ArticleTitle stringclasses 109 values | Question stringlengths 4 586 ⌀ | Answer stringlengths 1 926 ⌀ | ArticleFile stringclasses 57 values | EvidencesAvailable stringclasses 120 values |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Dragonfly | null | null | data/set1/a7 | Dragonfly
Dragonfly emerging as an adult
Pair of Yellow Striped Hunters mating
A dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking.
Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic.
Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often on floating or emergent plants. When laying eggs, some species will submerge themselves completely in order to lay their eggs on a good surface. The eggs then hatch into nymphs. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the naiad (that is, nymph) form, beneath the water's surface, using extendable jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. /ref> Some nymphs even hunt on land, an aptitude which could easily have been more common in ancient times when terrestrial predators were clumsier.
The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larva to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies. In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions; upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months.
Formerly, the Anisoptera were given suborder rank beside the "ancient dragonflies" (Anisozygoptera) which were believed to contain the two living species of the genus Epiophlebia and numerous fossil ones. More recently it turned out that the "anisozygopterans" form a paraphyletic assemblage of morphologically primitive relatives of the Anisoptera. Thus, the Anisoptera (true dragonflies) are reduced to an infraorder in the new suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies in general). The artificial grouping Anisozygoptera is disbanded, its members being largely recognized as extinct offshoots at various stages of dragonfly evolution. The two living species formerly placed there â the Asian relict dragonflies â form the infraorder Epiophlebioptera alongside the Anisoptera.
Unusually for a damselfly, the Sydney Flatwing hold their wings horizontal (perpendicular) to their body
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are often confused with newly moulted dragonflies but once a dragonfly molts it is fully grown. There are other distinctions that set them apart: most damselflies hold their wings at rest together above the torso or held slightly open above (such as in the family Lestidae), whereas most dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontally or occasionally slightly down and forward. Also, the back wing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body, while the back wing of the damselfly is similar to the front wing. The eyes on a damselfly are apart; in most dragonflies the eyes touch. Notable exceptions are the Petaluridae (Petaltails) and the Gomphidae (Clubtails).
Broad-bodied Chaser
A Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau) in mid flight
Kirby's Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) in Tsumeb, Namibia.
Flame Skimmer
In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. Another Swedish legend holds that trolls use the dragonflies as spindles when weaving their clothes (hence the Swedish word for dragonfly trollslända, lit. "troll's spindle") as well as sending them to poke out the eyes of their enemies. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Ãyenstikker", which literally means Eye Poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "Tira-olhos" (Eye snatcher). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. The Lithuanian word "Laum žirgis" is a composite word meaning "the Lauma's horse", while in Dutch, Aeshna mixta is called "Paardenbijter" or "horse biter". In some South American countries, dragonflies are also called matacaballo (horse killer), or caballito del diablo (devil's little horse), since they were perceived as harmful, some species being quite large for an insect.
In East Asia and among Native Americans, dragonflies have a far better reputation, one that can also be said to have positively influenced modern day views about dragonflies in most countries, in the same vein as the insect's namesake, the dragon, which has a positive image in the east, but initially had an association with evil in the west.
Dragonfly symbol on a Hopi bowl from Sikyatki archaeological site.
For some Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity, and for the Navajo they symbolize pure water. Dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in Hopi rock art and on Pueblo necklaces. Mitchell and Lasswell, 20-26. It is said in some Native American beliefs that dragonflies are a symbol of renewal after a time of great hardship.
They also have traditional uses as medicine in Japan and China. In some parts of the world they are a food source, eaten either as adults or larvae; in Indonesia, for example, they are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.
Vietnamese people have a traditional way to forecast rain by seeing dragonflies: "Chuá»n chuá»n bay thấp thì mÆ°a, bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì râm" (Dragonflies fly at low level, it is rainy; dragonflies fly at high level, it is sunny; dragonflies fly at medium level, it is shadowy).
In some parts of the world it is considered lucky to have a dragonfly land on you, even to the point of yielding seven years of good luck.
In the United States dragonflies and damselflies are sought out as a hobby similar to birding and butterflying, known as oding, from the dragonfly's Latin species name, odonata. Oding is especially popular in Texas, where 225 out of a total of 457 known species of odonates in the world have been observed. With care, dragonflies can be handled and released by Oders, like butterflies. "Dragonflying: The new birding" by Tracy Hobson Lehmann San Antonio Express-News June 19, 2008
Images of dragonflies were common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs. They also appear in posters by modern artists such as Maeve Harris. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.
In Japan dragonflies symbolize "martial success," due to similarity in the sound of the word "dragonfly" and "victory" in Japanese. As a seasonal symbol, the dragonfly is associated with late summer and early autumn.
More generally, in Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. In ancient mythology, Japan was known as Akitsushima, which means "Land of the Dragonflies". The love for dragonflies is reflected by the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight. Mitchell and Lasswell, 38.
Also, in Japan, amongst the Three Great Spears of Japan is one which is called the Tonbogiri, which when translated is called 'The Dragon Fly Cutter'. The spear is an important part of Japan's imperial regalia - the spear itself was once wielded by the legendary Samurai, Honda Tadakatsu. Its name is derived from the story that the blade is so sharp, a dragonfly once landed on it and was instantly cut in half.
In drug references, several drugs have been synthesized that have molecule structures resembling Dragonflies. For instance Bromo-dragonfly and 2C-B-FLY. The names reflect the dragonfly appearance.
Image:Red_dragon_fly.jpg|Red Dragonfly from California
Image:Dragonfly_(2413057204).jpg|Dragonfly from Florida.
Image:Aust blue dragonfly02.jpg|Australian blue dragonfly
Image:Dragonfly on leaf.jpg|African dragonfly perched on a leaf
Image:Anax_withmeal.jpg|Green Darner Dragonfly feeding on honey bee
Image:Yellow-striped hunter dragonfly05.jpg|Austrogomphus guerini
Image:RubyMeadowhawkDragonfly.jpg|Flame Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata
Image:Dragonfly midair.jpg|Dragonfly in midflight over a creek
Image:Dragonfly eye 3811.jpg|The compound eyes of a dragonfly
Image:Cherry-faced meadowhawk pair.jpg|Cherry-faced Meadowhawk,
Sympetrum internum
Image:Aeshna mixta6.jpg|Dragonflies mating
Image:Mating_dragon1.jpg|Mating
Image:Mating_dragon_2.jpg|Mating
Image:Aeshnid-ovipositing-800x600.jpg|Dragonfly depositing eggs
File:Darter August 2007-20.jpg|Sympetrum fonscolombii
Image:Polish_dragonfly.jpg| Dragonfly from Lower Silesia - top
Image:A Perched Dragonfly.jpg|A perched dragonfly Widow Skimmer
Image:Cali spreadwing2.jpg|California Spreadwing Archilestes californicus
Image:Pied paddy skimmer female.JPG|Indian pied paddy skimmer female
Image:Pied paddy skimmer male(Neurothemis tullia tullia).jpg| Indian pied paddy skimmer male
Image:Blue Dragonfly Resting on Water.jpg|in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA
Image:Blue_dragonfly_Kamakura_Japan.jpg|Blue Dragonfly in Kamakura, Japan
Image:Sardinian_Dragonfly.JPG|Sardinian Dragonfly
Image:Darter August 2007-19.jpg|Female Red-veined darter. Lisboa, Portugal
Image:EmperorDragonfly.JPG|Emperor dragonfly in Greece
Image:Eye of dragonfly.jpg|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
Image:Dragonfly by Nabarun.JPG|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
File:Dragonfly001.jpg|Red Dragonfly (Trithemis annulata), Israel
* Elliot Pinhey
* List of British dragonflies
* Obelisk posture
* Tree of Life Odonata
*
* Identification key to dragonflies found in Ireland
* British Dragonfly Society
* Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the United States
* PHAON (Pinhey's Heritage African Odonata Network)
* Dragonflies in folklore and art
* dragonflies and damselflies on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* Photos of dragonflies from Asia, Africa, America, and Russia
|
Dragonfly | null | null | data/set1/a7 | Dragonfly
Dragonfly emerging as an adult
Pair of Yellow Striped Hunters mating
A dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking.
Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic.
Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often on floating or emergent plants. When laying eggs, some species will submerge themselves completely in order to lay their eggs on a good surface. The eggs then hatch into nymphs. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the naiad (that is, nymph) form, beneath the water's surface, using extendable jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. /ref> Some nymphs even hunt on land, an aptitude which could easily have been more common in ancient times when terrestrial predators were clumsier.
The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larva to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies. In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions; upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months.
Formerly, the Anisoptera were given suborder rank beside the "ancient dragonflies" (Anisozygoptera) which were believed to contain the two living species of the genus Epiophlebia and numerous fossil ones. More recently it turned out that the "anisozygopterans" form a paraphyletic assemblage of morphologically primitive relatives of the Anisoptera. Thus, the Anisoptera (true dragonflies) are reduced to an infraorder in the new suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies in general). The artificial grouping Anisozygoptera is disbanded, its members being largely recognized as extinct offshoots at various stages of dragonfly evolution. The two living species formerly placed there â the Asian relict dragonflies â form the infraorder Epiophlebioptera alongside the Anisoptera.
Unusually for a damselfly, the Sydney Flatwing hold their wings horizontal (perpendicular) to their body
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are often confused with newly moulted dragonflies but once a dragonfly molts it is fully grown. There are other distinctions that set them apart: most damselflies hold their wings at rest together above the torso or held slightly open above (such as in the family Lestidae), whereas most dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontally or occasionally slightly down and forward. Also, the back wing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body, while the back wing of the damselfly is similar to the front wing. The eyes on a damselfly are apart; in most dragonflies the eyes touch. Notable exceptions are the Petaluridae (Petaltails) and the Gomphidae (Clubtails).
Broad-bodied Chaser
A Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau) in mid flight
Kirby's Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) in Tsumeb, Namibia.
Flame Skimmer
In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. Another Swedish legend holds that trolls use the dragonflies as spindles when weaving their clothes (hence the Swedish word for dragonfly trollslända, lit. "troll's spindle") as well as sending them to poke out the eyes of their enemies. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Ãyenstikker", which literally means Eye Poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "Tira-olhos" (Eye snatcher). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. The Lithuanian word "Laum žirgis" is a composite word meaning "the Lauma's horse", while in Dutch, Aeshna mixta is called "Paardenbijter" or "horse biter". In some South American countries, dragonflies are also called matacaballo (horse killer), or caballito del diablo (devil's little horse), since they were perceived as harmful, some species being quite large for an insect.
In East Asia and among Native Americans, dragonflies have a far better reputation, one that can also be said to have positively influenced modern day views about dragonflies in most countries, in the same vein as the insect's namesake, the dragon, which has a positive image in the east, but initially had an association with evil in the west.
Dragonfly symbol on a Hopi bowl from Sikyatki archaeological site.
For some Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity, and for the Navajo they symbolize pure water. Dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in Hopi rock art and on Pueblo necklaces. Mitchell and Lasswell, 20-26. It is said in some Native American beliefs that dragonflies are a symbol of renewal after a time of great hardship.
They also have traditional uses as medicine in Japan and China. In some parts of the world they are a food source, eaten either as adults or larvae; in Indonesia, for example, they are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.
Vietnamese people have a traditional way to forecast rain by seeing dragonflies: "Chuá»n chuá»n bay thấp thì mÆ°a, bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì râm" (Dragonflies fly at low level, it is rainy; dragonflies fly at high level, it is sunny; dragonflies fly at medium level, it is shadowy).
In some parts of the world it is considered lucky to have a dragonfly land on you, even to the point of yielding seven years of good luck.
In the United States dragonflies and damselflies are sought out as a hobby similar to birding and butterflying, known as oding, from the dragonfly's Latin species name, odonata. Oding is especially popular in Texas, where 225 out of a total of 457 known species of odonates in the world have been observed. With care, dragonflies can be handled and released by Oders, like butterflies. "Dragonflying: The new birding" by Tracy Hobson Lehmann San Antonio Express-News June 19, 2008
Images of dragonflies were common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs. They also appear in posters by modern artists such as Maeve Harris. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.
In Japan dragonflies symbolize "martial success," due to similarity in the sound of the word "dragonfly" and "victory" in Japanese. As a seasonal symbol, the dragonfly is associated with late summer and early autumn.
More generally, in Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. In ancient mythology, Japan was known as Akitsushima, which means "Land of the Dragonflies". The love for dragonflies is reflected by the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight. Mitchell and Lasswell, 38.
Also, in Japan, amongst the Three Great Spears of Japan is one which is called the Tonbogiri, which when translated is called 'The Dragon Fly Cutter'. The spear is an important part of Japan's imperial regalia - the spear itself was once wielded by the legendary Samurai, Honda Tadakatsu. Its name is derived from the story that the blade is so sharp, a dragonfly once landed on it and was instantly cut in half.
In drug references, several drugs have been synthesized that have molecule structures resembling Dragonflies. For instance Bromo-dragonfly and 2C-B-FLY. The names reflect the dragonfly appearance.
Image:Red_dragon_fly.jpg|Red Dragonfly from California
Image:Dragonfly_(2413057204).jpg|Dragonfly from Florida.
Image:Aust blue dragonfly02.jpg|Australian blue dragonfly
Image:Dragonfly on leaf.jpg|African dragonfly perched on a leaf
Image:Anax_withmeal.jpg|Green Darner Dragonfly feeding on honey bee
Image:Yellow-striped hunter dragonfly05.jpg|Austrogomphus guerini
Image:RubyMeadowhawkDragonfly.jpg|Flame Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata
Image:Dragonfly midair.jpg|Dragonfly in midflight over a creek
Image:Dragonfly eye 3811.jpg|The compound eyes of a dragonfly
Image:Cherry-faced meadowhawk pair.jpg|Cherry-faced Meadowhawk,
Sympetrum internum
Image:Aeshna mixta6.jpg|Dragonflies mating
Image:Mating_dragon1.jpg|Mating
Image:Mating_dragon_2.jpg|Mating
Image:Aeshnid-ovipositing-800x600.jpg|Dragonfly depositing eggs
File:Darter August 2007-20.jpg|Sympetrum fonscolombii
Image:Polish_dragonfly.jpg| Dragonfly from Lower Silesia - top
Image:A Perched Dragonfly.jpg|A perched dragonfly Widow Skimmer
Image:Cali spreadwing2.jpg|California Spreadwing Archilestes californicus
Image:Pied paddy skimmer female.JPG|Indian pied paddy skimmer female
Image:Pied paddy skimmer male(Neurothemis tullia tullia).jpg| Indian pied paddy skimmer male
Image:Blue Dragonfly Resting on Water.jpg|in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA
Image:Blue_dragonfly_Kamakura_Japan.jpg|Blue Dragonfly in Kamakura, Japan
Image:Sardinian_Dragonfly.JPG|Sardinian Dragonfly
Image:Darter August 2007-19.jpg|Female Red-veined darter. Lisboa, Portugal
Image:EmperorDragonfly.JPG|Emperor dragonfly in Greece
Image:Eye of dragonfly.jpg|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
Image:Dragonfly by Nabarun.JPG|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
File:Dragonfly001.jpg|Red Dragonfly (Trithemis annulata), Israel
* Elliot Pinhey
* List of British dragonflies
* Obelisk posture
* Tree of Life Odonata
*
* Identification key to dragonflies found in Ireland
* British Dragonfly Society
* Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the United States
* PHAON (Pinhey's Heritage African Odonata Network)
* Dragonflies in folklore and art
* dragonflies and damselflies on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* Photos of dragonflies from Asia, Africa, America, and Russia
|
Dragonfly | null | null | data/set1/a7 | Dragonfly
Dragonfly emerging as an adult
Pair of Yellow Striped Hunters mating
A dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking.
Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic.
Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often on floating or emergent plants. When laying eggs, some species will submerge themselves completely in order to lay their eggs on a good surface. The eggs then hatch into nymphs. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the naiad (that is, nymph) form, beneath the water's surface, using extendable jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. /ref> Some nymphs even hunt on land, an aptitude which could easily have been more common in ancient times when terrestrial predators were clumsier.
The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larva to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies. In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions; upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months.
Formerly, the Anisoptera were given suborder rank beside the "ancient dragonflies" (Anisozygoptera) which were believed to contain the two living species of the genus Epiophlebia and numerous fossil ones. More recently it turned out that the "anisozygopterans" form a paraphyletic assemblage of morphologically primitive relatives of the Anisoptera. Thus, the Anisoptera (true dragonflies) are reduced to an infraorder in the new suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies in general). The artificial grouping Anisozygoptera is disbanded, its members being largely recognized as extinct offshoots at various stages of dragonfly evolution. The two living species formerly placed there â the Asian relict dragonflies â form the infraorder Epiophlebioptera alongside the Anisoptera.
Unusually for a damselfly, the Sydney Flatwing hold their wings horizontal (perpendicular) to their body
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are often confused with newly moulted dragonflies but once a dragonfly molts it is fully grown. There are other distinctions that set them apart: most damselflies hold their wings at rest together above the torso or held slightly open above (such as in the family Lestidae), whereas most dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontally or occasionally slightly down and forward. Also, the back wing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body, while the back wing of the damselfly is similar to the front wing. The eyes on a damselfly are apart; in most dragonflies the eyes touch. Notable exceptions are the Petaluridae (Petaltails) and the Gomphidae (Clubtails).
Broad-bodied Chaser
A Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau) in mid flight
Kirby's Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) in Tsumeb, Namibia.
Flame Skimmer
In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. Another Swedish legend holds that trolls use the dragonflies as spindles when weaving their clothes (hence the Swedish word for dragonfly trollslända, lit. "troll's spindle") as well as sending them to poke out the eyes of their enemies. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Ãyenstikker", which literally means Eye Poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "Tira-olhos" (Eye snatcher). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. The Lithuanian word "Laum žirgis" is a composite word meaning "the Lauma's horse", while in Dutch, Aeshna mixta is called "Paardenbijter" or "horse biter". In some South American countries, dragonflies are also called matacaballo (horse killer), or caballito del diablo (devil's little horse), since they were perceived as harmful, some species being quite large for an insect.
In East Asia and among Native Americans, dragonflies have a far better reputation, one that can also be said to have positively influenced modern day views about dragonflies in most countries, in the same vein as the insect's namesake, the dragon, which has a positive image in the east, but initially had an association with evil in the west.
Dragonfly symbol on a Hopi bowl from Sikyatki archaeological site.
For some Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity, and for the Navajo they symbolize pure water. Dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in Hopi rock art and on Pueblo necklaces. Mitchell and Lasswell, 20-26. It is said in some Native American beliefs that dragonflies are a symbol of renewal after a time of great hardship.
They also have traditional uses as medicine in Japan and China. In some parts of the world they are a food source, eaten either as adults or larvae; in Indonesia, for example, they are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.
Vietnamese people have a traditional way to forecast rain by seeing dragonflies: "Chuá»n chuá»n bay thấp thì mÆ°a, bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì râm" (Dragonflies fly at low level, it is rainy; dragonflies fly at high level, it is sunny; dragonflies fly at medium level, it is shadowy).
In some parts of the world it is considered lucky to have a dragonfly land on you, even to the point of yielding seven years of good luck.
In the United States dragonflies and damselflies are sought out as a hobby similar to birding and butterflying, known as oding, from the dragonfly's Latin species name, odonata. Oding is especially popular in Texas, where 225 out of a total of 457 known species of odonates in the world have been observed. With care, dragonflies can be handled and released by Oders, like butterflies. "Dragonflying: The new birding" by Tracy Hobson Lehmann San Antonio Express-News June 19, 2008
Images of dragonflies were common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs. They also appear in posters by modern artists such as Maeve Harris. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.
In Japan dragonflies symbolize "martial success," due to similarity in the sound of the word "dragonfly" and "victory" in Japanese. As a seasonal symbol, the dragonfly is associated with late summer and early autumn.
More generally, in Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. In ancient mythology, Japan was known as Akitsushima, which means "Land of the Dragonflies". The love for dragonflies is reflected by the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight. Mitchell and Lasswell, 38.
Also, in Japan, amongst the Three Great Spears of Japan is one which is called the Tonbogiri, which when translated is called 'The Dragon Fly Cutter'. The spear is an important part of Japan's imperial regalia - the spear itself was once wielded by the legendary Samurai, Honda Tadakatsu. Its name is derived from the story that the blade is so sharp, a dragonfly once landed on it and was instantly cut in half.
In drug references, several drugs have been synthesized that have molecule structures resembling Dragonflies. For instance Bromo-dragonfly and 2C-B-FLY. The names reflect the dragonfly appearance.
Image:Red_dragon_fly.jpg|Red Dragonfly from California
Image:Dragonfly_(2413057204).jpg|Dragonfly from Florida.
Image:Aust blue dragonfly02.jpg|Australian blue dragonfly
Image:Dragonfly on leaf.jpg|African dragonfly perched on a leaf
Image:Anax_withmeal.jpg|Green Darner Dragonfly feeding on honey bee
Image:Yellow-striped hunter dragonfly05.jpg|Austrogomphus guerini
Image:RubyMeadowhawkDragonfly.jpg|Flame Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata
Image:Dragonfly midair.jpg|Dragonfly in midflight over a creek
Image:Dragonfly eye 3811.jpg|The compound eyes of a dragonfly
Image:Cherry-faced meadowhawk pair.jpg|Cherry-faced Meadowhawk,
Sympetrum internum
Image:Aeshna mixta6.jpg|Dragonflies mating
Image:Mating_dragon1.jpg|Mating
Image:Mating_dragon_2.jpg|Mating
Image:Aeshnid-ovipositing-800x600.jpg|Dragonfly depositing eggs
File:Darter August 2007-20.jpg|Sympetrum fonscolombii
Image:Polish_dragonfly.jpg| Dragonfly from Lower Silesia - top
Image:A Perched Dragonfly.jpg|A perched dragonfly Widow Skimmer
Image:Cali spreadwing2.jpg|California Spreadwing Archilestes californicus
Image:Pied paddy skimmer female.JPG|Indian pied paddy skimmer female
Image:Pied paddy skimmer male(Neurothemis tullia tullia).jpg| Indian pied paddy skimmer male
Image:Blue Dragonfly Resting on Water.jpg|in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA
Image:Blue_dragonfly_Kamakura_Japan.jpg|Blue Dragonfly in Kamakura, Japan
Image:Sardinian_Dragonfly.JPG|Sardinian Dragonfly
Image:Darter August 2007-19.jpg|Female Red-veined darter. Lisboa, Portugal
Image:EmperorDragonfly.JPG|Emperor dragonfly in Greece
Image:Eye of dragonfly.jpg|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
Image:Dragonfly by Nabarun.JPG|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
File:Dragonfly001.jpg|Red Dragonfly (Trithemis annulata), Israel
* Elliot Pinhey
* List of British dragonflies
* Obelisk posture
* Tree of Life Odonata
*
* Identification key to dragonflies found in Ireland
* British Dragonfly Society
* Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the United States
* PHAON (Pinhey's Heritage African Odonata Network)
* Dragonflies in folklore and art
* dragonflies and damselflies on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* Photos of dragonflies from Asia, Africa, America, and Russia
|
Dragonfly | null | null | data/set1/a7 | Dragonfly
Dragonfly emerging as an adult
Pair of Yellow Striped Hunters mating
A dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking.
Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic.
Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often on floating or emergent plants. When laying eggs, some species will submerge themselves completely in order to lay their eggs on a good surface. The eggs then hatch into nymphs. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the naiad (that is, nymph) form, beneath the water's surface, using extendable jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. /ref> Some nymphs even hunt on land, an aptitude which could easily have been more common in ancient times when terrestrial predators were clumsier.
The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larva to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies. In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions; upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months.
Formerly, the Anisoptera were given suborder rank beside the "ancient dragonflies" (Anisozygoptera) which were believed to contain the two living species of the genus Epiophlebia and numerous fossil ones. More recently it turned out that the "anisozygopterans" form a paraphyletic assemblage of morphologically primitive relatives of the Anisoptera. Thus, the Anisoptera (true dragonflies) are reduced to an infraorder in the new suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies in general). The artificial grouping Anisozygoptera is disbanded, its members being largely recognized as extinct offshoots at various stages of dragonfly evolution. The two living species formerly placed there â the Asian relict dragonflies â form the infraorder Epiophlebioptera alongside the Anisoptera.
Unusually for a damselfly, the Sydney Flatwing hold their wings horizontal (perpendicular) to their body
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are often confused with newly moulted dragonflies but once a dragonfly molts it is fully grown. There are other distinctions that set them apart: most damselflies hold their wings at rest together above the torso or held slightly open above (such as in the family Lestidae), whereas most dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontally or occasionally slightly down and forward. Also, the back wing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body, while the back wing of the damselfly is similar to the front wing. The eyes on a damselfly are apart; in most dragonflies the eyes touch. Notable exceptions are the Petaluridae (Petaltails) and the Gomphidae (Clubtails).
Broad-bodied Chaser
A Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau) in mid flight
Kirby's Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) in Tsumeb, Namibia.
Flame Skimmer
In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. Another Swedish legend holds that trolls use the dragonflies as spindles when weaving their clothes (hence the Swedish word for dragonfly trollslända, lit. "troll's spindle") as well as sending them to poke out the eyes of their enemies. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Ãyenstikker", which literally means Eye Poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "Tira-olhos" (Eye snatcher). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. The Lithuanian word "Laum žirgis" is a composite word meaning "the Lauma's horse", while in Dutch, Aeshna mixta is called "Paardenbijter" or "horse biter". In some South American countries, dragonflies are also called matacaballo (horse killer), or caballito del diablo (devil's little horse), since they were perceived as harmful, some species being quite large for an insect.
In East Asia and among Native Americans, dragonflies have a far better reputation, one that can also be said to have positively influenced modern day views about dragonflies in most countries, in the same vein as the insect's namesake, the dragon, which has a positive image in the east, but initially had an association with evil in the west.
Dragonfly symbol on a Hopi bowl from Sikyatki archaeological site.
For some Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity, and for the Navajo they symbolize pure water. Dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in Hopi rock art and on Pueblo necklaces. Mitchell and Lasswell, 20-26. It is said in some Native American beliefs that dragonflies are a symbol of renewal after a time of great hardship.
They also have traditional uses as medicine in Japan and China. In some parts of the world they are a food source, eaten either as adults or larvae; in Indonesia, for example, they are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.
Vietnamese people have a traditional way to forecast rain by seeing dragonflies: "Chuá»n chuá»n bay thấp thì mÆ°a, bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì râm" (Dragonflies fly at low level, it is rainy; dragonflies fly at high level, it is sunny; dragonflies fly at medium level, it is shadowy).
In some parts of the world it is considered lucky to have a dragonfly land on you, even to the point of yielding seven years of good luck.
In the United States dragonflies and damselflies are sought out as a hobby similar to birding and butterflying, known as oding, from the dragonfly's Latin species name, odonata. Oding is especially popular in Texas, where 225 out of a total of 457 known species of odonates in the world have been observed. With care, dragonflies can be handled and released by Oders, like butterflies. "Dragonflying: The new birding" by Tracy Hobson Lehmann San Antonio Express-News June 19, 2008
Images of dragonflies were common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs. They also appear in posters by modern artists such as Maeve Harris. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.
In Japan dragonflies symbolize "martial success," due to similarity in the sound of the word "dragonfly" and "victory" in Japanese. As a seasonal symbol, the dragonfly is associated with late summer and early autumn.
More generally, in Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. In ancient mythology, Japan was known as Akitsushima, which means "Land of the Dragonflies". The love for dragonflies is reflected by the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight. Mitchell and Lasswell, 38.
Also, in Japan, amongst the Three Great Spears of Japan is one which is called the Tonbogiri, which when translated is called 'The Dragon Fly Cutter'. The spear is an important part of Japan's imperial regalia - the spear itself was once wielded by the legendary Samurai, Honda Tadakatsu. Its name is derived from the story that the blade is so sharp, a dragonfly once landed on it and was instantly cut in half.
In drug references, several drugs have been synthesized that have molecule structures resembling Dragonflies. For instance Bromo-dragonfly and 2C-B-FLY. The names reflect the dragonfly appearance.
Image:Red_dragon_fly.jpg|Red Dragonfly from California
Image:Dragonfly_(2413057204).jpg|Dragonfly from Florida.
Image:Aust blue dragonfly02.jpg|Australian blue dragonfly
Image:Dragonfly on leaf.jpg|African dragonfly perched on a leaf
Image:Anax_withmeal.jpg|Green Darner Dragonfly feeding on honey bee
Image:Yellow-striped hunter dragonfly05.jpg|Austrogomphus guerini
Image:RubyMeadowhawkDragonfly.jpg|Flame Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata
Image:Dragonfly midair.jpg|Dragonfly in midflight over a creek
Image:Dragonfly eye 3811.jpg|The compound eyes of a dragonfly
Image:Cherry-faced meadowhawk pair.jpg|Cherry-faced Meadowhawk,
Sympetrum internum
Image:Aeshna mixta6.jpg|Dragonflies mating
Image:Mating_dragon1.jpg|Mating
Image:Mating_dragon_2.jpg|Mating
Image:Aeshnid-ovipositing-800x600.jpg|Dragonfly depositing eggs
File:Darter August 2007-20.jpg|Sympetrum fonscolombii
Image:Polish_dragonfly.jpg| Dragonfly from Lower Silesia - top
Image:A Perched Dragonfly.jpg|A perched dragonfly Widow Skimmer
Image:Cali spreadwing2.jpg|California Spreadwing Archilestes californicus
Image:Pied paddy skimmer female.JPG|Indian pied paddy skimmer female
Image:Pied paddy skimmer male(Neurothemis tullia tullia).jpg| Indian pied paddy skimmer male
Image:Blue Dragonfly Resting on Water.jpg|in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA
Image:Blue_dragonfly_Kamakura_Japan.jpg|Blue Dragonfly in Kamakura, Japan
Image:Sardinian_Dragonfly.JPG|Sardinian Dragonfly
Image:Darter August 2007-19.jpg|Female Red-veined darter. Lisboa, Portugal
Image:EmperorDragonfly.JPG|Emperor dragonfly in Greece
Image:Eye of dragonfly.jpg|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
Image:Dragonfly by Nabarun.JPG|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
File:Dragonfly001.jpg|Red Dragonfly (Trithemis annulata), Israel
* Elliot Pinhey
* List of British dragonflies
* Obelisk posture
* Tree of Life Odonata
*
* Identification key to dragonflies found in Ireland
* British Dragonfly Society
* Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the United States
* PHAON (Pinhey's Heritage African Odonata Network)
* Dragonflies in folklore and art
* dragonflies and damselflies on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* Photos of dragonflies from Asia, Africa, America, and Russia
|
Dragonfly | null | null | data/set1/a7 | Dragonfly
Dragonfly emerging as an adult
Pair of Yellow Striped Hunters mating
A dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking.
Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic.
Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often on floating or emergent plants. When laying eggs, some species will submerge themselves completely in order to lay their eggs on a good surface. The eggs then hatch into nymphs. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the naiad (that is, nymph) form, beneath the water's surface, using extendable jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. /ref> Some nymphs even hunt on land, an aptitude which could easily have been more common in ancient times when terrestrial predators were clumsier.
The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larva to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies. In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions; upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months.
