Under the rays of the bright sun, next to the Helsinki library Oodi, reindeer by sculptor Timo Heino are situated
Veli Holopainen, who has a successful journalistic career behind him, loves to travel along the winding roads of the Finnish language, and they sometimes lead him to hidden places, out of the ordinary view. Recently he delighted his Twitter followers by telling about Finnish verbs that are in one way or another connected with the animal world.
As the website "This is Finland" writes, he made a selection of those Finnish verbs whose infinitive form contains the name of some animal or bird. For example, in the root of the verb jänistää (jänistää) – to chicken out, to get scared, there is the noun jänis (jänis) – "hare". In the Finnish verb pyytää (pyytää) – "to catch, to trap" – the noun pyy (pyy) – "hazel grouse", beloved by Finnish hunters, is hidden, and the verb pukata (pukata) – "to push", for example, to push a soccer ball – originates from the noun pukki (pukki) – "goat", which, as is known, can butt, go headlong, and even attack. Incidentally, Pukki is also the surname of the Finnish football star Teemu Pukki, who is known for his quick attacks on the football field.
However, the "animal" side of the Finnish language is a tough nut to crack. "Since Finns and their daily life are firmly connected with the surrounding nature, it would be tempting to conclude that Finnish verbs and animal names have the same etymology, but this is not always the case," says Ulla-Maija Forsberg, director of the Institute for the Languages of Finland.
According to Ulla-Maija Forsberg, Finnish may have even more homonyms than other languages, i.e., words that are identical in sound and spelling but different in lexical meaning.
"In Finnish, there are many derived words that we get from one root, but which can have different meanings," explains Ulla-Maija. "Therefore, it may seem that all these words with animal names are related to each other."
In Finnish, there are indeed many words in which animalistic names can be traced, but the truth is that these words still have nothing in common with animals or birds. For example, in the verb varistaa (varistaa) "to shake off" we see the word varis (varis) – "crow", but the etymology of this verb is completely different. In another Finnish verb hirvittää (hirvittää) – "to be horrified, to fear" the word hirvi (hirvi) – "moose" appears. And although the moose is a very common inhabitant of Finnish forests, nevertheless, the origin of this verb has nothing to do with it.
In yet another Finnish verb porottaa (porottaa) – "to burn, to shine, to beat down" – there is also a typical representative of Finnish fauna: poro (poro) – "reindeer". Despite this, this verb also has no connection with the animal world. But the fact that the sun is beating down strongly can be said in Finnish using precisely the verb porottaa: Aurinko porottaa (Aurinko porottaa).
The verbs kanavoida (kanavoida) and emuloida (emuloida) can also be misleading, as they deceptively seem to contain representatives of the feathered: in the verb kanavoida – kana (kana), i.e., "hen", in the verb emuloida – emu (emu), i.e., "ostrich". In fact, both verbs are borrowings from English: kanavoida – "to lay or conduct a channel" comes from English canal, channel, meaning "channel", and emuloida comes from English emulate, meaning "to copy" or "to imitate the functions of another object".
Animal and bird names are present in very many Finnish words and idiomatic expressions, so, as surprising as it may be, it is precisely representatives of Finnish fauna that will help you master new heights in the Finnish language. For example, the expression ketunhäntä kainalossa (ketunhäntä kainalossa), which literally means "fox's tail in the armpit", describes a cunning person with dishonest intentions. And if you find yourself jäniksen selässä (jäniksen selässä), i.e., "on the back of a hare", it means you are in a hurry, rushing.
Finnish Lapland, located in northern Finland and occupying a third of its territory, is a promised land and a paradise for reindeer. In Finland, they say that any distance can be measured in a special unit – poronkusema (poronkusema), which is equivalent to approximately 7.5 km. A reindeer cannot walk and urinate at the same time, and it is precisely this distance – a maximum of 7.5 km – that a reindeer can cover without stopping. Knowing this unit will not only help you in mastering the Finnish language but will also orient you in the area in case you are told that the nearest bar, store, gas station is at a distance of ten poronkusema.
And also – if you end up in the Finnish north and luck smiles on you, you will be able to see a miracle: revontulet (revontulet), which literally means fox fires – that is what the northern lights are called in Finnish.