h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I speak English and German, and would like to learn Finnish eventually. Is there any chance someone could put together and post a pronunciation guide? There's a bewildering number of vowels in there, and some of us would like to know how they work together.

If anyone knows, let me know.

This is a good place to start http://www.hut.fi/u/jkorpela/finnish.pronunciation.html

Good luck on your hard hard work. Mika

Basically finnish is pronounced "like it's written". Of course this doesn't apply everywhere, but one can get quite well along just by learning the following rules on vowels: A, as in c[A]r. E, as f[E]tch. I, as f[I]sh. O, as d[O]or. U, as bea[U]ty. Y, like the German Ü (not a good example I know, but I couldn't think up a better one quickly). Ä, as c[A]t. Ö as b[U]rn.

If anyone knows latin, then they should manage finnish VERY well.. the pronounciation is similiar. Oh. And the following words will every visitor learn quickly: "Vittu!", "Perkele!", "Helvetti!" and "Saatana!" plus all their variants. Of course, these are curses.

"Helvetti", yes I've heard that one from the mouths of Finns and it always amused me. A word that roughly means "Hell" which sounds like the old name for Switzerland!

yep we do use "helvetti" often :D but more used is "vittu" and "perkele"