QUOTE(somfan)
Finnish is a Finno-Ugric language, which means that it is not Indo-European. English is closer to Sanskrit and Farsi and Russian than Swedish is to Finnish.
Finnish and Estonian are closely related. 6000 years of independent development separate Finnish/Estonian from Hungarian.
During the Viking age, there was one more-or-less common Nordic language which was spoken in Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark and the coastal regions of Finland and Estonia. Those languages are often mutually understandable. But Icelanders still speak pretty much the same language spoken by the Vikings!
And then there is the separate indigenous language spoken by Summoner's birth mother: Saami, Sami, of Lapp. It's origins are ancient and obscure.
On the other hand, from the perspective of outside, there are a lot of cultural similarities between the Nordic countries. I would say that that is generally related to the geography, the Viking past, Lutheranism, and the strength of
organized labor and the social-democratic (labor)parties.
The closest thing to WAR in that region is when Finland and Sweden meet each other in ice hockey!!
Finnish and Estonian are closely related. 6000 years of independent development separate Finnish/Estonian from Hungarian.
During the Viking age, there was one more-or-less common Nordic language which was spoken in Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark and the coastal regions of Finland and Estonia. Those languages are often mutually understandable. But Icelanders still speak pretty much the same language spoken by the Vikings!
And then there is the separate indigenous language spoken by Summoner's birth mother: Saami, Sami, of Lapp. It's origins are ancient and obscure.
On the other hand, from the perspective of outside, there are a lot of cultural similarities between the Nordic countries. I would say that that is generally related to the geography, the Viking past, Lutheranism, and the strength of
organized labor and the social-democratic (labor)parties.
The closest thing to WAR in that region is when Finland and Sweden meet each other in ice hockey!!
That's exactly what i was looking for! thanks.
I feel like I should be contributing something to this wonderful website;I mean I don't really have much in the way of boobs. Otherwise, all I can do is voice my appreciation...
You scare me!!! I can't believe you just linked the straight dope. I think I've read every question on there at least twice. I even subscribe to the weekly email thing. Every day I am more and more convinced that you are the Canadian Bobaloo. Either that or you just stumbled upon the straight dope and I don't know what the hell I'm talking about.