Formerly, the Anisoptera were given suborder rank beside the "ancient dragonflies" (Anisozygoptera) which were believed to contain the two living species of the genus Epiophlebia and numerous fossil ones. More recently it turned out that the "anisozygopterans" form a paraphyletic assemblage of morphologically primitive relatives of the Anisoptera. Thus, the Anisoptera (true dragonflies) are reduced to an infraorder in the new suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies in general). The artificial grouping Anisozygoptera is disbanded, its members being largely recognized as extinct offshoots at various stages of dragonfly evolution. The two living species formerly placed there â the Asian relict dragonflies â form the infraorder Epiophlebioptera alongside the Anisoptera.
Unusually for a damselfly, the Sydney Flatwing hold their wings horizontal (perpendicular) to their body
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are often confused with newly moulted dragonflies but once a dragonfly molts it is fully grown. There are other distinctions that set them apart: most damselflies hold their wings at rest together above the torso or held slightly open above (such as in the family Lestidae), whereas most dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontally or occasionally slightly down and forward. Also, the back wing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body, while the back wing of the damselfly is similar to the front wing. The eyes on a damselfly are apart; in most dragonflies the eyes touch. Notable exceptions are the Petaluridae (Petaltails) and the Gomphidae (Clubtails).
Broad-bodied Chaser
A Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau) in mid flight
Kirby's Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) in Tsumeb, Namibia.
Flame Skimmer
In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. Another Swedish legend holds that trolls use the dragonflies as spindles when weaving their clothes (hence the Swedish word for dragonfly trollslända, lit. "troll's spindle") as well as sending them to poke out the eyes of their enemies. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Ãyenstikker", which literally means Eye Poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "Tira-olhos" (Eye snatcher). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. The Lithuanian word "Laum žirgis" is a composite word meaning "the Lauma's horse", while in Dutch, Aeshna mixta is called "Paardenbijter" or "horse biter". In some South American countries, dragonflies are also called matacaballo (horse killer), or caballito del diablo (devil's little horse), since they were perceived as harmful, some species being quite large for an insect.
In East Asia and among Native Americans, dragonflies have a far better reputation, one that can also be said to have positively influenced modern day views about dragonflies in most countries, in the same vein as the insect's namesake, the dragon, which has a positive image in the east, but initially had an association with evil in the west.
Dragonfly symbol on a Hopi bowl from Sikyatki archaeological site.
For some Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity, and for the Navajo they symbolize pure water. Dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in Hopi rock art and on Pueblo necklaces. Mitchell and Lasswell, 20-26. It is said in some Native American beliefs that dragonflies are a symbol of renewal after a time of great hardship.
They also have traditional uses as medicine in Japan and China. In some parts of the world they are a food source, eaten either as adults or larvae; in Indonesia, for example, they are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.
Vietnamese people have a traditional way to forecast rain by seeing dragonflies: "Chuá»n chuá»n bay thấp thì mÆ°a, bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì râm" (Dragonflies fly at low level, it is rainy; dragonflies fly at high level, it is sunny; dragonflies fly at medium level, it is shadowy).
In some parts of the world it is considered lucky to have a dragonfly land on you, even to the point of yielding seven years of good luck.
In the United States dragonflies and damselflies are sought out as a hobby similar to birding and butterflying, known as oding, from the dragonfly's Latin species name, odonata. Oding is especially popular in Texas, where 225 out of a total of 457 known species of odonates in the world have been observed. With care, dragonflies can be handled and released by Oders, like butterflies. "Dragonflying: The new birding" by Tracy Hobson Lehmann San Antonio Express-News June 19, 2008
Images of dragonflies were common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs. They also appear in posters by modern artists such as Maeve Harris. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.
In Japan dragonflies symbolize "martial success," due to similarity in the sound of the word "dragonfly" and "victory" in Japanese. As a seasonal symbol, the dragonfly is associated with late summer and early autumn.
More generally, in Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. In ancient mythology, Japan was known as Akitsushima, which means "Land of the Dragonflies". The love for dragonflies is reflected by the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight. Mitchell and Lasswell, 38.
Also, in Japan, amongst the Three Great Spears of Japan is one which is called the Tonbogiri, which when translated is called 'The Dragon Fly Cutter'. The spear is an important part of Japan's imperial regalia - the spear itself was once wielded by the legendary Samurai, Honda Tadakatsu. Its name is derived from the story that the blade is so sharp, a dragonfly once landed on it and was instantly cut in half.
In drug references, several drugs have been synthesized that have molecule structures resembling Dragonflies. For instance Bromo-dragonfly and 2C-B-FLY. The names reflect the dragonfly appearance.
Image:Red_dragon_fly.jpg|Red Dragonfly from California
Image:Dragonfly_(2413057204).jpg|Dragonfly from Florida.
Image:Aust blue dragonfly02.jpg|Australian blue dragonfly
Image:Dragonfly on leaf.jpg|African dragonfly perched on a leaf
Image:Anax_withmeal.jpg|Green Darner Dragonfly feeding on honey bee
Image:Yellow-striped hunter dragonfly05.jpg|Austrogomphus guerini
Image:RubyMeadowhawkDragonfly.jpg|Flame Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata
Image:Dragonfly midair.jpg|Dragonfly in midflight over a creek
Image:Dragonfly eye 3811.jpg|The compound eyes of a dragonfly
Image:Cherry-faced meadowhawk pair.jpg|Cherry-faced Meadowhawk,
Sympetrum internum
Image:Aeshna mixta6.jpg|Dragonflies mating
Image:Mating_dragon1.jpg|Mating
Image:Mating_dragon_2.jpg|Mating
Image:Aeshnid-ovipositing-800x600.jpg|Dragonfly depositing eggs
File:Darter August 2007-20.jpg|Sympetrum fonscolombii
Image:Polish_dragonfly.jpg| Dragonfly from Lower Silesia - top
Image:A Perched Dragonfly.jpg|A perched dragonfly Widow Skimmer
Image:Cali spreadwing2.jpg|California Spreadwing Archilestes californicus
Image:Pied paddy skimmer female.JPG|Indian pied paddy skimmer female
Image:Pied paddy skimmer male(Neurothemis tullia tullia).jpg| Indian pied paddy skimmer male
Image:Blue Dragonfly Resting on Water.jpg|in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA
Image:Blue_dragonfly_Kamakura_Japan.jpg|Blue Dragonfly in Kamakura, Japan
Image:Sardinian_Dragonfly.JPG|Sardinian Dragonfly
Image:Darter August 2007-19.jpg|Female Red-veined darter. Lisboa, Portugal
Image:EmperorDragonfly.JPG|Emperor dragonfly in Greece
Image:Eye of dragonfly.jpg|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
Image:Dragonfly by Nabarun.JPG|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
File:Dragonfly001.jpg|Red Dragonfly (Trithemis annulata), Israel
* Elliot Pinhey
* List of British dragonflies
* Obelisk posture
* Tree of Life Odonata
*
* Identification key to dragonflies found in Ireland
* British Dragonfly Society
* Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the United States
* PHAON (Pinhey's Heritage African Odonata Network)
* Dragonflies in folklore and art
* dragonflies and damselflies on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* Photos of dragonflies from Asia, Africa, America, and Russia
|
Dragonfly | null | null | data/set1/a7 | Dragonfly
Dragonfly emerging as an adult
Pair of Yellow Striped Hunters mating
A dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking.
Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic.
Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often on floating or emergent plants. When laying eggs, some species will submerge themselves completely in order to lay their eggs on a good surface. The eggs then hatch into nymphs. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the naiad (that is, nymph) form, beneath the water's surface, using extendable jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. /ref> Some nymphs even hunt on land, an aptitude which could easily have been more common in ancient times when terrestrial predators were clumsier.
The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larva to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies. In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions; upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months.
Formerly, the Anisoptera were given suborder rank beside the "ancient dragonflies" (Anisozygoptera) which were believed to contain the two living species of the genus Epiophlebia and numerous fossil ones. More recently it turned out that the "anisozygopterans" form a paraphyletic assemblage of morphologically primitive relatives of the Anisoptera. Thus, the Anisoptera (true dragonflies) are reduced to an infraorder in the new suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies in general). The artificial grouping Anisozygoptera is disbanded, its members being largely recognized as extinct offshoots at various stages of dragonfly evolution. The two living species formerly placed there â the Asian relict dragonflies â form the infraorder Epiophlebioptera alongside the Anisoptera.
Unusually for a damselfly, the Sydney Flatwing hold their wings horizontal (perpendicular) to their body
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are often confused with newly moulted dragonflies but once a dragonfly molts it is fully grown. There are other distinctions that set them apart: most damselflies hold their wings at rest together above the torso or held slightly open above (such as in the family Lestidae), whereas most dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontally or occasionally slightly down and forward. Also, the back wing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body, while the back wing of the damselfly is similar to the front wing. The eyes on a damselfly are apart; in most dragonflies the eyes touch. Notable exceptions are the Petaluridae (Petaltails) and the Gomphidae (Clubtails).
Broad-bodied Chaser
A Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau) in mid flight
Kirby's Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) in Tsumeb, Namibia.
Flame Skimmer
In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. Another Swedish legend holds that trolls use the dragonflies as spindles when weaving their clothes (hence the Swedish word for dragonfly trollslända, lit. "troll's spindle") as well as sending them to poke out the eyes of their enemies. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Ãyenstikker", which literally means Eye Poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "Tira-olhos" (Eye snatcher). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. The Lithuanian word "Laum žirgis" is a composite word meaning "the Lauma's horse", while in Dutch, Aeshna mixta is called "Paardenbijter" or "horse biter". In some South American countries, dragonflies are also called matacaballo (horse killer), or caballito del diablo (devil's little horse), since they were perceived as harmful, some species being quite large for an insect.
In East Asia and among Native Americans, dragonflies have a far better reputation, one that can also be said to have positively influenced modern day views about dragonflies in most countries, in the same vein as the insect's namesake, the dragon, which has a positive image in the east, but initially had an association with evil in the west.
Dragonfly symbol on a Hopi bowl from Sikyatki archaeological site.
For some Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity, and for the Navajo they symbolize pure water. Dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in Hopi rock art and on Pueblo necklaces. Mitchell and Lasswell, 20-26. It is said in some Native American beliefs that dragonflies are a symbol of renewal after a time of great hardship.
They also have traditional uses as medicine in Japan and China. In some parts of the world they are a food source, eaten either as adults or larvae; in Indonesia, for example, they are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.
Vietnamese people have a traditional way to forecast rain by seeing dragonflies: "Chuá»n chuá»n bay thấp thì mÆ°a, bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì râm" (Dragonflies fly at low level, it is rainy; dragonflies fly at high level, it is sunny; dragonflies fly at medium level, it is shadowy).
In some parts of the world it is considered lucky to have a dragonfly land on you, even to the point of yielding seven years of good luck.
In the United States dragonflies and damselflies are sought out as a hobby similar to birding and butterflying, known as oding, from the dragonfly's Latin species name, odonata. Oding is especially popular in Texas, where 225 out of a total of 457 known species of odonates in the world have been observed. With care, dragonflies can be handled and released by Oders, like butterflies. "Dragonflying: The new birding" by Tracy Hobson Lehmann San Antonio Express-News June 19, 2008
Images of dragonflies were common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs. They also appear in posters by modern artists such as Maeve Harris. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.
In Japan dragonflies symbolize "martial success," due to similarity in the sound of the word "dragonfly" and "victory" in Japanese. As a seasonal symbol, the dragonfly is associated with late summer and early autumn.
More generally, in Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. In ancient mythology, Japan was known as Akitsushima, which means "Land of the Dragonflies". The love for dragonflies is reflected by the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight. Mitchell and Lasswell, 38.
Also, in Japan, amongst the Three Great Spears of Japan is one which is called the Tonbogiri, which when translated is called 'The Dragon Fly Cutter'. The spear is an important part of Japan's imperial regalia - the spear itself was once wielded by the legendary Samurai, Honda Tadakatsu. Its name is derived from the story that the blade is so sharp, a dragonfly once landed on it and was instantly cut in half.
In drug references, several drugs have been synthesized that have molecule structures resembling Dragonflies. For instance Bromo-dragonfly and 2C-B-FLY. The names reflect the dragonfly appearance.
Image:Red_dragon_fly.jpg|Red Dragonfly from California
Image:Dragonfly_(2413057204).jpg|Dragonfly from Florida.
Image:Aust blue dragonfly02.jpg|Australian blue dragonfly
Image:Dragonfly on leaf.jpg|African dragonfly perched on a leaf
Image:Anax_withmeal.jpg|Green Darner Dragonfly feeding on honey bee
Image:Yellow-striped hunter dragonfly05.jpg|Austrogomphus guerini
Image:RubyMeadowhawkDragonfly.jpg|Flame Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata
Image:Dragonfly midair.jpg|Dragonfly in midflight over a creek
Image:Dragonfly eye 3811.jpg|The compound eyes of a dragonfly
Image:Cherry-faced meadowhawk pair.jpg|Cherry-faced Meadowhawk,
Sympetrum internum
Image:Aeshna mixta6.jpg|Dragonflies mating
Image:Mating_dragon1.jpg|Mating
Image:Mating_dragon_2.jpg|Mating
Image:Aeshnid-ovipositing-800x600.jpg|Dragonfly depositing eggs
File:Darter August 2007-20.jpg|Sympetrum fonscolombii
Image:Polish_dragonfly.jpg| Dragonfly from Lower Silesia - top
Image:A Perched Dragonfly.jpg|A perched dragonfly Widow Skimmer
Image:Cali spreadwing2.jpg|California Spreadwing Archilestes californicus
Image:Pied paddy skimmer female.JPG|Indian pied paddy skimmer female
Image:Pied paddy skimmer male(Neurothemis tullia tullia).jpg| Indian pied paddy skimmer male
Image:Blue Dragonfly Resting on Water.jpg|in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA
Image:Blue_dragonfly_Kamakura_Japan.jpg|Blue Dragonfly in Kamakura, Japan
Image:Sardinian_Dragonfly.JPG|Sardinian Dragonfly
Image:Darter August 2007-19.jpg|Female Red-veined darter. Lisboa, Portugal
Image:EmperorDragonfly.JPG|Emperor dragonfly in Greece
Image:Eye of dragonfly.jpg|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
Image:Dragonfly by Nabarun.JPG|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
File:Dragonfly001.jpg|Red Dragonfly (Trithemis annulata), Israel
* Elliot Pinhey
* List of British dragonflies
* Obelisk posture
* Tree of Life Odonata
*
* Identification key to dragonflies found in Ireland
* British Dragonfly Society
* Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the United States
* PHAON (Pinhey's Heritage African Odonata Network)
* Dragonflies in folklore and art
* dragonflies and damselflies on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* Photos of dragonflies from Asia, Africa, America, and Russia
|
Dragonfly | Are dragonflies capable of walking? | null | data/set1/a7 | Dragonfly
Dragonfly emerging as an adult
Pair of Yellow Striped Hunters mating
A dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking.
Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic.
Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often on floating or emergent plants. When laying eggs, some species will submerge themselves completely in order to lay their eggs on a good surface. The eggs then hatch into nymphs. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the naiad (that is, nymph) form, beneath the water's surface, using extendable jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. /ref> Some nymphs even hunt on land, an aptitude which could easily have been more common in ancient times when terrestrial predators were clumsier.
The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larva to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies. In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions; upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months.
Formerly, the Anisoptera were given suborder rank beside the "ancient dragonflies" (Anisozygoptera) which were believed to contain the two living species of the genus Epiophlebia and numerous fossil ones. More recently it turned out that the "anisozygopterans" form a paraphyletic assemblage of morphologically primitive relatives of the Anisoptera. Thus, the Anisoptera (true dragonflies) are reduced to an infraorder in the new suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies in general). The artificial grouping Anisozygoptera is disbanded, its members being largely recognized as extinct offshoots at various stages of dragonfly evolution. The two living species formerly placed there â the Asian relict dragonflies â form the infraorder Epiophlebioptera alongside the Anisoptera.
