Colloquial Finnish: The Complete Course for Beginners (Colloquial Series) [Paperback]

Daniel Abondolo (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415113911 | ISBN-13: 978-0415113915 | Publication Date: March 18, 1998 | Edition: Pap/Com/Ca

Colloquial Finnish is easy to use with no prior knowledge of the language required. These CDs are recorded by native Finnish speakers and will play on any audio system. The material can be used on its own or to accompany the book, helping you with pronunciation and listening skills.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Finnish

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; Pap/Com/Ca edition (March 18, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415113911
• ISBN-13: 978-0415113915
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,442,712 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Language Nonfiction > More Languages > Finnish

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Comments from a native speaker, April 27, 2001

By 

Mika (Kauniainen, Finland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Colloquial Finnish: The Complete Course for Beginners (Colloquial Series) (Paperback)

Although interesting, I find Panu's review way out of line. Saying that the language in this book is that of Helsinki Skinheads is absurd altogether. The Finnish in this book is simply the Finnish used in Helsinki (and most major cities), I can't see how on earth this has anything to do with skinheads.. This is the language used by youngsters in Disco's, clubs, on the streests, in the schools and universities etc. One could only hope that the visitor to this site will take Panu's comments for what they're worth.

For the book itself, it is quite good even if the way of describing Finnish grammar is highly un-orthodox. The vocabulary is quite comprehensive and most dialouges are well wuited for the learner.When completing this course, the reader will be able to converse with nativr Finnish speakers and take part in normal life.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for intermediate/advanced learners, NOT beginners, January 23, 2000

By 

Patrick Campion (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Colloquial Finnish: The Complete Course for Beginners (Colloquial Series) (Paperback)

This book is EXCELLENT for learning colloquial aspects of Finnish (contracted forms of pronouns, shortened verb forms, and other familiar forms). However, if this had been my first book on Finnish, I think I would have given it up as far too difficult. The grammatical explanations seem either overly complicated or overly vague for the beginner. However, for the intermediate or advanced student, this is an excellent way to improve your comprehension of colloquial Finnish and to make your own speech and writing more "authentic".

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best!, October 11, 2000

By 

Ranvel (CANTON, OH, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Colloquial Finnish: The Complete Course for Beginners (Colloquial Series) (Paperback)

I own a few other Finnish language books. Actually, all of the books that the local bookstore I visit had, which was like 5 or 6. Routledge's language courses are the best you can buy, I know because I've bought an array of books for an array of languages. But this one takes the cake; Author Daniel Abondolo delicately blends the professionalism or language books with the speech or normal people to create a very conducive environment for learning, especially with such a diffucult language. Abondolo teaches you the essentials of the language, as no single volume book could teach you an entire language. By the end of the book, you will be speaking the language seemingly as if you've known the language all your life, without the accent though. The authors credentials are confirmed by his other books, namely the Uralic Languages(editor+author), a highly technical book dealing with the language group with which Finnish is part of. The tapes provide a very useful tool, that is, hearing the spoken language through native speakers.