Meanwhile you have browsed what Wikipedia has to offer on the Finnish language...

As regards languages I am a tad a pedantic and always aim at full mastership.  I think that all aspects of a language are equally important. Either one masters a foreign language or one doesn't. In other words, it is not enough to be able to read and write in a foreign tongue. Without being fluent in the language as it is spoken one cannot be said to 'master' said language. Whilst learning Finnish, you must needs learn the way it is spoken by native speakers. And I know that you will learn Finnish to perfection. You are exceptionally good at learning languages. There is no denying it. You got those genes from your dad.

And here we encounter a huge problem! The written modern standard Finnish as it is used in respectable newspapers, newscasts and other official media is not the same language that people use in everyday life. But the modern standard Finnish is the starting point. Learning colloquial Finnish follows then naturally on the basis of the standard Finnish.

(I encounter a similar problem with the Arabic language. The MSA - modern standard Arabic - is the standard that is used in the newspapers and in the television. But regionally Arabic is spoken quite differently. As regards spoken Arabic I hold to Egyptian. Why? Due to the huge Egyptian movie industry and the fact that Egyptian movies are viewed all over the Arabian speaking world Egyptian Arabic is widely understood. Hence I try to learn MSA and Egyptian Arabic simultaneously... But this jump into Arabian things has nothing to do with this blog. )

Finnish is interesting but difficult. Still interested?

Heippa! (=Tschüss, in German)

Papa

PS Those forthcoming voice recordings (MP3, WMA or what form ever) are the most important part of this language course.