Unusually for a damselfly, the Sydney Flatwing hold their wings horizontal (perpendicular) to their body
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are often confused with newly moulted dragonflies but once a dragonfly molts it is fully grown. There are other distinctions that set them apart: most damselflies hold their wings at rest together above the torso or held slightly open above (such as in the family Lestidae), whereas most dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontally or occasionally slightly down and forward. Also, the back wing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body, while the back wing of the damselfly is similar to the front wing. The eyes on a damselfly are apart; in most dragonflies the eyes touch. Notable exceptions are the Petaluridae (Petaltails) and the Gomphidae (Clubtails).
Broad-bodied Chaser
A Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau) in mid flight
Kirby's Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) in Tsumeb, Namibia.
Flame Skimmer
In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. Another Swedish legend holds that trolls use the dragonflies as spindles when weaving their clothes (hence the Swedish word for dragonfly trollslända, lit. "troll's spindle") as well as sending them to poke out the eyes of their enemies. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Ãyenstikker", which literally means Eye Poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "Tira-olhos" (Eye snatcher). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. The Lithuanian word "Laum žirgis" is a composite word meaning "the Lauma's horse", while in Dutch, Aeshna mixta is called "Paardenbijter" or "horse biter". In some South American countries, dragonflies are also called matacaballo (horse killer), or caballito del diablo (devil's little horse), since they were perceived as harmful, some species being quite large for an insect.
In East Asia and among Native Americans, dragonflies have a far better reputation, one that can also be said to have positively influenced modern day views about dragonflies in most countries, in the same vein as the insect's namesake, the dragon, which has a positive image in the east, but initially had an association with evil in the west.
Dragonfly symbol on a Hopi bowl from Sikyatki archaeological site.
For some Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity, and for the Navajo they symbolize pure water. Dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in Hopi rock art and on Pueblo necklaces. Mitchell and Lasswell, 20-26. It is said in some Native American beliefs that dragonflies are a symbol of renewal after a time of great hardship.
They also have traditional uses as medicine in Japan and China. In some parts of the world they are a food source, eaten either as adults or larvae; in Indonesia, for example, they are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.
Vietnamese people have a traditional way to forecast rain by seeing dragonflies: "Chuá»n chuá»n bay thấp thì mÆ°a, bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì râm" (Dragonflies fly at low level, it is rainy; dragonflies fly at high level, it is sunny; dragonflies fly at medium level, it is shadowy).
In some parts of the world it is considered lucky to have a dragonfly land on you, even to the point of yielding seven years of good luck.
In the United States dragonflies and damselflies are sought out as a hobby similar to birding and butterflying, known as oding, from the dragonfly's Latin species name, odonata. Oding is especially popular in Texas, where 225 out of a total of 457 known species of odonates in the world have been observed. With care, dragonflies can be handled and released by Oders, like butterflies. "Dragonflying: The new birding" by Tracy Hobson Lehmann San Antonio Express-News June 19, 2008
Images of dragonflies were common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs. They also appear in posters by modern artists such as Maeve Harris. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.
In Japan dragonflies symbolize "martial success," due to similarity in the sound of the word "dragonfly" and "victory" in Japanese. As a seasonal symbol, the dragonfly is associated with late summer and early autumn.
More generally, in Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. In ancient mythology, Japan was known as Akitsushima, which means "Land of the Dragonflies". The love for dragonflies is reflected by the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight. Mitchell and Lasswell, 38.
Also, in Japan, amongst the Three Great Spears of Japan is one which is called the Tonbogiri, which when translated is called 'The Dragon Fly Cutter'. The spear is an important part of Japan's imperial regalia - the spear itself was once wielded by the legendary Samurai, Honda Tadakatsu. Its name is derived from the story that the blade is so sharp, a dragonfly once landed on it and was instantly cut in half.
In drug references, several drugs have been synthesized that have molecule structures resembling Dragonflies. For instance Bromo-dragonfly and 2C-B-FLY. The names reflect the dragonfly appearance.
Image:Red_dragon_fly.jpg|Red Dragonfly from California
Image:Dragonfly_(2413057204).jpg|Dragonfly from Florida.
Image:Aust blue dragonfly02.jpg|Australian blue dragonfly
Image:Dragonfly on leaf.jpg|African dragonfly perched on a leaf
Image:Anax_withmeal.jpg|Green Darner Dragonfly feeding on honey bee
Image:Yellow-striped hunter dragonfly05.jpg|Austrogomphus guerini
Image:RubyMeadowhawkDragonfly.jpg|Flame Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata
Image:Dragonfly midair.jpg|Dragonfly in midflight over a creek
Image:Dragonfly eye 3811.jpg|The compound eyes of a dragonfly
Image:Cherry-faced meadowhawk pair.jpg|Cherry-faced Meadowhawk,
Sympetrum internum
Image:Aeshna mixta6.jpg|Dragonflies mating
Image:Mating_dragon1.jpg|Mating
Image:Mating_dragon_2.jpg|Mating
Image:Aeshnid-ovipositing-800x600.jpg|Dragonfly depositing eggs
File:Darter August 2007-20.jpg|Sympetrum fonscolombii
Image:Polish_dragonfly.jpg| Dragonfly from Lower Silesia - top
Image:A Perched Dragonfly.jpg|A perched dragonfly Widow Skimmer
Image:Cali spreadwing2.jpg|California Spreadwing Archilestes californicus
Image:Pied paddy skimmer female.JPG|Indian pied paddy skimmer female
Image:Pied paddy skimmer male(Neurothemis tullia tullia).jpg| Indian pied paddy skimmer male
Image:Blue Dragonfly Resting on Water.jpg|in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA
Image:Blue_dragonfly_Kamakura_Japan.jpg|Blue Dragonfly in Kamakura, Japan
Image:Sardinian_Dragonfly.JPG|Sardinian Dragonfly
Image:Darter August 2007-19.jpg|Female Red-veined darter. Lisboa, Portugal
Image:EmperorDragonfly.JPG|Emperor dragonfly in Greece
Image:Eye of dragonfly.jpg|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
Image:Dragonfly by Nabarun.JPG|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
File:Dragonfly001.jpg|Red Dragonfly (Trithemis annulata), Israel
* Elliot Pinhey
* List of British dragonflies
* Obelisk posture
* Tree of Life Odonata
*
* Identification key to dragonflies found in Ireland
* British Dragonfly Society
* Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the United States
* PHAON (Pinhey's Heritage African Odonata Network)
* Dragonflies in folklore and art
* dragonflies and damselflies on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* Photos of dragonflies from Asia, Africa, America, and Russia
|
Dragonfly | Are dragonflies capable of walking? | null | data/set1/a7 | Dragonfly
Dragonfly emerging as an adult
Pair of Yellow Striped Hunters mating
A dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking.
Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic.
Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often on floating or emergent plants. When laying eggs, some species will submerge themselves completely in order to lay their eggs on a good surface. The eggs then hatch into nymphs. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the naiad (that is, nymph) form, beneath the water's surface, using extendable jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. /ref> Some nymphs even hunt on land, an aptitude which could easily have been more common in ancient times when terrestrial predators were clumsier.
The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larva to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies. In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions; upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months.
Formerly, the Anisoptera were given suborder rank beside the "ancient dragonflies" (Anisozygoptera) which were believed to contain the two living species of the genus Epiophlebia and numerous fossil ones. More recently it turned out that the "anisozygopterans" form a paraphyletic assemblage of morphologically primitive relatives of the Anisoptera. Thus, the Anisoptera (true dragonflies) are reduced to an infraorder in the new suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies in general). The artificial grouping Anisozygoptera is disbanded, its members being largely recognized as extinct offshoots at various stages of dragonfly evolution. The two living species formerly placed there â the Asian relict dragonflies â form the infraorder Epiophlebioptera alongside the Anisoptera.
Unusually for a damselfly, the Sydney Flatwing hold their wings horizontal (perpendicular) to their body
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are often confused with newly moulted dragonflies but once a dragonfly molts it is fully grown. There are other distinctions that set them apart: most damselflies hold their wings at rest together above the torso or held slightly open above (such as in the family Lestidae), whereas most dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontally or occasionally slightly down and forward. Also, the back wing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body, while the back wing of the damselfly is similar to the front wing. The eyes on a damselfly are apart; in most dragonflies the eyes touch. Notable exceptions are the Petaluridae (Petaltails) and the Gomphidae (Clubtails).
Broad-bodied Chaser
A Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau) in mid flight
Kirby's Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) in Tsumeb, Namibia.
Flame Skimmer
In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. Another Swedish legend holds that trolls use the dragonflies as spindles when weaving their clothes (hence the Swedish word for dragonfly trollslända, lit. "troll's spindle") as well as sending them to poke out the eyes of their enemies. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Ãyenstikker", which literally means Eye Poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "Tira-olhos" (Eye snatcher). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. The Lithuanian word "Laum žirgis" is a composite word meaning "the Lauma's horse", while in Dutch, Aeshna mixta is called "Paardenbijter" or "horse biter". In some South American countries, dragonflies are also called matacaballo (horse killer), or caballito del diablo (devil's little horse), since they were perceived as harmful, some species being quite large for an insect.
In East Asia and among Native Americans, dragonflies have a far better reputation, one that can also be said to have positively influenced modern day views about dragonflies in most countries, in the same vein as the insect's namesake, the dragon, which has a positive image in the east, but initially had an association with evil in the west.
Dragonfly symbol on a Hopi bowl from Sikyatki archaeological site.
For some Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity, and for the Navajo they symbolize pure water. Dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in Hopi rock art and on Pueblo necklaces. Mitchell and Lasswell, 20-26. It is said in some Native American beliefs that dragonflies are a symbol of renewal after a time of great hardship.
They also have traditional uses as medicine in Japan and China. In some parts of the world they are a food source, eaten either as adults or larvae; in Indonesia, for example, they are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.
Vietnamese people have a traditional way to forecast rain by seeing dragonflies: "Chuá»n chuá»n bay thấp thì mÆ°a, bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì râm" (Dragonflies fly at low level, it is rainy; dragonflies fly at high level, it is sunny; dragonflies fly at medium level, it is shadowy).
In some parts of the world it is considered lucky to have a dragonfly land on you, even to the point of yielding seven years of good luck.
In the United States dragonflies and damselflies are sought out as a hobby similar to birding and butterflying, known as oding, from the dragonfly's Latin species name, odonata. Oding is especially popular in Texas, where 225 out of a total of 457 known species of odonates in the world have been observed. With care, dragonflies can be handled and released by Oders, like butterflies. "Dragonflying: The new birding" by Tracy Hobson Lehmann San Antonio Express-News June 19, 2008
Images of dragonflies were common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs. They also appear in posters by modern artists such as Maeve Harris. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.
In Japan dragonflies symbolize "martial success," due to similarity in the sound of the word "dragonfly" and "victory" in Japanese. As a seasonal symbol, the dragonfly is associated with late summer and early autumn.
More generally, in Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. In ancient mythology, Japan was known as Akitsushima, which means "Land of the Dragonflies". The love for dragonflies is reflected by the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight. Mitchell and Lasswell, 38.
Also, in Japan, amongst the Three Great Spears of Japan is one which is called the Tonbogiri, which when translated is called 'The Dragon Fly Cutter'. The spear is an important part of Japan's imperial regalia - the spear itself was once wielded by the legendary Samurai, Honda Tadakatsu. Its name is derived from the story that the blade is so sharp, a dragonfly once landed on it and was instantly cut in half.
In drug references, several drugs have been synthesized that have molecule structures resembling Dragonflies. For instance Bromo-dragonfly and 2C-B-FLY. The names reflect the dragonfly appearance.
Image:Red_dragon_fly.jpg|Red Dragonfly from California
Image:Dragonfly_(2413057204).jpg|Dragonfly from Florida.
Image:Aust blue dragonfly02.jpg|Australian blue dragonfly
Image:Dragonfly on leaf.jpg|African dragonfly perched on a leaf
Image:Anax_withmeal.jpg|Green Darner Dragonfly feeding on honey bee
Image:Yellow-striped hunter dragonfly05.jpg|Austrogomphus guerini
Image:RubyMeadowhawkDragonfly.jpg|Flame Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata
Image:Dragonfly midair.jpg|Dragonfly in midflight over a creek
Image:Dragonfly eye 3811.jpg|The compound eyes of a dragonfly
Image:Cherry-faced meadowhawk pair.jpg|Cherry-faced Meadowhawk,
Sympetrum internum
Image:Aeshna mixta6.jpg|Dragonflies mating
Image:Mating_dragon1.jpg|Mating
Image:Mating_dragon_2.jpg|Mating
Image:Aeshnid-ovipositing-800x600.jpg|Dragonfly depositing eggs
File:Darter August 2007-20.jpg|Sympetrum fonscolombii
Image:Polish_dragonfly.jpg| Dragonfly from Lower Silesia - top
Image:A Perched Dragonfly.jpg|A perched dragonfly Widow Skimmer
Image:Cali spreadwing2.jpg|California Spreadwing Archilestes californicus
Image:Pied paddy skimmer female.JPG|Indian pied paddy skimmer female
Image:Pied paddy skimmer male(Neurothemis tullia tullia).jpg| Indian pied paddy skimmer male
Image:Blue Dragonfly Resting on Water.jpg|in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA
Image:Blue_dragonfly_Kamakura_Japan.jpg|Blue Dragonfly in Kamakura, Japan
Image:Sardinian_Dragonfly.JPG|Sardinian Dragonfly
Image:Darter August 2007-19.jpg|Female Red-veined darter. Lisboa, Portugal
Image:EmperorDragonfly.JPG|Emperor dragonfly in Greece
Image:Eye of dragonfly.jpg|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
Image:Dragonfly by Nabarun.JPG|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
File:Dragonfly001.jpg|Red Dragonfly (Trithemis annulata), Israel
* Elliot Pinhey
* List of British dragonflies
* Obelisk posture
* Tree of Life Odonata
*
* Identification key to dragonflies found in Ireland
* British Dragonfly Society
* Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the United States
* PHAON (Pinhey's Heritage African Odonata Network)
* Dragonflies in folklore and art
* dragonflies and damselflies on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* Photos of dragonflies from Asia, Africa, America, and Russia
|
Dragonfly | Do dragonfly nymphs ever hunt on land? | null | data/set1/a7 | Dragonfly
Dragonfly emerging as an adult
Pair of Yellow Striped Hunters mating
A dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking.
Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic.
Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often on floating or emergent plants. When laying eggs, some species will submerge themselves completely in order to lay their eggs on a good surface. The eggs then hatch into nymphs. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the naiad (that is, nymph) form, beneath the water's surface, using extendable jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. /ref> Some nymphs even hunt on land, an aptitude which could easily have been more common in ancient times when terrestrial predators were clumsier.
The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larva to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies. In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions; upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months.
Formerly, the Anisoptera were given suborder rank beside the "ancient dragonflies" (Anisozygoptera) which were believed to contain the two living species of the genus Epiophlebia and numerous fossil ones. More recently it turned out that the "anisozygopterans" form a paraphyletic assemblage of morphologically primitive relatives of the Anisoptera. Thus, the Anisoptera (true dragonflies) are reduced to an infraorder in the new suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies in general). The artificial grouping Anisozygoptera is disbanded, its members being largely recognized as extinct offshoots at various stages of dragonfly evolution. The two living species formerly placed there â the Asian relict dragonflies â form the infraorder Epiophlebioptera alongside the Anisoptera.
Unusually for a damselfly, the Sydney Flatwing hold their wings horizontal (perpendicular) to their body
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are often confused with newly moulted dragonflies but once a dragonfly molts it is fully grown. There are other distinctions that set them apart: most damselflies hold their wings at rest together above the torso or held slightly open above (such as in the family Lestidae), whereas most dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontally or occasionally slightly down and forward. Also, the back wing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body, while the back wing of the damselfly is similar to the front wing. The eyes on a damselfly are apart; in most dragonflies the eyes touch. Notable exceptions are the Petaluridae (Petaltails) and the Gomphidae (Clubtails).
