lapin-puukko (aka puukko) revisited

VVV · 29th April 2005, 09:50 AM

Hi Tom,

I think you have mixed it up a bit about Scandinavians, Sami and Finns.
Being a Swede (with a Danish mother), who has worked several years in Denmark, Norway and Finland, I have some insight in the different languages and peoples

Quote:
"To clarify my language and thinking on this matter; Danes and Norse are Germans. Turks and Kazaks are Tartars. Innuits and Eskimos are North People (currently Nunnavut). Finns, Lapps, and to a lesser degree Swedes seem to fall somewhat in between, culturally, genetically, linguistically, and all of this is as one would expect from a map. "

Swedes, Danes and Norwegians are Scandinavian people with Scandinavian languages (part of the Germanic language family where also f.i. English belongs).
However I don't think Englishmen see themselves as Germans

Scandinavia + Finland and some small islands = The Nordic countries.
Finns have a different root with a completely different language (related to Hungarian).
When I am in the Scandinavian countries I can figure out the languages (like Italian and French) but when in Finland I always speak English.
Unless I meet a Finnish Swede (= somebody who has had a Swedish ancestor who migrated to Finland when it was a Swedish colony and still speaks Swedish).

I hope this clarifies the confusement about Scandinavia/Nordic countries etc.

Michael

29th April 2005, 09:50 AM	#6
VVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Sweden Posts: 1,637	Hi Tom, I think you have mixed it up a bit about Scandinavians, Sami and Finns. Being a Swede (with a Danish mother), who has worked several years in Denmark, Norway and Finland, I have some insight in the different languages and peoples Quote: "To clarify my language and thinking on this matter; Danes and Norse are Germans. Turks and Kazaks are Tartars. Innuits and Eskimos are North People (currently Nunnavut). Finns, Lapps, and to a lesser degree Swedes seem to fall somewhat in between, culturally, genetically, linguistically, and all of this is as one would expect from a map. " Swedes, Danes and Norwegians are Scandinavian people with Scandinavian languages (part of the Germanic language family where also f.i. English belongs). However I don't think Englishmen see themselves as Germans Scandinavia + Finland and some small islands = The Nordic countries. Finns have a different root with a completely different language (related to Hungarian). When I am in the Scandinavian countries I can figure out the languages (like Italian and French) but when in Finland I always speak English. Unless I meet a Finnish Swede (= somebody who has had a Swedish ancestor who migrated to Finland when it was a Swedish colony and still speaks Swedish). I hope this clarifies the confusement about Scandinavia/Nordic countries etc. Michael