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

Not really as good as a babel fish is it?
Still a lot of hard work has gone into it so won't critisise the content.I just can't see a time when I would need to speak Finnish.

That kind of mentality is exactly why some languages are becoming extinct. "Why should I even speak X, when Y is widely understood" and so on. Allright, my opinion might not be completely objective since I'm Finnish and all that, but I still think that preserving one's cultural and linguistic roots is very important. I'm constantly saddened by the fact that wonderful languages like Basque (Euskara), Saami/Sami and such are in danger of vanishing completely just because the younger generations think of them as completely insignificant.
(At this time I should probably point out that I just got home from a restaurant and seem to have very little blood in my alcohol stream, so you can bet that I'll be correcting myself in later posts

Anyhow, I'm something of a "linguophile", and every time I go to a foreign country I try to use the local language to the best of my abilities, just to show everyone that I really am interested in their language and culture. Ok, I realize that Finnish is spoken only by about 5-6 million people, and it's not going to be very useful outside Finland, but still, why not put some effort into it and really LEARN about the country you're visiting? There's nothing that pleases me more than a foreigner who's really interested in my way of life

The preservation of languages and culture is just as important as "saving the whales" and whatnot, as they contribute to the psychological diversity of our little globe. This opinion is completely subjective, of course.

Good god, I just looked at everything I've typed so far and had a linguistic coronary Damnit, I used to pride myself in my English skills and now I can't follow basic grammar rules


I really do like languages. So far I've studied German, English, Swedish, Russian, Japanese, Spanish and Latin, and I'm thinking of studying Arabic whenever I get the chance.
I'm (when sober fluent in English, and can understand Swedish and German quite well, but the rest I've only dabbled in (I also happen to own The Klingon Dictionary by Mark Ohmmhrrrmblm and some basic-level Esperanto texts.)

Before I make a bigger fool of myself, I'll stop this nonsensical rant and go to bed.


Hyvää yötä vaan, taas olin viettämässä täysin tavallista suomalaista perjantai-iltaa Stereotypiat on sitten niiiiiiiiin hauskoja että huh. Että eikun kommentteja vaan niin perkeleesti että huh, antaa tulla vaan.
Krhm. Juu.


--Tom "Se ei ole kännissä, joka on pöydän alla, vaan se, joka sieltä ei tilaa" Eklöf A.K.A. Jossarian

A Linguophile, a linguophile!
HOW do you say "Pigs Can Fly' in Russian and Finnish?

Cafram: I don't know how to say that in Russian but it's in Finnish: "Siat osaavat lentää"... Now may I ask where do you need that information??

And Jossarian: I agree just about everything you said... It's always nice to meet someone who actually has bothered to learn some Finnish beforehand or when spending time here... And it's nice to meet other Finnish people here - I've only met a few before... (or if I have met more I don't know that they're Finnish because everyone talks English here... Nyt kyllä tehdään vallankumous ja puhutaan vaan suomea...)
Oh, and lol for your last comment...

You obviously haven't seen my page (or 'space', as it's now being called...)

I have a slight obsession with Flying Pigs.

oh, and thanks, btw, for the translation!

OK, now I've been to your space... And now I understand everything completely... But obsessions are great, I myself have one with shovels...

I'm afraid you have missed the subtlty of english humour in my reply.
Contrary to what you have assumed I am very keen to learn new languages.The reason that I said it wouldn't be much use to me is because I can't see myself visiting Finland and I have no Finnish friends......at the moment.
I am a great believer in trying to keep languages alive.I learn't to speak Greek some years ago and I can still remember some French from school.I'm sorry if I offended you but it was mean't as a joke.I certainly would not degraded the worthiness of any language.
I think you missed the point entirely.

Yes, the point seems to have flown past me without so much as ruffling my hair or making me blink
Even though I'm something of a Monty Python fan, most English humor just passes in from one ear and goes out the other without my brain registering anything, and I apologize.

And what's this talk about obsessions? Mine are esoteric programming languages, languages in general and alcohol containers
I acquired a bottle of "Delirium Tremens" beer on Friday, seem to have poured the contents somewhere though (I wonder where, hmmm. Ahem.) Wonderful bottle, has pink elephants and dancing crocodiles on it. How's that for sarcasm.

Sounds good!!
What are the ingredients my little finnish friend!
(Gasp! now I have a finnish friend mabe I should learn some finnish!!
However my keyboard will not allow a lot of the common accents)

330ml
ALC. 9% VOL

TRIPLE FERMENTATION
DRIEMAAL GEGIST
FERMENTATE TRE VOLTE

Produced by / Prodotta da
BRASSERIE HUYGHE BREWERY
MELLE - BELGIUM PH: +32 9 252 15 01

Birra Belga doppio malto
Cerveza Especial extra
Bier aus Belgien - Bière Belge - Belgisch Bier
Cerveja Belga - Belgian beer

Ingredients: water, malt, hops, yeast, refermentation sugar.




Just had to do that

And you won't need any accents when typing Finnish, just two.. er... "umlauts", a-umlaut and o-umlaut or ä and ö.

Obsessions are healthy things to have...they keep yopu from doing the stuff you really *should* be doing...like homework, for example.

Speaking of which...grrrrrrr....

I'm putting off homework looking at this too!

Very good entry! I came here with the intention of learning German (lehrne Deustch) but Finnish could be neat too!

May Monty Python never die! (I'm sure Grahm will be back by the next scene!)