Broad-bodied Chaser
A Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau) in mid flight
Kirby's Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) in Tsumeb, Namibia.
Flame Skimmer
In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. Another Swedish legend holds that trolls use the dragonflies as spindles when weaving their clothes (hence the Swedish word for dragonfly trollslända, lit. "troll's spindle") as well as sending them to poke out the eyes of their enemies. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Ãyenstikker", which literally means Eye Poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "Tira-olhos" (Eye snatcher). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. The Lithuanian word "Laum žirgis" is a composite word meaning "the Lauma's horse", while in Dutch, Aeshna mixta is called "Paardenbijter" or "horse biter". In some South American countries, dragonflies are also called matacaballo (horse killer), or caballito del diablo (devil's little horse), since they were perceived as harmful, some species being quite large for an insect.
In East Asia and among Native Americans, dragonflies have a far better reputation, one that can also be said to have positively influenced modern day views about dragonflies in most countries, in the same vein as the insect's namesake, the dragon, which has a positive image in the east, but initially had an association with evil in the west.
Dragonfly symbol on a Hopi bowl from Sikyatki archaeological site.
For some Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity, and for the Navajo they symbolize pure water. Dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in Hopi rock art and on Pueblo necklaces. Mitchell and Lasswell, 20-26. It is said in some Native American beliefs that dragonflies are a symbol of renewal after a time of great hardship.
They also have traditional uses as medicine in Japan and China. In some parts of the world they are a food source, eaten either as adults or larvae; in Indonesia, for example, they are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.
Vietnamese people have a traditional way to forecast rain by seeing dragonflies: "Chuá»n chuá»n bay thấp thì mÆ°a, bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì râm" (Dragonflies fly at low level, it is rainy; dragonflies fly at high level, it is sunny; dragonflies fly at medium level, it is shadowy).
In some parts of the world it is considered lucky to have a dragonfly land on you, even to the point of yielding seven years of good luck.
In the United States dragonflies and damselflies are sought out as a hobby similar to birding and butterflying, known as oding, from the dragonfly's Latin species name, odonata. Oding is especially popular in Texas, where 225 out of a total of 457 known species of odonates in the world have been observed. With care, dragonflies can be handled and released by Oders, like butterflies. "Dragonflying: The new birding" by Tracy Hobson Lehmann San Antonio Express-News June 19, 2008
Images of dragonflies were common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs. They also appear in posters by modern artists such as Maeve Harris. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.
In Japan dragonflies symbolize "martial success," due to similarity in the sound of the word "dragonfly" and "victory" in Japanese. As a seasonal symbol, the dragonfly is associated with late summer and early autumn.
More generally, in Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. In ancient mythology, Japan was known as Akitsushima, which means "Land of the Dragonflies". The love for dragonflies is reflected by the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight. Mitchell and Lasswell, 38.
Also, in Japan, amongst the Three Great Spears of Japan is one which is called the Tonbogiri, which when translated is called 'The Dragon Fly Cutter'. The spear is an important part of Japan's imperial regalia - the spear itself was once wielded by the legendary Samurai, Honda Tadakatsu. Its name is derived from the story that the blade is so sharp, a dragonfly once landed on it and was instantly cut in half.
In drug references, several drugs have been synthesized that have molecule structures resembling Dragonflies. For instance Bromo-dragonfly and 2C-B-FLY. The names reflect the dragonfly appearance.
Image:Red_dragon_fly.jpg|Red Dragonfly from California
Image:Dragonfly_(2413057204).jpg|Dragonfly from Florida.
Image:Aust blue dragonfly02.jpg|Australian blue dragonfly
Image:Dragonfly on leaf.jpg|African dragonfly perched on a leaf
Image:Anax_withmeal.jpg|Green Darner Dragonfly feeding on honey bee
Image:Yellow-striped hunter dragonfly05.jpg|Austrogomphus guerini
Image:RubyMeadowhawkDragonfly.jpg|Flame Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata
Image:Dragonfly midair.jpg|Dragonfly in midflight over a creek
Image:Dragonfly eye 3811.jpg|The compound eyes of a dragonfly
Image:Cherry-faced meadowhawk pair.jpg|Cherry-faced Meadowhawk,
Sympetrum internum
Image:Aeshna mixta6.jpg|Dragonflies mating
Image:Mating_dragon1.jpg|Mating
Image:Mating_dragon_2.jpg|Mating
Image:Aeshnid-ovipositing-800x600.jpg|Dragonfly depositing eggs
File:Darter August 2007-20.jpg|Sympetrum fonscolombii
Image:Polish_dragonfly.jpg| Dragonfly from Lower Silesia - top
Image:A Perched Dragonfly.jpg|A perched dragonfly Widow Skimmer
Image:Cali spreadwing2.jpg|California Spreadwing Archilestes californicus
Image:Pied paddy skimmer female.JPG|Indian pied paddy skimmer female
Image:Pied paddy skimmer male(Neurothemis tullia tullia).jpg| Indian pied paddy skimmer male
Image:Blue Dragonfly Resting on Water.jpg|in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA
Image:Blue_dragonfly_Kamakura_Japan.jpg|Blue Dragonfly in Kamakura, Japan
Image:Sardinian_Dragonfly.JPG|Sardinian Dragonfly
Image:Darter August 2007-19.jpg|Female Red-veined darter. Lisboa, Portugal
Image:EmperorDragonfly.JPG|Emperor dragonfly in Greece
Image:Eye of dragonfly.jpg|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
Image:Dragonfly by Nabarun.JPG|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
File:Dragonfly001.jpg|Red Dragonfly (Trithemis annulata), Israel
* Elliot Pinhey
* List of British dragonflies
* Obelisk posture
* Tree of Life Odonata
*
* Identification key to dragonflies found in Ireland
* British Dragonfly Society
* Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the United States
* PHAON (Pinhey's Heritage African Odonata Network)
* Dragonflies in folklore and art
* dragonflies and damselflies on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* Photos of dragonflies from Asia, Africa, America, and Russia
|
Dragonfly | Do dragonfly nymphs ever hunt on land? | null | data/set1/a7 | Dragonfly
Dragonfly emerging as an adult
Pair of Yellow Striped Hunters mating
A dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking.
Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic.
Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often on floating or emergent plants. When laying eggs, some species will submerge themselves completely in order to lay their eggs on a good surface. The eggs then hatch into nymphs. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the naiad (that is, nymph) form, beneath the water's surface, using extendable jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. /ref> Some nymphs even hunt on land, an aptitude which could easily have been more common in ancient times when terrestrial predators were clumsier.
The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larva to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies. In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions; upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months.
Formerly, the Anisoptera were given suborder rank beside the "ancient dragonflies" (Anisozygoptera) which were believed to contain the two living species of the genus Epiophlebia and numerous fossil ones. More recently it turned out that the "anisozygopterans" form a paraphyletic assemblage of morphologically primitive relatives of the Anisoptera. Thus, the Anisoptera (true dragonflies) are reduced to an infraorder in the new suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies in general). The artificial grouping Anisozygoptera is disbanded, its members being largely recognized as extinct offshoots at various stages of dragonfly evolution. The two living species formerly placed there â the Asian relict dragonflies â form the infraorder Epiophlebioptera alongside the Anisoptera.
Unusually for a damselfly, the Sydney Flatwing hold their wings horizontal (perpendicular) to their body
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are often confused with newly moulted dragonflies but once a dragonfly molts it is fully grown. There are other distinctions that set them apart: most damselflies hold their wings at rest together above the torso or held slightly open above (such as in the family Lestidae), whereas most dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontally or occasionally slightly down and forward. Also, the back wing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body, while the back wing of the damselfly is similar to the front wing. The eyes on a damselfly are apart; in most dragonflies the eyes touch. Notable exceptions are the Petaluridae (Petaltails) and the Gomphidae (Clubtails).
Broad-bodied Chaser
A Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau) in mid flight
Kirby's Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) in Tsumeb, Namibia.
Flame Skimmer
In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. Another Swedish legend holds that trolls use the dragonflies as spindles when weaving their clothes (hence the Swedish word for dragonfly trollslända, lit. "troll's spindle") as well as sending them to poke out the eyes of their enemies. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Ãyenstikker", which literally means Eye Poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "Tira-olhos" (Eye snatcher). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. The Lithuanian word "Laum žirgis" is a composite word meaning "the Lauma's horse", while in Dutch, Aeshna mixta is called "Paardenbijter" or "horse biter". In some South American countries, dragonflies are also called matacaballo (horse killer), or caballito del diablo (devil's little horse), since they were perceived as harmful, some species being quite large for an insect.
In East Asia and among Native Americans, dragonflies have a far better reputation, one that can also be said to have positively influenced modern day views about dragonflies in most countries, in the same vein as the insect's namesake, the dragon, which has a positive image in the east, but initially had an association with evil in the west.
Dragonfly symbol on a Hopi bowl from Sikyatki archaeological site.
For some Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity, and for the Navajo they symbolize pure water. Dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in Hopi rock art and on Pueblo necklaces. Mitchell and Lasswell, 20-26. It is said in some Native American beliefs that dragonflies are a symbol of renewal after a time of great hardship.
They also have traditional uses as medicine in Japan and China. In some parts of the world they are a food source, eaten either as adults or larvae; in Indonesia, for example, they are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.
Vietnamese people have a traditional way to forecast rain by seeing dragonflies: "Chuá»n chuá»n bay thấp thì mÆ°a, bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì râm" (Dragonflies fly at low level, it is rainy; dragonflies fly at high level, it is sunny; dragonflies fly at medium level, it is shadowy).
In some parts of the world it is considered lucky to have a dragonfly land on you, even to the point of yielding seven years of good luck.
In the United States dragonflies and damselflies are sought out as a hobby similar to birding and butterflying, known as oding, from the dragonfly's Latin species name, odonata. Oding is especially popular in Texas, where 225 out of a total of 457 known species of odonates in the world have been observed. With care, dragonflies can be handled and released by Oders, like butterflies. "Dragonflying: The new birding" by Tracy Hobson Lehmann San Antonio Express-News June 19, 2008
Images of dragonflies were common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs. They also appear in posters by modern artists such as Maeve Harris. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.
In Japan dragonflies symbolize "martial success," due to similarity in the sound of the word "dragonfly" and "victory" in Japanese. As a seasonal symbol, the dragonfly is associated with late summer and early autumn.
More generally, in Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. In ancient mythology, Japan was known as Akitsushima, which means "Land of the Dragonflies". The love for dragonflies is reflected by the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight. Mitchell and Lasswell, 38.
Also, in Japan, amongst the Three Great Spears of Japan is one which is called the Tonbogiri, which when translated is called 'The Dragon Fly Cutter'. The spear is an important part of Japan's imperial regalia - the spear itself was once wielded by the legendary Samurai, Honda Tadakatsu. Its name is derived from the story that the blade is so sharp, a dragonfly once landed on it and was instantly cut in half.
In drug references, several drugs have been synthesized that have molecule structures resembling Dragonflies. For instance Bromo-dragonfly and 2C-B-FLY. The names reflect the dragonfly appearance.
Image:Red_dragon_fly.jpg|Red Dragonfly from California
Image:Dragonfly_(2413057204).jpg|Dragonfly from Florida.
Image:Aust blue dragonfly02.jpg|Australian blue dragonfly
Image:Dragonfly on leaf.jpg|African dragonfly perched on a leaf
Image:Anax_withmeal.jpg|Green Darner Dragonfly feeding on honey bee
Image:Yellow-striped hunter dragonfly05.jpg|Austrogomphus guerini
Image:RubyMeadowhawkDragonfly.jpg|Flame Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata
Image:Dragonfly midair.jpg|Dragonfly in midflight over a creek
Image:Dragonfly eye 3811.jpg|The compound eyes of a dragonfly
Image:Cherry-faced meadowhawk pair.jpg|Cherry-faced Meadowhawk,
Sympetrum internum
Image:Aeshna mixta6.jpg|Dragonflies mating
Image:Mating_dragon1.jpg|Mating
Image:Mating_dragon_2.jpg|Mating
Image:Aeshnid-ovipositing-800x600.jpg|Dragonfly depositing eggs
File:Darter August 2007-20.jpg|Sympetrum fonscolombii
Image:Polish_dragonfly.jpg| Dragonfly from Lower Silesia - top
Image:A Perched Dragonfly.jpg|A perched dragonfly Widow Skimmer
Image:Cali spreadwing2.jpg|California Spreadwing Archilestes californicus
Image:Pied paddy skimmer female.JPG|Indian pied paddy skimmer female
Image:Pied paddy skimmer male(Neurothemis tullia tullia).jpg| Indian pied paddy skimmer male
Image:Blue Dragonfly Resting on Water.jpg|in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA
Image:Blue_dragonfly_Kamakura_Japan.jpg|Blue Dragonfly in Kamakura, Japan
Image:Sardinian_Dragonfly.JPG|Sardinian Dragonfly
Image:Darter August 2007-19.jpg|Female Red-veined darter. Lisboa, Portugal
Image:EmperorDragonfly.JPG|Emperor dragonfly in Greece
Image:Eye of dragonfly.jpg|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
Image:Dragonfly by Nabarun.JPG|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
File:Dragonfly001.jpg|Red Dragonfly (Trithemis annulata), Israel
* Elliot Pinhey
* List of British dragonflies
* Obelisk posture
* Tree of Life Odonata
*
* Identification key to dragonflies found in Ireland
* British Dragonfly Society
* Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the United States
* PHAON (Pinhey's Heritage African Odonata Network)
* Dragonflies in folklore and art
* dragonflies and damselflies on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* Photos of dragonflies from Asia, Africa, America, and Russia
|
Dragonfly | Do dragonflies spend most of their lives in their adult form? | null | data/set1/a7 | Dragonfly
Dragonfly emerging as an adult
Pair of Yellow Striped Hunters mating
A dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking.
Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic.
Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often on floating or emergent plants. When laying eggs, some species will submerge themselves completely in order to lay their eggs on a good surface. The eggs then hatch into nymphs. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the naiad (that is, nymph) form, beneath the water's surface, using extendable jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. /ref> Some nymphs even hunt on land, an aptitude which could easily have been more common in ancient times when terrestrial predators were clumsier.
The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larva to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies. In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions; upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months.
Formerly, the Anisoptera were given suborder rank beside the "ancient dragonflies" (Anisozygoptera) which were believed to contain the two living species of the genus Epiophlebia and numerous fossil ones. More recently it turned out that the "anisozygopterans" form a paraphyletic assemblage of morphologically primitive relatives of the Anisoptera. Thus, the Anisoptera (true dragonflies) are reduced to an infraorder in the new suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies in general). The artificial grouping Anisozygoptera is disbanded, its members being largely recognized as extinct offshoots at various stages of dragonfly evolution. The two living species formerly placed there â the Asian relict dragonflies â form the infraorder Epiophlebioptera alongside the Anisoptera.
Unusually for a damselfly, the Sydney Flatwing hold their wings horizontal (perpendicular) to their body
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are often confused with newly moulted dragonflies but once a dragonfly molts it is fully grown. There are other distinctions that set them apart: most damselflies hold their wings at rest together above the torso or held slightly open above (such as in the family Lestidae), whereas most dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontally or occasionally slightly down and forward. Also, the back wing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body, while the back wing of the damselfly is similar to the front wing. The eyes on a damselfly are apart; in most dragonflies the eyes touch. Notable exceptions are the Petaluridae (Petaltails) and the Gomphidae (Clubtails).
Broad-bodied Chaser
A Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau) in mid flight
Kirby's Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) in Tsumeb, Namibia.
