Swedish and Norwegian are two languages really close to each other, you have to pay attention while listening or reading them to be able to tell which one is which, at least in my opinion. Finnish on the other hand is something totally different, it's actually quite weird and funny to think that Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and Icelandic are all relatively close to each other but Finnish is something completely different!
I don't even know what I'm rumbling here anymore, haha. Anyhow, I'll be back on Sunday to check if you've started the series! :)
Reading is fairly easy. The letters and common words are different enough. Norwegian from Danish is harder on first glance, but Danes use more "g" and less "k" - so, usually you can work that one out.
Sounds, not sure - I haven't had enough time to listen to them, but Swedish is so much harder to work out than Norwegian because the Swedes tend to leave out whole syllables as if it's not wanted! I can't think of any better way to confuse the foreigners than to start swallowing syllables!
But yes, Finnish is something totally different. I'm getting the feeling that it's not only related to Hungarian and Estonian but also Saami, perhaps? Fascinating language for sure.
I suppose most governmental records these days are in Swedish as well, but which language will records from the late 1600s and early 1700s be in? (To help me find my Finn.) I suppose it could be either depending on where he came from - or even Russian!
Oh, we did have a question as we were looking at a particular YouTuber who is Finnish and has a wife who looks distinctly Mongolian. Is there a lot of Mongol/Asian blood in Finland (or the Saami)? I'm thinking of your awesome film "Jade Warrior" which I'm desperate to watch again, but my DVDs are still two states away from me! Was the linking of the Kalevala with China a normal thing or totally artsy?
Great talking to you!
I'm pretty sure records from the late 1600s and early 1700s would be in Swedish! As I read about everything you know about Finland and Scandinavia, I realize that I probably should know better some things about Finland, haha. The question about Mongol/Asian blood in Finland, I think there isn't a lot, at least not in a way you would recognize it from the physical appearance! And about that movie "Jade Warrior", I've never seen it, so I don't know what they said about the link between the Kalevala and China, but that link is also something I hear for the first time now, so it's not a normal thing!
Really great talking to you, I learn new things about Finland as well! π