The Finnish Alphabet consists of 21 letters, viz.: =a=, =d=, =e=, =g=,
=h=, =i=, =j=, =k=, =l=, =m=, =n=, =o=, =p=, =r=, =s=, =t=, =u=, =v= (or
=w=), =y=, =ä=, =ö=.
German characters are sometimes used, in which case w always represents
the =v= sound. In the Roman character =v= and =w= are used indifferently
to express the sound of the English _v_.
The pronunciation of the consonants offers little difficulty. Most of
them have the same sounds as in English.
=D=. In true Finnish words this letter is never found at the beginning or
end, and in the middle always represents a softened =t= (_vide_ changes
of consonants p. 13). Even in this position it is hardly ever heard in
the language as spoken by peasants, but replaced in the West Finnish
dialect by a sound between =r= and =l=, and in the Eastern dialect
entirely omitted. Educated people, however, pronounce it as in English.
Thus the educated pronunciation of the genitive case of =sota= is
=sodan=; but in dialects the forms =soran=, =solan=, or =soan= are found.
The letter =d= is always omitted in the Kalevala, which is written in the
Karelian dialect.
=G=, except in a few foreign words, is only found in the combination
=ng=, representing an original =nk=, pronounced as in English. In the
neighbourhood of St. Petersburg this letter is never used, =k= taking its
place.
=H= is a stronger aspirate than in English, and is almost the Russian _x_
or German _ch_. It is heard very distinctly at the end of syllables, e.g.
in =tehdä=.
=J= is the English _y_ in _yes_ or _yard_.
The remaining letters of the Roman Alphabet _b_, _c_, _f_, _q_, _x_, _z_,
and the Swedish _å_ (pronounced _o_) are sometimes met with in foreign
words, but an uneducated Finn will always pronounce =b= and =f= as =p=
and =v=, and is also incapable of producing such sounds as the English
_ch_ and _sh_, which when occurring in Russian names are generally
represented in a Finnish mouth by simple =s=.
There is also a slight aspiration found at the end of some words, as
=veneʻ=, _a boat_, =syödäʻ=, _to eat_. It is not usually written, and
hardly heard except in some dialects, though it has a grammatical
importance, and in some educational works is marked, as above, by an
inverted comma.
It will be seen that there is a great paucity of consonants in the
Finnish language; the alphabet contains but 13, and of these =g= and
=d= are never found at the beginning of native words. Further no word
can begin with two consonants, and foreign words, commencing with such
combinations, always lose one or more letters, for instance the Swedish
words =strand= (_shore_), and =spel= (_game_), appear as =ranta=, =peli=.
On the other hand there is an extraordinary wealth of vowel sounds, and
it is of capital importance to learn the exact pronunciation of them all.
The simple sounds are eight in number.
=A= is the Italian _a_ (English _a_ in _rather_ or _father_), but
pronounced quicker. It is always short.
=E= is the English _e_ in _met_.
=I= is the English _i_ in _bit_.
=O= is the English _o_ in _hot_.
=U= is the English _u_ in _bull_.
=Y= is the German _ü_ in _über_.
=Ä=, which must be carefully distinguished from =A=, is the short English
_a_ heard in _hat_, or _trap_, and must not be pronounced as the English
_a_ in _late_. Thus =hän=, _he_, is pronounced exactly like _hand_
without the final _d_. At the end of words (e.g. =työtä=) =ä= is more
difficult for an Englishman to pronounce, as the sound is not found in
English as a final.
=Ö= is like the French _eu_.
It is very important to observe that the simple vowels are all _short_
sounds. The corresponding long sounds are written by doubling the vowel.
=Aa= is a long Italian _a_, like the _a_ in _rather_, whereas the sound
of simple _a_ is shorter than that which we (generally) give to the vowel
in this word.
=Ee= is like the English _a_ in _pale_, _late_.
=Ii= is the English _ee_ in _keen_, _three_.
=Oo= is the English _o_ in _hope_.
=Uu= is the English _oo_ in _boot_.
=Yy= is the German _ü_, pronounced long.
=Ää= is the _a_ in _had_, but long. It is a rather difficult sound, but
can be obtained by lingering over the vowel of _had_ or _man_, taking
care not to change its quality.
=Öö= is the sound of the simple =ö= lengthened.