Flame Skimmer
In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. Another Swedish legend holds that trolls use the dragonflies as spindles when weaving their clothes (hence the Swedish word for dragonfly trollslända, lit. "troll's spindle") as well as sending them to poke out the eyes of their enemies. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Ãyenstikker", which literally means Eye Poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "Tira-olhos" (Eye snatcher). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. The Lithuanian word "Laum žirgis" is a composite word meaning "the Lauma's horse", while in Dutch, Aeshna mixta is called "Paardenbijter" or "horse biter". In some South American countries, dragonflies are also called matacaballo (horse killer), or caballito del diablo (devil's little horse), since they were perceived as harmful, some species being quite large for an insect.
In East Asia and among Native Americans, dragonflies have a far better reputation, one that can also be said to have positively influenced modern day views about dragonflies in most countries, in the same vein as the insect's namesake, the dragon, which has a positive image in the east, but initially had an association with evil in the west.
Dragonfly symbol on a Hopi bowl from Sikyatki archaeological site.
For some Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity, and for the Navajo they symbolize pure water. Dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in Hopi rock art and on Pueblo necklaces. Mitchell and Lasswell, 20-26. It is said in some Native American beliefs that dragonflies are a symbol of renewal after a time of great hardship.
They also have traditional uses as medicine in Japan and China. In some parts of the world they are a food source, eaten either as adults or larvae; in Indonesia, for example, they are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.
Vietnamese people have a traditional way to forecast rain by seeing dragonflies: "Chuá»n chuá»n bay thấp thì mÆ°a, bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì râm" (Dragonflies fly at low level, it is rainy; dragonflies fly at high level, it is sunny; dragonflies fly at medium level, it is shadowy).
In some parts of the world it is considered lucky to have a dragonfly land on you, even to the point of yielding seven years of good luck.
In the United States dragonflies and damselflies are sought out as a hobby similar to birding and butterflying, known as oding, from the dragonfly's Latin species name, odonata. Oding is especially popular in Texas, where 225 out of a total of 457 known species of odonates in the world have been observed. With care, dragonflies can be handled and released by Oders, like butterflies. "Dragonflying: The new birding" by Tracy Hobson Lehmann San Antonio Express-News June 19, 2008
Images of dragonflies were common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs. They also appear in posters by modern artists such as Maeve Harris. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.
In Japan dragonflies symbolize "martial success," due to similarity in the sound of the word "dragonfly" and "victory" in Japanese. As a seasonal symbol, the dragonfly is associated with late summer and early autumn.
More generally, in Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. In ancient mythology, Japan was known as Akitsushima, which means "Land of the Dragonflies". The love for dragonflies is reflected by the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight. Mitchell and Lasswell, 38.
Also, in Japan, amongst the Three Great Spears of Japan is one which is called the Tonbogiri, which when translated is called 'The Dragon Fly Cutter'. The spear is an important part of Japan's imperial regalia - the spear itself was once wielded by the legendary Samurai, Honda Tadakatsu. Its name is derived from the story that the blade is so sharp, a dragonfly once landed on it and was instantly cut in half.
In drug references, several drugs have been synthesized that have molecule structures resembling Dragonflies. For instance Bromo-dragonfly and 2C-B-FLY. The names reflect the dragonfly appearance.
Image:Red_dragon_fly.jpg|Red Dragonfly from California
Image:Dragonfly_(2413057204).jpg|Dragonfly from Florida.
Image:Aust blue dragonfly02.jpg|Australian blue dragonfly
Image:Dragonfly on leaf.jpg|African dragonfly perched on a leaf
Image:Anax_withmeal.jpg|Green Darner Dragonfly feeding on honey bee
Image:Yellow-striped hunter dragonfly05.jpg|Austrogomphus guerini
Image:RubyMeadowhawkDragonfly.jpg|Flame Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata
Image:Dragonfly midair.jpg|Dragonfly in midflight over a creek
Image:Dragonfly eye 3811.jpg|The compound eyes of a dragonfly
Image:Cherry-faced meadowhawk pair.jpg|Cherry-faced Meadowhawk,
Sympetrum internum
Image:Aeshna mixta6.jpg|Dragonflies mating
Image:Mating_dragon1.jpg|Mating
Image:Mating_dragon_2.jpg|Mating
Image:Aeshnid-ovipositing-800x600.jpg|Dragonfly depositing eggs
File:Darter August 2007-20.jpg|Sympetrum fonscolombii
Image:Polish_dragonfly.jpg| Dragonfly from Lower Silesia - top
Image:A Perched Dragonfly.jpg|A perched dragonfly Widow Skimmer
Image:Cali spreadwing2.jpg|California Spreadwing Archilestes californicus
Image:Pied paddy skimmer female.JPG|Indian pied paddy skimmer female
Image:Pied paddy skimmer male(Neurothemis tullia tullia).jpg| Indian pied paddy skimmer male
Image:Blue Dragonfly Resting on Water.jpg|in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA
Image:Blue_dragonfly_Kamakura_Japan.jpg|Blue Dragonfly in Kamakura, Japan
Image:Sardinian_Dragonfly.JPG|Sardinian Dragonfly
Image:Darter August 2007-19.jpg|Female Red-veined darter. Lisboa, Portugal
Image:EmperorDragonfly.JPG|Emperor dragonfly in Greece
Image:Eye of dragonfly.jpg|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
Image:Dragonfly by Nabarun.JPG|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
File:Dragonfly001.jpg|Red Dragonfly (Trithemis annulata), Israel
* Elliot Pinhey
* List of British dragonflies
* Obelisk posture
* Tree of Life Odonata
*
* Identification key to dragonflies found in Ireland
* British Dragonfly Society
* Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the United States
* PHAON (Pinhey's Heritage African Odonata Network)
* Dragonflies in folklore and art
* dragonflies and damselflies on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* Photos of dragonflies from Asia, Africa, America, and Russia
|
Dragonfly | Do dragonflies spend most of their lives in their adult form? | null | data/set1/a7 | Dragonfly
Dragonfly emerging as an adult
Pair of Yellow Striped Hunters mating
A dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking.
Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic.
Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often on floating or emergent plants. When laying eggs, some species will submerge themselves completely in order to lay their eggs on a good surface. The eggs then hatch into nymphs. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the naiad (that is, nymph) form, beneath the water's surface, using extendable jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. /ref> Some nymphs even hunt on land, an aptitude which could easily have been more common in ancient times when terrestrial predators were clumsier.
The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larva to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies. In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions; upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months.
Formerly, the Anisoptera were given suborder rank beside the "ancient dragonflies" (Anisozygoptera) which were believed to contain the two living species of the genus Epiophlebia and numerous fossil ones. More recently it turned out that the "anisozygopterans" form a paraphyletic assemblage of morphologically primitive relatives of the Anisoptera. Thus, the Anisoptera (true dragonflies) are reduced to an infraorder in the new suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies in general). The artificial grouping Anisozygoptera is disbanded, its members being largely recognized as extinct offshoots at various stages of dragonfly evolution. The two living species formerly placed there â the Asian relict dragonflies â form the infraorder Epiophlebioptera alongside the Anisoptera.
Unusually for a damselfly, the Sydney Flatwing hold their wings horizontal (perpendicular) to their body
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are often confused with newly moulted dragonflies but once a dragonfly molts it is fully grown. There are other distinctions that set them apart: most damselflies hold their wings at rest together above the torso or held slightly open above (such as in the family Lestidae), whereas most dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontally or occasionally slightly down and forward. Also, the back wing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body, while the back wing of the damselfly is similar to the front wing. The eyes on a damselfly are apart; in most dragonflies the eyes touch. Notable exceptions are the Petaluridae (Petaltails) and the Gomphidae (Clubtails).
Broad-bodied Chaser
A Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau) in mid flight
Kirby's Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) in Tsumeb, Namibia.
Flame Skimmer
In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. Another Swedish legend holds that trolls use the dragonflies as spindles when weaving their clothes (hence the Swedish word for dragonfly trollslända, lit. "troll's spindle") as well as sending them to poke out the eyes of their enemies. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Ãyenstikker", which literally means Eye Poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "Tira-olhos" (Eye snatcher). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. The Lithuanian word "Laum žirgis" is a composite word meaning "the Lauma's horse", while in Dutch, Aeshna mixta is called "Paardenbijter" or "horse biter". In some South American countries, dragonflies are also called matacaballo (horse killer), or caballito del diablo (devil's little horse), since they were perceived as harmful, some species being quite large for an insect.
In East Asia and among Native Americans, dragonflies have a far better reputation, one that can also be said to have positively influenced modern day views about dragonflies in most countries, in the same vein as the insect's namesake, the dragon, which has a positive image in the east, but initially had an association with evil in the west.
Dragonfly symbol on a Hopi bowl from Sikyatki archaeological site.
For some Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity, and for the Navajo they symbolize pure water. Dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in Hopi rock art and on Pueblo necklaces. Mitchell and Lasswell, 20-26. It is said in some Native American beliefs that dragonflies are a symbol of renewal after a time of great hardship.
They also have traditional uses as medicine in Japan and China. In some parts of the world they are a food source, eaten either as adults or larvae; in Indonesia, for example, they are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.
Vietnamese people have a traditional way to forecast rain by seeing dragonflies: "Chuá»n chuá»n bay thấp thì mÆ°a, bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì râm" (Dragonflies fly at low level, it is rainy; dragonflies fly at high level, it is sunny; dragonflies fly at medium level, it is shadowy).
In some parts of the world it is considered lucky to have a dragonfly land on you, even to the point of yielding seven years of good luck.
In the United States dragonflies and damselflies are sought out as a hobby similar to birding and butterflying, known as oding, from the dragonfly's Latin species name, odonata. Oding is especially popular in Texas, where 225 out of a total of 457 known species of odonates in the world have been observed. With care, dragonflies can be handled and released by Oders, like butterflies. "Dragonflying: The new birding" by Tracy Hobson Lehmann San Antonio Express-News June 19, 2008
Images of dragonflies were common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs. They also appear in posters by modern artists such as Maeve Harris. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.
In Japan dragonflies symbolize "martial success," due to similarity in the sound of the word "dragonfly" and "victory" in Japanese. As a seasonal symbol, the dragonfly is associated with late summer and early autumn.
More generally, in Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. In ancient mythology, Japan was known as Akitsushima, which means "Land of the Dragonflies". The love for dragonflies is reflected by the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight. Mitchell and Lasswell, 38.
Also, in Japan, amongst the Three Great Spears of Japan is one which is called the Tonbogiri, which when translated is called 'The Dragon Fly Cutter'. The spear is an important part of Japan's imperial regalia - the spear itself was once wielded by the legendary Samurai, Honda Tadakatsu. Its name is derived from the story that the blade is so sharp, a dragonfly once landed on it and was instantly cut in half.
In drug references, several drugs have been synthesized that have molecule structures resembling Dragonflies. For instance Bromo-dragonfly and 2C-B-FLY. The names reflect the dragonfly appearance.
Image:Red_dragon_fly.jpg|Red Dragonfly from California
Image:Dragonfly_(2413057204).jpg|Dragonfly from Florida.
Image:Aust blue dragonfly02.jpg|Australian blue dragonfly
Image:Dragonfly on leaf.jpg|African dragonfly perched on a leaf
Image:Anax_withmeal.jpg|Green Darner Dragonfly feeding on honey bee
Image:Yellow-striped hunter dragonfly05.jpg|Austrogomphus guerini
Image:RubyMeadowhawkDragonfly.jpg|Flame Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata
Image:Dragonfly midair.jpg|Dragonfly in midflight over a creek
Image:Dragonfly eye 3811.jpg|The compound eyes of a dragonfly
Image:Cherry-faced meadowhawk pair.jpg|Cherry-faced Meadowhawk,
Sympetrum internum
Image:Aeshna mixta6.jpg|Dragonflies mating
Image:Mating_dragon1.jpg|Mating
Image:Mating_dragon_2.jpg|Mating
Image:Aeshnid-ovipositing-800x600.jpg|Dragonfly depositing eggs
File:Darter August 2007-20.jpg|Sympetrum fonscolombii
Image:Polish_dragonfly.jpg| Dragonfly from Lower Silesia - top
Image:A Perched Dragonfly.jpg|A perched dragonfly Widow Skimmer
Image:Cali spreadwing2.jpg|California Spreadwing Archilestes californicus
Image:Pied paddy skimmer female.JPG|Indian pied paddy skimmer female
Image:Pied paddy skimmer male(Neurothemis tullia tullia).jpg| Indian pied paddy skimmer male
Image:Blue Dragonfly Resting on Water.jpg|in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA
Image:Blue_dragonfly_Kamakura_Japan.jpg|Blue Dragonfly in Kamakura, Japan
Image:Sardinian_Dragonfly.JPG|Sardinian Dragonfly
Image:Darter August 2007-19.jpg|Female Red-veined darter. Lisboa, Portugal
Image:EmperorDragonfly.JPG|Emperor dragonfly in Greece
Image:Eye of dragonfly.jpg|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
Image:Dragonfly by Nabarun.JPG|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
File:Dragonfly001.jpg|Red Dragonfly (Trithemis annulata), Israel
* Elliot Pinhey
* List of British dragonflies
* Obelisk posture
* Tree of Life Odonata
*
* Identification key to dragonflies found in Ireland
* British Dragonfly Society
* Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the United States
* PHAON (Pinhey's Heritage African Odonata Network)
* Dragonflies in folklore and art
* dragonflies and damselflies on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* Photos of dragonflies from Asia, Africa, America, and Russia
|
Dragonfly | What are dragonfly larvae known as? | null | data/set1/a7 | Dragonfly
Dragonfly emerging as an adult
Pair of Yellow Striped Hunters mating
A dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking.
Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic.
Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often on floating or emergent plants. When laying eggs, some species will submerge themselves completely in order to lay their eggs on a good surface. The eggs then hatch into nymphs. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the naiad (that is, nymph) form, beneath the water's surface, using extendable jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. /ref> Some nymphs even hunt on land, an aptitude which could easily have been more common in ancient times when terrestrial predators were clumsier.
The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larva to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies. In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions; upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months.
Formerly, the Anisoptera were given suborder rank beside the "ancient dragonflies" (Anisozygoptera) which were believed to contain the two living species of the genus Epiophlebia and numerous fossil ones. More recently it turned out that the "anisozygopterans" form a paraphyletic assemblage of morphologically primitive relatives of the Anisoptera. Thus, the Anisoptera (true dragonflies) are reduced to an infraorder in the new suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies in general). The artificial grouping Anisozygoptera is disbanded, its members being largely recognized as extinct offshoots at various stages of dragonfly evolution. The two living species formerly placed there â the Asian relict dragonflies â form the infraorder Epiophlebioptera alongside the Anisoptera.
Unusually for a damselfly, the Sydney Flatwing hold their wings horizontal (perpendicular) to their body
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are often confused with newly moulted dragonflies but once a dragonfly molts it is fully grown. There are other distinctions that set them apart: most damselflies hold their wings at rest together above the torso or held slightly open above (such as in the family Lestidae), whereas most dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontally or occasionally slightly down and forward. Also, the back wing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body, while the back wing of the damselfly is similar to the front wing. The eyes on a damselfly are apart; in most dragonflies the eyes touch. Notable exceptions are the Petaluridae (Petaltails) and the Gomphidae (Clubtails).
Broad-bodied Chaser
A Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau) in mid flight
Kirby's Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) in Tsumeb, Namibia.
Flame Skimmer
In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. Another Swedish legend holds that trolls use the dragonflies as spindles when weaving their clothes (hence the Swedish word for dragonfly trollslända, lit. "troll's spindle") as well as sending them to poke out the eyes of their enemies. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Ãyenstikker", which literally means Eye Poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "Tira-olhos" (Eye snatcher). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. The Lithuanian word "Laum žirgis" is a composite word meaning "the Lauma's horse", while in Dutch, Aeshna mixta is called "Paardenbijter" or "horse biter". In some South American countries, dragonflies are also called matacaballo (horse killer), or caballito del diablo (devil's little horse), since they were perceived as harmful, some species being quite large for an insect.
