Could you express yourself in english as well as you do in finnish?

what 'pönötys' is. I have no idea how this word could be translated into English. Joten piste suomelle ilmaisuvoimaisuudessa.



t. Se joka on todistanut pönötystä palavereissa, firman 'virkistys'-tilaisuuksissa, yhdistysten ja taloyhtiöiden kokouksissa, vanhempainilloissa, you name it. Jopa häissä.

I know a lot of Finns and they don't really express any feeling at all.

is "vittu". The only "emotion" you'll ever need. Trust me.

I'm sure you have seen Finns showing their emotions! Good or bad, vittu rules!

Do you have to think about every word or canyoustringthemtogetherreallyfast?

But it's not English, it's bloody Cockney mate!

I speak fluent English but in my opinion one can´t share his or her deepest feelings by other language than ones mother-tongue.

But I think I'm siding with the people who say that it's more about speaking poor Finnish than excellent English.



I mean, for me the most logical assumption to make is that practice makes perfect. And mastering English, a foreign language, better than your very own mother tongue means that your out of practice in Finnish. After all, a Finn's Finnish is supposed to have some serious years on her English, right?



I see the point of losing touch with your mother tongue whilst living abroad (especially if your significant other is really something else) and I'm not saying that it's necessarily a bad thing, or that there's something wrong with it, that's just to way it is - in my opinion.



There's now doubt that using English routinely improves it but there's as little doubt that routinely not using Finnish to the extent that an other language overrides it weakens it.



This opinion stands also on the matter of Finnish-speaking people who claim to read better or equally well in English. I say that it's not about reading in English, it's mostly about NOT reading in Finnish.



[And if an expat or anyone else want's to comment my lesser-than-my-Finnish English skills, be my guest, I don't mind. ;)]

Indeed, when one moves abroad for a longer perioid of time or permanently, it does weaken their mother tongue due to lack of use. Soon one finds herself in a situation in which she can't express herself properly in any language at all. Or at least finds it a struggle.



We should always, always, take good care of our mother tongue. If you think you can speak, write and express yourself better in English than in Finnish, be warned. It's just an illusion!



Should we all just stick with our mother tongue we can use in its all levels from emotional side to technical side to stop the corruption in language?



Is it admirable skill to learn foreign language at the expence of our mother tongue?

Throwing around random punchlines from American TV youth shows is the mark of a highly educated and literate person.

I don't have any trouble expressing my feelings in English or Finnish. Are my feelings somehow less potent than other Finns' feelings? And why do my Finnish friends never express any feeling that would be hard to express in English? I think this idea about your mother tongue being somehow better suited for 'deeper' emotions is rubbish. Of course if your English is so basic that you don't know the words for the emotions then yeah, I'm sure it's harder to express anything in that language, but if your English and your Finnish have approximately the same number of words, what could the problem be? Actions speak louder than words anyway.

Itsekin olen tehnyt jo parikymmentä vuotta työtä, jossa englanti on toinen työkieli, mutta silti sanon, etten kykene esim. journalistisesti hyvään englanninkieliseen ilmaisuun. (Aika harva suomen kieltä äidinkielenään puhuva kykenee tosin hyvään journalistiseen ilmaisuun suomeksikaan ;-))



Totta kai pystyn ilmaisemaan hyvin monimutkaisiakin asioita englanniksi, muttei se silti ole IHAN samantasoista kuin äidinkielellä!



-ulkomaantoimittaja-

I have had foreign boss 5 years

I've been living in Ireland for 13 years and I've noticed my Finnish weakening if I don't use it. That's why I make sure every second book I read (I read a LOT) is in Finnish.

I also speak Finnish to the kids but it is very basic Finnish. Facebook and skype are brilliant, I use them every day to communicate with my Finnish pals but most of my comments tend to be in English. Finnish nursery rhymes are also a handy tool if you want to play with words and remind yourself how creative one can be with the beautiful Finnish language.

