Finnish pronunciation
I had a meeting last week with 3 Finns. While their English is excellent, it’s funny to hear the different emphasis they put on certain syllables.
For example:
Categories – ka-TAG-ories
Development – dee-vell-OP-mint
Now, I can’t speak any Finnish, of course, but I imagine many Swedes get a kick out of the way I put the accent on the wrong syllables in Swedish. And in Swedish, this can totally change the meaning of the word.
Classic example – tomten
Tomten can either mean “the garden” or “the Santa” depending on where you emphasize the word. Here’s a great example from https://albrechtskom.se
My kids and their friends are always confused when I tell them that if they’re nice, the garden will give them presents, while if you water Santa well, he will grow.
4 Replies to “Finnish pronunciation”
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Gardens do give presents. They’re called vegetables.
True
Ok, the British has ‘tomtar på tomten’.
I never thought about watering Santa before.