In East Asia and among Native Americans, dragonflies have a far better reputation, one that can also be said to have positively influenced modern day views about dragonflies in most countries, in the same vein as the insect's namesake, the dragon, which has a positive image in the east, but initially had an association with evil in the west.
Dragonfly symbol on a Hopi bowl from Sikyatki archaeological site.
For some Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity, and for the Navajo they symbolize pure water. Dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in Hopi rock art and on Pueblo necklaces. Mitchell and Lasswell, 20-26. It is said in some Native American beliefs that dragonflies are a symbol of renewal after a time of great hardship.
They also have traditional uses as medicine in Japan and China. In some parts of the world they are a food source, eaten either as adults or larvae; in Indonesia, for example, they are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.
Vietnamese people have a traditional way to forecast rain by seeing dragonflies: "Chuá»n chuá»n bay thấp thì mÆ°a, bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì râm" (Dragonflies fly at low level, it is rainy; dragonflies fly at high level, it is sunny; dragonflies fly at medium level, it is shadowy).
In some parts of the world it is considered lucky to have a dragonfly land on you, even to the point of yielding seven years of good luck.
In the United States dragonflies and damselflies are sought out as a hobby similar to birding and butterflying, known as oding, from the dragonfly's Latin species name, odonata. Oding is especially popular in Texas, where 225 out of a total of 457 known species of odonates in the world have been observed. With care, dragonflies can be handled and released by Oders, like butterflies. "Dragonflying: The new birding" by Tracy Hobson Lehmann San Antonio Express-News June 19, 2008
Images of dragonflies were common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs. They also appear in posters by modern artists such as Maeve Harris. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.
In Japan dragonflies symbolize "martial success," due to similarity in the sound of the word "dragonfly" and "victory" in Japanese. As a seasonal symbol, the dragonfly is associated with late summer and early autumn.
More generally, in Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. In ancient mythology, Japan was known as Akitsushima, which means "Land of the Dragonflies". The love for dragonflies is reflected by the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight. Mitchell and Lasswell, 38.
Also, in Japan, amongst the Three Great Spears of Japan is one which is called the Tonbogiri, which when translated is called 'The Dragon Fly Cutter'. The spear is an important part of Japan's imperial regalia - the spear itself was once wielded by the legendary Samurai, Honda Tadakatsu. Its name is derived from the story that the blade is so sharp, a dragonfly once landed on it and was instantly cut in half.
In drug references, several drugs have been synthesized that have molecule structures resembling Dragonflies. For instance Bromo-dragonfly and 2C-B-FLY. The names reflect the dragonfly appearance.
Image:Red_dragon_fly.jpg|Red Dragonfly from California
Image:Dragonfly_(2413057204).jpg|Dragonfly from Florida.
Image:Aust blue dragonfly02.jpg|Australian blue dragonfly
Image:Dragonfly on leaf.jpg|African dragonfly perched on a leaf
Image:Anax_withmeal.jpg|Green Darner Dragonfly feeding on honey bee
Image:Yellow-striped hunter dragonfly05.jpg|Austrogomphus guerini
Image:RubyMeadowhawkDragonfly.jpg|Flame Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata
Image:Dragonfly midair.jpg|Dragonfly in midflight over a creek
Image:Dragonfly eye 3811.jpg|The compound eyes of a dragonfly
Image:Cherry-faced meadowhawk pair.jpg|Cherry-faced Meadowhawk,
Sympetrum internum
Image:Aeshna mixta6.jpg|Dragonflies mating
Image:Mating_dragon1.jpg|Mating
Image:Mating_dragon_2.jpg|Mating
Image:Aeshnid-ovipositing-800x600.jpg|Dragonfly depositing eggs
File:Darter August 2007-20.jpg|Sympetrum fonscolombii
Image:Polish_dragonfly.jpg| Dragonfly from Lower Silesia - top
Image:A Perched Dragonfly.jpg|A perched dragonfly Widow Skimmer
Image:Cali spreadwing2.jpg|California Spreadwing Archilestes californicus
Image:Pied paddy skimmer female.JPG|Indian pied paddy skimmer female
Image:Pied paddy skimmer male(Neurothemis tullia tullia).jpg| Indian pied paddy skimmer male
Image:Blue Dragonfly Resting on Water.jpg|in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA
Image:Blue_dragonfly_Kamakura_Japan.jpg|Blue Dragonfly in Kamakura, Japan
Image:Sardinian_Dragonfly.JPG|Sardinian Dragonfly
Image:Darter August 2007-19.jpg|Female Red-veined darter. Lisboa, Portugal
Image:EmperorDragonfly.JPG|Emperor dragonfly in Greece
Image:Eye of dragonfly.jpg|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
Image:Dragonfly by Nabarun.JPG|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
File:Dragonfly001.jpg|Red Dragonfly (Trithemis annulata), Israel
* Elliot Pinhey
* List of British dragonflies
* Obelisk posture
* Tree of Life Odonata
*
* Identification key to dragonflies found in Ireland
* British Dragonfly Society
* Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the United States
* PHAON (Pinhey's Heritage African Odonata Network)
* Dragonflies in folklore and art
* dragonflies and damselflies on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* Photos of dragonflies from Asia, Africa, America, and Russia
|
Dragonfly | What are dragonfly larvae known as? | null | data/set1/a7 | Dragonfly
Dragonfly emerging as an adult
Pair of Yellow Striped Hunters mating
A dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking.
Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic.
Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often on floating or emergent plants. When laying eggs, some species will submerge themselves completely in order to lay their eggs on a good surface. The eggs then hatch into nymphs. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the naiad (that is, nymph) form, beneath the water's surface, using extendable jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. /ref> Some nymphs even hunt on land, an aptitude which could easily have been more common in ancient times when terrestrial predators were clumsier.
The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larva to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies. In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions; upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months.
Formerly, the Anisoptera were given suborder rank beside the "ancient dragonflies" (Anisozygoptera) which were believed to contain the two living species of the genus Epiophlebia and numerous fossil ones. More recently it turned out that the "anisozygopterans" form a paraphyletic assemblage of morphologically primitive relatives of the Anisoptera. Thus, the Anisoptera (true dragonflies) are reduced to an infraorder in the new suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies in general). The artificial grouping Anisozygoptera is disbanded, its members being largely recognized as extinct offshoots at various stages of dragonfly evolution. The two living species formerly placed there â the Asian relict dragonflies â form the infraorder Epiophlebioptera alongside the Anisoptera.
Unusually for a damselfly, the Sydney Flatwing hold their wings horizontal (perpendicular) to their body
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are often confused with newly moulted dragonflies but once a dragonfly molts it is fully grown. There are other distinctions that set them apart: most damselflies hold their wings at rest together above the torso or held slightly open above (such as in the family Lestidae), whereas most dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontally or occasionally slightly down and forward. Also, the back wing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body, while the back wing of the damselfly is similar to the front wing. The eyes on a damselfly are apart; in most dragonflies the eyes touch. Notable exceptions are the Petaluridae (Petaltails) and the Gomphidae (Clubtails).
Broad-bodied Chaser
A Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau) in mid flight
Kirby's Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) in Tsumeb, Namibia.
Flame Skimmer
In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. Another Swedish legend holds that trolls use the dragonflies as spindles when weaving their clothes (hence the Swedish word for dragonfly trollslända, lit. "troll's spindle") as well as sending them to poke out the eyes of their enemies. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Ãyenstikker", which literally means Eye Poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "Tira-olhos" (Eye snatcher). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. The Lithuanian word "Laum žirgis" is a composite word meaning "the Lauma's horse", while in Dutch, Aeshna mixta is called "Paardenbijter" or "horse biter". In some South American countries, dragonflies are also called matacaballo (horse killer), or caballito del diablo (devil's little horse), since they were perceived as harmful, some species being quite large for an insect.
In East Asia and among Native Americans, dragonflies have a far better reputation, one that can also be said to have positively influenced modern day views about dragonflies in most countries, in the same vein as the insect's namesake, the dragon, which has a positive image in the east, but initially had an association with evil in the west.
Dragonfly symbol on a Hopi bowl from Sikyatki archaeological site.
For some Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity, and for the Navajo they symbolize pure water. Dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in Hopi rock art and on Pueblo necklaces. Mitchell and Lasswell, 20-26. It is said in some Native American beliefs that dragonflies are a symbol of renewal after a time of great hardship.
They also have traditional uses as medicine in Japan and China. In some parts of the world they are a food source, eaten either as adults or larvae; in Indonesia, for example, they are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.
Vietnamese people have a traditional way to forecast rain by seeing dragonflies: "Chuá»n chuá»n bay thấp thì mÆ°a, bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì râm" (Dragonflies fly at low level, it is rainy; dragonflies fly at high level, it is sunny; dragonflies fly at medium level, it is shadowy).
In some parts of the world it is considered lucky to have a dragonfly land on you, even to the point of yielding seven years of good luck.
In the United States dragonflies and damselflies are sought out as a hobby similar to birding and butterflying, known as oding, from the dragonfly's Latin species name, odonata. Oding is especially popular in Texas, where 225 out of a total of 457 known species of odonates in the world have been observed. With care, dragonflies can be handled and released by Oders, like butterflies. "Dragonflying: The new birding" by Tracy Hobson Lehmann San Antonio Express-News June 19, 2008
Images of dragonflies were common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs. They also appear in posters by modern artists such as Maeve Harris. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.
In Japan dragonflies symbolize "martial success," due to similarity in the sound of the word "dragonfly" and "victory" in Japanese. As a seasonal symbol, the dragonfly is associated with late summer and early autumn.
More generally, in Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. In ancient mythology, Japan was known as Akitsushima, which means "Land of the Dragonflies". The love for dragonflies is reflected by the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight. Mitchell and Lasswell, 38.
Also, in Japan, amongst the Three Great Spears of Japan is one which is called the Tonbogiri, which when translated is called 'The Dragon Fly Cutter'. The spear is an important part of Japan's imperial regalia - the spear itself was once wielded by the legendary Samurai, Honda Tadakatsu. Its name is derived from the story that the blade is so sharp, a dragonfly once landed on it and was instantly cut in half.
In drug references, several drugs have been synthesized that have molecule structures resembling Dragonflies. For instance Bromo-dragonfly and 2C-B-FLY. The names reflect the dragonfly appearance.
Image:Red_dragon_fly.jpg|Red Dragonfly from California
Image:Dragonfly_(2413057204).jpg|Dragonfly from Florida.
Image:Aust blue dragonfly02.jpg|Australian blue dragonfly
Image:Dragonfly on leaf.jpg|African dragonfly perched on a leaf
Image:Anax_withmeal.jpg|Green Darner Dragonfly feeding on honey bee
Image:Yellow-striped hunter dragonfly05.jpg|Austrogomphus guerini
Image:RubyMeadowhawkDragonfly.jpg|Flame Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata
Image:Dragonfly midair.jpg|Dragonfly in midflight over a creek
Image:Dragonfly eye 3811.jpg|The compound eyes of a dragonfly
Image:Cherry-faced meadowhawk pair.jpg|Cherry-faced Meadowhawk,
Sympetrum internum
Image:Aeshna mixta6.jpg|Dragonflies mating
Image:Mating_dragon1.jpg|Mating
Image:Mating_dragon_2.jpg|Mating
Image:Aeshnid-ovipositing-800x600.jpg|Dragonfly depositing eggs
File:Darter August 2007-20.jpg|Sympetrum fonscolombii
Image:Polish_dragonfly.jpg| Dragonfly from Lower Silesia - top
Image:A Perched Dragonfly.jpg|A perched dragonfly Widow Skimmer
Image:Cali spreadwing2.jpg|California Spreadwing Archilestes californicus
Image:Pied paddy skimmer female.JPG|Indian pied paddy skimmer female
Image:Pied paddy skimmer male(Neurothemis tullia tullia).jpg| Indian pied paddy skimmer male
Image:Blue Dragonfly Resting on Water.jpg|in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA
Image:Blue_dragonfly_Kamakura_Japan.jpg|Blue Dragonfly in Kamakura, Japan
Image:Sardinian_Dragonfly.JPG|Sardinian Dragonfly
Image:Darter August 2007-19.jpg|Female Red-veined darter. Lisboa, Portugal
Image:EmperorDragonfly.JPG|Emperor dragonfly in Greece
Image:Eye of dragonfly.jpg|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
Image:Dragonfly by Nabarun.JPG|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
File:Dragonfly001.jpg|Red Dragonfly (Trithemis annulata), Israel
* Elliot Pinhey
* List of British dragonflies
* Obelisk posture
* Tree of Life Odonata
*
* Identification key to dragonflies found in Ireland
* British Dragonfly Society
* Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the United States
* PHAON (Pinhey's Heritage African Odonata Network)
* Dragonflies in folklore and art
* dragonflies and damselflies on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* Photos of dragonflies from Asia, Africa, America, and Russia
|
Dragonfly | On what continent have dragonflies often been seen as sinister? | null | data/set1/a7 | Dragonfly
Dragonfly emerging as an adult
Pair of Yellow Striped Hunters mating
A dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking.
Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic.
Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often on floating or emergent plants. When laying eggs, some species will submerge themselves completely in order to lay their eggs on a good surface. The eggs then hatch into nymphs. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the naiad (that is, nymph) form, beneath the water's surface, using extendable jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. /ref> Some nymphs even hunt on land, an aptitude which could easily have been more common in ancient times when terrestrial predators were clumsier.
The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larva to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies. In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions; upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months.
Formerly, the Anisoptera were given suborder rank beside the "ancient dragonflies" (Anisozygoptera) which were believed to contain the two living species of the genus Epiophlebia and numerous fossil ones. More recently it turned out that the "anisozygopterans" form a paraphyletic assemblage of morphologically primitive relatives of the Anisoptera. Thus, the Anisoptera (true dragonflies) are reduced to an infraorder in the new suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies in general). The artificial grouping Anisozygoptera is disbanded, its members being largely recognized as extinct offshoots at various stages of dragonfly evolution. The two living species formerly placed there â the Asian relict dragonflies â form the infraorder Epiophlebioptera alongside the Anisoptera.
Unusually for a damselfly, the Sydney Flatwing hold their wings horizontal (perpendicular) to their body
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are often confused with newly moulted dragonflies but once a dragonfly molts it is fully grown. There are other distinctions that set them apart: most damselflies hold their wings at rest together above the torso or held slightly open above (such as in the family Lestidae), whereas most dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontally or occasionally slightly down and forward. Also, the back wing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body, while the back wing of the damselfly is similar to the front wing. The eyes on a damselfly are apart; in most dragonflies the eyes touch. Notable exceptions are the Petaluridae (Petaltails) and the Gomphidae (Clubtails).
Broad-bodied Chaser
A Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau) in mid flight
Kirby's Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) in Tsumeb, Namibia.
Flame Skimmer
In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. Another Swedish legend holds that trolls use the dragonflies as spindles when weaving their clothes (hence the Swedish word for dragonfly trollslända, lit. "troll's spindle") as well as sending them to poke out the eyes of their enemies. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Ãyenstikker", which literally means Eye Poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "Tira-olhos" (Eye snatcher). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. The Lithuanian word "Laum žirgis" is a composite word meaning "the Lauma's horse", while in Dutch, Aeshna mixta is called "Paardenbijter" or "horse biter". In some South American countries, dragonflies are also called matacaballo (horse killer), or caballito del diablo (devil's little horse), since they were perceived as harmful, some species being quite large for an insect.
In East Asia and among Native Americans, dragonflies have a far better reputation, one that can also be said to have positively influenced modern day views about dragonflies in most countries, in the same vein as the insect's namesake, the dragon, which has a positive image in the east, but initially had an association with evil in the west.
