Finnish was still much harder to decipher. It's like...you're trying to wrestle your tongue out of your mouth and talk at the same time. It takes so much effort!
( How could he bad at a language that's just noises and wet tongue sounds?? )
( This explanation is about as confusing as Finnish is anyway. )
Some things are easier to say. Odota, tässä, takana aren't that difficult...then there's things like ystävä, yhdessä, lääk-...I don't remember the word for medic, it's too long. There may be an "n" in there somewhere.
( That stupid y sound. Deciphering what he's trying to say may be a little weird since the words aren't fluidly pronounced and contain incorrect stresses, but he does remember some of his vocabulary homework. )
How can you say something too hard? It's just a word!
( This is obviously dumb, especially since Swedish isn't without its own stresses and rhythms, but to Emil it's just a word. You say the word, the word is said. Done deal. )
You knew what I was talking about, so that should mean I'm doing pretty well. ( Maybe because you said what word you were talking about in non-stressed, telepathy-picking-up language but okay. )
( Emil doesn't understand how that wasn't different from the 80 other times he said it, but OKAY!!! If you say so, your Finnishness.
Rather than focus on petty language differences, Emil instead zooms out to the bigger picture. Oh -- Lalli was right. It took some concentration to filter the words somehow, but it was doable. )
Yeah, we can. ( Said with mild surprise, despite the last conversation. His Finnish journey isn't over!! And yet: ) How many Swedish words do you know?
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[Like a distorted croak?]
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( It fits with that claw clicking sound they make. )
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[Yes, this has been a great conversation. Much better than hypothetical, heartbreaking wishes.]
The big Danish one spoke like a frog.
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( Like...who even understands Danish people? Can they understand each other? That's a miracle.
Did that Danish guy even have a name?? ) I think I understood what he was saying about as much as you did.
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[Seems plausible, even if it was harder to judge when all the words jumbled together into a verbal nonsense pile.]
That's something. I guess.
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Finnish was still much harder to decipher. It's like...you're trying to wrestle your tongue out of your mouth and talk at the same time. It takes so much effort!
( How could he bad at a language that's just noises and wet tongue sounds?? )
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No? [Ahhh, hmn.] Can you sing?
[there's a point to this]
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I don't know. I've never seriously tried to. ( The answer is no, regardless. )
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Finnish is like music. It has a rhythm and, umm. Like water.
[...that didn't make him sound like an authority on the topic, but. Whatever. Words.]
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Some things are easier to say. Odota, tässä, takana aren't that difficult...then there's things like ystävä, yhdessä, lääk-...I don't remember the word for medic, it's too long. There may be an "n" in there somewhere.
( That stupid y sound. Deciphering what he's trying to say may be a little weird since the words aren't fluidly pronounced and contain incorrect stresses, but he does remember some of his vocabulary homework. )
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[This pronunciation, though, man... Ugh. Less water, more bog.]
You're saying it too hard.
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( This is obviously dumb, especially since Swedish isn't without its own stresses and rhythms, but to Emil it's just a word. You say the word, the word is said. Done deal. )
You knew what I was talking about, so that should mean I'm doing pretty well. ( Maybe because you said what word you were talking about in non-stressed, telepathy-picking-up language but okay. )
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Ystävä. [An unnatural word for him, but it still flows. Now for his clunky imitation of Emil,] Uih-stuh-vuh.
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Is there supposed to be a difference...?
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Mine was better!
[SWEETIE HE DOESN'T HEAR THE DIFFERENCE HE WON'T KNOW]
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What do you mean 'mine'? It's just a word, it's not yours! I can say it too -- uih-stuh-vuh! Uih-stuh-vuh!
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Ystävä! Stop saying it like that. Lighter.
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Uih-stävä! ...Stävä? Uih-stävä!
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Yes. Now make the beginning part shorter.
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Ih-stävä? Ystävä!
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Yes. [Yes!!! Have a nice...legpat, he can't reach your head like this.] Do it like that, that's Finnish.
...I guess we can study?
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Rather than focus on petty language differences, Emil instead zooms out to the bigger picture. Oh -- Lalli was right. It took some concentration to filter the words somehow, but it was doable. )
Yeah, we can. ( Said with mild surprise, despite the last conversation. His Finnish journey isn't over!! And yet: ) How many Swedish words do you know?
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[how many loaves of bread have you eaten in your lifetime???]
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( Impress him, he's waiting. )
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[Heck. Okay. Let him think.]
...Spöken. Fara. Ingen fara. Mat. Sol.
[the disparity between these lists]
God...n-natt?
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