Besides these simple and double vowels there are also 16 diphthongs, in
which both vowels should be sounded but so rapidly and continuously as to
form one syllable. They may be divided into two classes.
(1) Those in which the stress is on the second vowel. =uo=, =yö=, =ie=,
e.g. =tuo=, _this_, =tie=, _a way_, =yö=, _night_.
(2) Those in which the stress is on the first vowel. Of these there are—
(_a_) Four ending in =u=. =au=, =ou=, =iu=, =eu=. =Kauppa=, _sale_,
=koulu=, _school_, =hiukka=, _a grain_, =leuka=, _chin_.
(_b_) Two ending in =y=: =äy=, =öy=. =Väylä=, _river bed_, =höyhen=,
_feather_.
(_c_) Seven ending in =i=: =ai=, =oi=, =ui=, =ei=, =äi=, =öi=, =yi=. E.g.
=nai=, _he married_, =koi=, _a moth_, =pui=, _he threshed_, =vei=, _he
led_, =päivä=, _day_, =löi=, _he struck_, =myi=, _he sold_.
These diphthongs, with the exception of those ending in =i=, are found
only in the first syllable of words, otherwise the two vowels form two
syllables: e.g. =tapa-us=, not =tapa͡us=, =kope-us=, not =kope͡us=, but
=talko͡issa=, =pape͡illa=.
The pronunciation of these diphthongs offers no difficulties when that
of the simple vowels has been mastered. It must be remembered that they
are real diphthongs where both vowels sounds are heard, but pronounced
rapidly, so that _au_, though very near the _ow_ in the English _how_, is
not quite like it. The pronunciation of =äy= and =öy= requires attention,
but is, like that of all the diphthongs, merely the result of pronouncing
the simple vowels rapidly.
The chief accent in Finnish is always on the first syllable of every
word. =Tálo=, =mínä=, =párempi=, =kívettä=.
There is a secondary accent, generally on the third, fifth,
... syllables, but occasionally on the fourth, sixth, ... e.g.
=op-pi-mát-to-múu-des-sán-sa= (_in his ability to learn_).
But =ó-pet-ta-mát-to-múu-des-sán-sa= (_in his ignorance_).
But in no case is the second or last syllable accented, so that such
sounds as _howéver_, _deláy_, are impossible.
The pronunciation of Finnish is generally described as easy, but this
is by no means the case. It is true that the language contains no sound
which is really difficult for an Englishman, but on the other hand
extreme care is necessary to pronounce even the simplest words correctly.
For instance, in the word =menemme= (_we come_), three things are to be
observed. The accent is on the first syllable, the =n= is single and not
double, and the =m= is doubled. An Englishman, who has not learned how
to pronounce, will in all probability say not =menemme=, but =menneme=.
This is because he finds it natural to double the =n= after the accented
syllable and hard to double the =m=, without accenting the second
syllable. It must be observed, that:—
(1) The simple consonants are pronounced very lightly; =tuli=, _fire_,
nearly rhymes to the English _fully_, but the =l= is lighter.
(2) The double consonants must be pronounced distinctly twice, as in
Italian. =Kuk-ka=, _flower_, =kyl-lä=, _enough_, =pap-pi=, _priest_.
(3) The simple vowels are very short, the long vowels are to be dwelt on,
but the length of a vowel has nothing to do with the accent. =Púhuu= must
not be pronounced as if it were =Puhúu=, or =puúhu=.
The observance of these rules is necessary, not only to insure a correct
pronunciation, but to prevent absolute confusion, for the paucity of
consonants in Finnish results in the existence of a mass of words, which
though very distinct to a native, are liable to be confounded by a
stranger, and the natural tendency of an Englishman or Russian to slur
over unaccented syllables results in complete unintelligibility. For
instance, =tuli= is _a fire_, or, _he came_, =tulli=, _a tax_, =tulla=,
_to come_ (infinitive), =tule=, _come_ (imperative and root), =tulee=,
_he comes_: =tullee=, the concessive of the same verb, =tuuli=, _a wind_,
=tuulla=, _to blow_. =Kylä= is _a village_, but =kyllä=, _enough_.
=Pitää=, _to hold_, =pyytää=, _to ask_, =peittää=, _to cover_, =peite=,
_a covering_, =pöytä=, _a table_.