24 years old at that time!


We moved to Madras in India in 1969. She had to manage a huge house with four children. English speaking home help was expensive. She started to learn Sanskrit. I soon convinced her it would be bettter to learn Tamil as the children were already speaking it fluently. With a cook, maid, cleaner, gardener, two watchmen, a driver, and the shopkeepers in Panagal Park Market to communicate with, she quickly learnt Tamil and also learnt to understand Malayalam, as my mother mainly spoke that at home. She could not master spoken Malayalam as we Mallus have a horrible habit of rolling our tongues!

Life was great and when we left India she was heartbroken and kept her bags packed for 5 years to go back to the land she loved so dearly, India.

In our mind this is "education".

Regards, Findians


Wednesday, September 06, 2023

Annikki celebrates her 79th birthday

Finland was rated as the happiest country in the world for the sixth year in a row. I have been married to the happiest person in the world for the 56th year running!

On Annikki's 60th birthday in 2003 I set up a web page as a tribute to her as my girlfriend and then and wife, and then as the mother of our children and then as grandmother of our grandchilodren. She was a loving daughter-in-law to my parents.

Sadly, as my network provider closed down, my tribute to Annikki vanished into thin air.


Happy birthday Annikki

Today, September 6th 2023, on her 79th birthday  I have pleasure of presenting  you with a photo profile of this amazing beautiful talented lady who has travelled this journey through life with me, encouraging me in my deepest moments of despair, sharing with me her strength to get me this far in life.


The Laughing Goddess

Stockholm 1963

London 1964

Wedding in Shrewsbury 1967

Shrewsbury 1967

Wales 1967

With Mother in Oulu 1969


1969 Annikki in Copenhagen (Viney Sethi)

Travelling to India on M.S. Victoria 1969

Travelling to India on M. S. Victoria 1969

Madras 1972

Family photos in Madras 1975 (late Mathew Verghese)

Norway 1975

Matthan family in Bangalore 1976

With families of Jaakko Pöyry Oy in Bangalore Club 1980

At English Club Oulu Exhibition and lecture 1984

Taking over as English Club Chairperson 1988

With Mr. & Mrs. K. M. Mathew Kottayam 1989

With former Driver Narayan and his family Chennai 1989

At late Ashok Kapur’s residence in Mumbai 1989

Holiday in Mangalore 1989

2009: In Cochin with Radhika, Bina, Thangam with Annikki

1989 In Madras Annikki with family of Vishnu and Verna

Annikki and me with Gayathri and Rsghu family in Bangalore  in 1989

1989: Annikki and me at Periyar Wild Life Sanctuary


2009: Annikki and me with Ratan Singara

2009: Annikki and me with Billy Kaput

2009: Annikki and me with Noel, Ramesh and
Naubir


2009 Delhi Cathedralites (organised by Deepak Deshpande) host Annikki and me

Prof.  Ajeet Mathur in Sarkkatie


Joanna’s graduation Oulu 1991

Exeter 1992 Susanna wedding



1992 Radha and Gnani Perinpanayagam


Susanna Wedding Exeter 1992


Holiday in Lapland 1991

Gingerbread winnimg creation 1998


Mrs. K. M. Mathew admires Annikki’s  cake design

Suchi’s wedding cake 1999

Mosaic cake, Oulu 2000

With Asha 2004

Oulu 2004 with Asha


Oulu 2004 4 generations

Snow work Kampitie 2006


Kampitie Oulu 2007

2007 With Minnea

Oulu 2008 four generations


Pongal 2008 First O-India Event

2008 With grandson Daniel

Sea Lounge in Taj Hotel Mumbai 2009


1959ers 50th Class Reunion. Alibaug 1969

With Jane Colaco  Mumbai 2009

With Vicky and Suchi Mumbai 2009

Mumbai 2009 Hosting our Findians dinner

Beating pollution in Ahmedabad 2009

Rajasthan 2009 with farmers

Visiting Check Dams in Rajasthan 2009 with farmers

Nirmala & Gulden in Helsinki

Annikki’s 70th birthday 2014 in Oulu (Christian Thibault)

President Mukerji in Helsinki 2014

 55th year Class Reunion of 59ers Mumbai 2014

At Nalini’s Grave Mumbai 2014

With Susykochamma Mumbai 2014

With Amal &  Joseph Mumbai 2014

With Chinnie, Ooky & Rivca Mumbai 2014


2014: Video about Annikki produced by Espoo professional college to motivate older people using her work as an example. In Finnish (Helena Lehtimäki)

With me at Sarkkatie 2016


Royal Garden Oulu 2018 (Dodo)

Clearing snow at Sarkkatie 2018

2018 Coffee with daughter Susanna

With Susanna & Asha Oulu 2018


2018 With  Asha & Mathew

With Asha Oulu 2018

Oulu 2021 True Laughter

Oulu 2021 laughing from the heart

Oulu 2022


With me in Oulu 2023

Holi 2023 (Pushpa Dhundwal)

Oulu 2022

Oulu 2022

Oulu 2022

Eating strawberries in Oulu 2023

Soaking in the sunshine Oulu 2023

Getting more sunshine in Oulu 2023


New Barefoot German shoes, Oulu 2023


Dancing at home (Viney Sethi)

Visit of Viney Sethi 2023 (Lee)


2023: A lively Annikki dancing on the streets of Oulu (Lee)

April 2023 Annikki with Rudra, Mont, Pushpa & me (Avinash Bhaker)

Vinay Shekar & Pooja Thakkar from India 2023 (Vinay)

Malathi in Oulu 2023 (Ashok Khembavi)

With Malathi and Ashok Oulu 2023

Onam 2023

Oulu 2023 Ladies Cricket tournament

Miscellaneous photos
Of my forever Ms. Universe










Annikki has been my comfort and my joy. She laughs with me and wipes away my tears.

Happy birthday dearest Annikki. I love you dearly.


Jacob (Sushil)