Indeed, when one moves abroad for a longer perioid of time or permanently, it does weaken their mother tongue due to lack of use. Soon one finds herself in a situation in which she can't express herself properly in any language at all. Or at least finds it a struggle. We should always, always, take good care of our mother tongue. If you think you can speak, write and express yourself better in English than in Finnish, be warned. It's just an illusion! Should we all just stick with our mother tongue we can use in its all levels from emotional side to technical side to stop the corruption in language? Is it admirable skill to learn foreign language at the expence of our mother tongue?

Have you noticed that the people who claim to be able to express themselves equally well in a second language, for instance English, as they do in their native language, are usually the ones whose skills in that particular second language aren't very good at all? And the other way around: the ones who say the opposite, generally possess excellent foreign-language skills!



I have a degree in International Communications, have lived in an English-speaking country, spent years and years studying English + intercultural comms, read most of my books in English and use the language on a daily basis, yet would never ever be able to express myself equally well in English as I do in Finnish.

If we talk about the technical issues.

Suomen kielen taitoni on ruostunut näin ulkomailla asuessa. Usein ajattelukin on nykyisin jollain muulla kuin suomen kielellä. Meillä puhutaan kolmea kieltä kotona ja yksi niistä on englanti.

almost there, but i've lived in England for 5 years but my English is still not FULLY on the same level when it's comes to express myself in the conversations - probably because there isn't an English equivalent to many words I would use when speaking Finnish.



and most likely, the above sentence is grammatically from arse.

as a superior form of communication over other languages for the same reason that they think the drying cupboard is the best thing since sliced bread. If they can't express their emotions in English it's only because they don't have an emotional connection with the language. My English might not be perfect but I speak it everyday with my family and the emotions I express in English are certainly just as real as those I express in Finnish! If I tell my child that he's a star, the emotion expressed is not a lesser emotion in any way than the one expressed by my saying 'kiitos kulta olit ihana'. How could it possibly be?



P.S. My children speak both Finnish and English.

Alkuperäinen kysymyshän oli "Could you express yourself in english as well as you do in finnish?"

Peruskysymys on siinä, mikä on tarpeellisena pidetty ilmaisun taso. On totta, että sitä pystyy viilaamaan, tiivistämään ja hieromaan loputtomiin. Mutta mikä on tarpeellista, mikä ei? Pitäisikö pystyä Tabermanniin tai jopa Shakespeareen? Mitä vaadit itseltäsi, mitä muilta?

Minä olen pärjännyt hyvin ja elänyt onnellista ja tasapainoista elämää sekä Suomessa että englanninkielisessä maassa, joten vastaan hyvillä mielin kyllä. Molemmissa paikoissa on kohdattu kommunikaatio-ongelmia ja aina niistä on selvitty. Itsensä ilmaisemisessa on aina se perusongelma, että siihen kuuluu vastaanottava osapuoli, joka tulkitsee ilmaisun aina omalla tavallaan ja omista lähtökohdistaan. Välttämättä ei auta silloin mitään, vaikka olisit kielten, kommunikaation, psykologian ja lääketieteen ja vielä tiesminkä tohtori.

47&48, you said it Have you noticed that the people who claim to be able to express themselves equally well in a second language, for instance English, as they do in their native language, are usually the ones whose skills in that particular second language aren't very good at all? And the other way around: the ones who say the opposite, generally possess excellent foreign-language skills! I have a degree in International Communications, have lived in an English-speaking country, spent years and years studying English + intercultural comms, read most of my books in English and use the language on a daily basis, yet would never ever be able to express myself equally well in English as I do in Finnish.

Maybe after 10 years of living in an English-speaking country.



On the other hand, as a Finnish man, I do not need to speak much - it's the writing that I am more concerned about. I have had to hold courses and meetings in English, no one has complained about the few murmurs and the grumbling I have 'expressed'.



Anyway, I couldn't care less.

If you live in an environment where people constantly express their feelings in English, it's quite natural to learn to express your feelings in English, too. But if you live in Finland and use English only at work, it's not at all surprising that your forte is business English. Or how many of you express your anger or love on a daily basis at the office?