Dragonfly symbol on a Hopi bowl from Sikyatki archaeological site.
For some Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity, and for the Navajo they symbolize pure water. Dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in Hopi rock art and on Pueblo necklaces. Mitchell and Lasswell, 20-26. It is said in some Native American beliefs that dragonflies are a symbol of renewal after a time of great hardship.
They also have traditional uses as medicine in Japan and China. In some parts of the world they are a food source, eaten either as adults or larvae; in Indonesia, for example, they are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.
Vietnamese people have a traditional way to forecast rain by seeing dragonflies: "Chuá»n chuá»n bay thấp thì mÆ°a, bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì râm" (Dragonflies fly at low level, it is rainy; dragonflies fly at high level, it is sunny; dragonflies fly at medium level, it is shadowy).
In some parts of the world it is considered lucky to have a dragonfly land on you, even to the point of yielding seven years of good luck.
In the United States dragonflies and damselflies are sought out as a hobby similar to birding and butterflying, known as oding, from the dragonfly's Latin species name, odonata. Oding is especially popular in Texas, where 225 out of a total of 457 known species of odonates in the world have been observed. With care, dragonflies can be handled and released by Oders, like butterflies. "Dragonflying: The new birding" by Tracy Hobson Lehmann San Antonio Express-News June 19, 2008
Images of dragonflies were common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs. They also appear in posters by modern artists such as Maeve Harris. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.
In Japan dragonflies symbolize "martial success," due to similarity in the sound of the word "dragonfly" and "victory" in Japanese. As a seasonal symbol, the dragonfly is associated with late summer and early autumn.
More generally, in Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. In ancient mythology, Japan was known as Akitsushima, which means "Land of the Dragonflies". The love for dragonflies is reflected by the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight. Mitchell and Lasswell, 38.
Also, in Japan, amongst the Three Great Spears of Japan is one which is called the Tonbogiri, which when translated is called 'The Dragon Fly Cutter'. The spear is an important part of Japan's imperial regalia - the spear itself was once wielded by the legendary Samurai, Honda Tadakatsu. Its name is derived from the story that the blade is so sharp, a dragonfly once landed on it and was instantly cut in half.
In drug references, several drugs have been synthesized that have molecule structures resembling Dragonflies. For instance Bromo-dragonfly and 2C-B-FLY. The names reflect the dragonfly appearance.
Image:Red_dragon_fly.jpg|Red Dragonfly from California
Image:Dragonfly_(2413057204).jpg|Dragonfly from Florida.
Image:Aust blue dragonfly02.jpg|Australian blue dragonfly
Image:Dragonfly on leaf.jpg|African dragonfly perched on a leaf
Image:Anax_withmeal.jpg|Green Darner Dragonfly feeding on honey bee
Image:Yellow-striped hunter dragonfly05.jpg|Austrogomphus guerini
Image:RubyMeadowhawkDragonfly.jpg|Flame Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata
Image:Dragonfly midair.jpg|Dragonfly in midflight over a creek
Image:Dragonfly eye 3811.jpg|The compound eyes of a dragonfly
Image:Cherry-faced meadowhawk pair.jpg|Cherry-faced Meadowhawk,
Sympetrum internum
Image:Aeshna mixta6.jpg|Dragonflies mating
Image:Mating_dragon1.jpg|Mating
Image:Mating_dragon_2.jpg|Mating
Image:Aeshnid-ovipositing-800x600.jpg|Dragonfly depositing eggs
File:Darter August 2007-20.jpg|Sympetrum fonscolombii
Image:Polish_dragonfly.jpg| Dragonfly from Lower Silesia - top
Image:A Perched Dragonfly.jpg|A perched dragonfly Widow Skimmer
Image:Cali spreadwing2.jpg|California Spreadwing Archilestes californicus
Image:Pied paddy skimmer female.JPG|Indian pied paddy skimmer female
Image:Pied paddy skimmer male(Neurothemis tullia tullia).jpg| Indian pied paddy skimmer male
Image:Blue Dragonfly Resting on Water.jpg|in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA
Image:Blue_dragonfly_Kamakura_Japan.jpg|Blue Dragonfly in Kamakura, Japan
Image:Sardinian_Dragonfly.JPG|Sardinian Dragonfly
Image:Darter August 2007-19.jpg|Female Red-veined darter. Lisboa, Portugal
Image:EmperorDragonfly.JPG|Emperor dragonfly in Greece
Image:Eye of dragonfly.jpg|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
Image:Dragonfly by Nabarun.JPG|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
File:Dragonfly001.jpg|Red Dragonfly (Trithemis annulata), Israel
* Elliot Pinhey
* List of British dragonflies
* Obelisk posture
* Tree of Life Odonata
*
* Identification key to dragonflies found in Ireland
* British Dragonfly Society
* Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the United States
* PHAON (Pinhey's Heritage African Odonata Network)
* Dragonflies in folklore and art
* dragonflies and damselflies on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* Photos of dragonflies from Asia, Africa, America, and Russia
|
Dragonfly | On what continent have dragonflies often been seen as sinister? | null | data/set1/a7 | Dragonfly
Dragonfly emerging as an adult
Pair of Yellow Striped Hunters mating
A dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking.
Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic.
Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often on floating or emergent plants. When laying eggs, some species will submerge themselves completely in order to lay their eggs on a good surface. The eggs then hatch into nymphs. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the naiad (that is, nymph) form, beneath the water's surface, using extendable jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. /ref> Some nymphs even hunt on land, an aptitude which could easily have been more common in ancient times when terrestrial predators were clumsier.
The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larva to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies. In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions; upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months.
Formerly, the Anisoptera were given suborder rank beside the "ancient dragonflies" (Anisozygoptera) which were believed to contain the two living species of the genus Epiophlebia and numerous fossil ones. More recently it turned out that the "anisozygopterans" form a paraphyletic assemblage of morphologically primitive relatives of the Anisoptera. Thus, the Anisoptera (true dragonflies) are reduced to an infraorder in the new suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies in general). The artificial grouping Anisozygoptera is disbanded, its members being largely recognized as extinct offshoots at various stages of dragonfly evolution. The two living species formerly placed there â the Asian relict dragonflies â form the infraorder Epiophlebioptera alongside the Anisoptera.
Unusually for a damselfly, the Sydney Flatwing hold their wings horizontal (perpendicular) to their body
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are often confused with newly moulted dragonflies but once a dragonfly molts it is fully grown. There are other distinctions that set them apart: most damselflies hold their wings at rest together above the torso or held slightly open above (such as in the family Lestidae), whereas most dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontally or occasionally slightly down and forward. Also, the back wing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body, while the back wing of the damselfly is similar to the front wing. The eyes on a damselfly are apart; in most dragonflies the eyes touch. Notable exceptions are the Petaluridae (Petaltails) and the Gomphidae (Clubtails).
Broad-bodied Chaser
A Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau) in mid flight
Kirby's Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) in Tsumeb, Namibia.
Flame Skimmer
In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. Another Swedish legend holds that trolls use the dragonflies as spindles when weaving their clothes (hence the Swedish word for dragonfly trollslända, lit. "troll's spindle") as well as sending them to poke out the eyes of their enemies. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Ãyenstikker", which literally means Eye Poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "Tira-olhos" (Eye snatcher). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. The Lithuanian word "Laum žirgis" is a composite word meaning "the Lauma's horse", while in Dutch, Aeshna mixta is called "Paardenbijter" or "horse biter". In some South American countries, dragonflies are also called matacaballo (horse killer), or caballito del diablo (devil's little horse), since they were perceived as harmful, some species being quite large for an insect.
In East Asia and among Native Americans, dragonflies have a far better reputation, one that can also be said to have positively influenced modern day views about dragonflies in most countries, in the same vein as the insect's namesake, the dragon, which has a positive image in the east, but initially had an association with evil in the west.
Dragonfly symbol on a Hopi bowl from Sikyatki archaeological site.
For some Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity, and for the Navajo they symbolize pure water. Dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in Hopi rock art and on Pueblo necklaces. Mitchell and Lasswell, 20-26. It is said in some Native American beliefs that dragonflies are a symbol of renewal after a time of great hardship.
They also have traditional uses as medicine in Japan and China. In some parts of the world they are a food source, eaten either as adults or larvae; in Indonesia, for example, they are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.
Vietnamese people have a traditional way to forecast rain by seeing dragonflies: "Chuá»n chuá»n bay thấp thì mÆ°a, bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì râm" (Dragonflies fly at low level, it is rainy; dragonflies fly at high level, it is sunny; dragonflies fly at medium level, it is shadowy).
In some parts of the world it is considered lucky to have a dragonfly land on you, even to the point of yielding seven years of good luck.
In the United States dragonflies and damselflies are sought out as a hobby similar to birding and butterflying, known as oding, from the dragonfly's Latin species name, odonata. Oding is especially popular in Texas, where 225 out of a total of 457 known species of odonates in the world have been observed. With care, dragonflies can be handled and released by Oders, like butterflies. "Dragonflying: The new birding" by Tracy Hobson Lehmann San Antonio Express-News June 19, 2008
Images of dragonflies were common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs. They also appear in posters by modern artists such as Maeve Harris. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.
In Japan dragonflies symbolize "martial success," due to similarity in the sound of the word "dragonfly" and "victory" in Japanese. As a seasonal symbol, the dragonfly is associated with late summer and early autumn.
More generally, in Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. In ancient mythology, Japan was known as Akitsushima, which means "Land of the Dragonflies". The love for dragonflies is reflected by the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight. Mitchell and Lasswell, 38.
Also, in Japan, amongst the Three Great Spears of Japan is one which is called the Tonbogiri, which when translated is called 'The Dragon Fly Cutter'. The spear is an important part of Japan's imperial regalia - the spear itself was once wielded by the legendary Samurai, Honda Tadakatsu. Its name is derived from the story that the blade is so sharp, a dragonfly once landed on it and was instantly cut in half.
In drug references, several drugs have been synthesized that have molecule structures resembling Dragonflies. For instance Bromo-dragonfly and 2C-B-FLY. The names reflect the dragonfly appearance.
Image:Red_dragon_fly.jpg|Red Dragonfly from California
Image:Dragonfly_(2413057204).jpg|Dragonfly from Florida.
Image:Aust blue dragonfly02.jpg|Australian blue dragonfly
Image:Dragonfly on leaf.jpg|African dragonfly perched on a leaf
Image:Anax_withmeal.jpg|Green Darner Dragonfly feeding on honey bee
Image:Yellow-striped hunter dragonfly05.jpg|Austrogomphus guerini
Image:RubyMeadowhawkDragonfly.jpg|Flame Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata
Image:Dragonfly midair.jpg|Dragonfly in midflight over a creek
Image:Dragonfly eye 3811.jpg|The compound eyes of a dragonfly
Image:Cherry-faced meadowhawk pair.jpg|Cherry-faced Meadowhawk,
Sympetrum internum
Image:Aeshna mixta6.jpg|Dragonflies mating
Image:Mating_dragon1.jpg|Mating
Image:Mating_dragon_2.jpg|Mating
Image:Aeshnid-ovipositing-800x600.jpg|Dragonfly depositing eggs
File:Darter August 2007-20.jpg|Sympetrum fonscolombii
Image:Polish_dragonfly.jpg| Dragonfly from Lower Silesia - top
Image:A Perched Dragonfly.jpg|A perched dragonfly Widow Skimmer
Image:Cali spreadwing2.jpg|California Spreadwing Archilestes californicus
Image:Pied paddy skimmer female.JPG|Indian pied paddy skimmer female
Image:Pied paddy skimmer male(Neurothemis tullia tullia).jpg| Indian pied paddy skimmer male
Image:Blue Dragonfly Resting on Water.jpg|in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA
Image:Blue_dragonfly_Kamakura_Japan.jpg|Blue Dragonfly in Kamakura, Japan
Image:Sardinian_Dragonfly.JPG|Sardinian Dragonfly
Image:Darter August 2007-19.jpg|Female Red-veined darter. Lisboa, Portugal
Image:EmperorDragonfly.JPG|Emperor dragonfly in Greece
Image:Eye of dragonfly.jpg|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
Image:Dragonfly by Nabarun.JPG|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
File:Dragonfly001.jpg|Red Dragonfly (Trithemis annulata), Israel
* Elliot Pinhey
* List of British dragonflies
* Obelisk posture
* Tree of Life Odonata
*
* Identification key to dragonflies found in Ireland
* British Dragonfly Society
* Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the United States
* PHAON (Pinhey's Heritage African Odonata Network)
* Dragonflies in folklore and art
* dragonflies and damselflies on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* Photos of dragonflies from Asia, Africa, America, and Russia
|
Dragonfly | In how many directions can the adult dragonfly propel itself? | null | data/set1/a7 | Dragonfly
Dragonfly emerging as an adult
Pair of Yellow Striped Hunters mating
A dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking.
Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic.
Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often on floating or emergent plants. When laying eggs, some species will submerge themselves completely in order to lay their eggs on a good surface. The eggs then hatch into nymphs. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the naiad (that is, nymph) form, beneath the water's surface, using extendable jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. /ref> Some nymphs even hunt on land, an aptitude which could easily have been more common in ancient times when terrestrial predators were clumsier.
The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larva to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies. In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions; upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months.
Formerly, the Anisoptera were given suborder rank beside the "ancient dragonflies" (Anisozygoptera) which were believed to contain the two living species of the genus Epiophlebia and numerous fossil ones. More recently it turned out that the "anisozygopterans" form a paraphyletic assemblage of morphologically primitive relatives of the Anisoptera. Thus, the Anisoptera (true dragonflies) are reduced to an infraorder in the new suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies in general). The artificial grouping Anisozygoptera is disbanded, its members being largely recognized as extinct offshoots at various stages of dragonfly evolution. The two living species formerly placed there â the Asian relict dragonflies â form the infraorder Epiophlebioptera alongside the Anisoptera.
Unusually for a damselfly, the Sydney Flatwing hold their wings horizontal (perpendicular) to their body
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are often confused with newly moulted dragonflies but once a dragonfly molts it is fully grown. There are other distinctions that set them apart: most damselflies hold their wings at rest together above the torso or held slightly open above (such as in the family Lestidae), whereas most dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontally or occasionally slightly down and forward. Also, the back wing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body, while the back wing of the damselfly is similar to the front wing. The eyes on a damselfly are apart; in most dragonflies the eyes touch. Notable exceptions are the Petaluridae (Petaltails) and the Gomphidae (Clubtails).
Broad-bodied Chaser
A Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau) in mid flight
Kirby's Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) in Tsumeb, Namibia.
Flame Skimmer
In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. Another Swedish legend holds that trolls use the dragonflies as spindles when weaving their clothes (hence the Swedish word for dragonfly trollslända, lit. "troll's spindle") as well as sending them to poke out the eyes of their enemies. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Ãyenstikker", which literally means Eye Poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "Tira-olhos" (Eye snatcher). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. The Lithuanian word "Laum žirgis" is a composite word meaning "the Lauma's horse", while in Dutch, Aeshna mixta is called "Paardenbijter" or "horse biter". In some South American countries, dragonflies are also called matacaballo (horse killer), or caballito del diablo (devil's little horse), since they were perceived as harmful, some species being quite large for an insect.
In East Asia and among Native Americans, dragonflies have a far better reputation, one that can also be said to have positively influenced modern day views about dragonflies in most countries, in the same vein as the insect's namesake, the dragon, which has a positive image in the east, but initially had an association with evil in the west.
Dragonfly symbol on a Hopi bowl from Sikyatki archaeological site.
For some Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity, and for the Navajo they symbolize pure water. Dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in Hopi rock art and on Pueblo necklaces. Mitchell and Lasswell, 20-26. It is said in some Native American beliefs that dragonflies are a symbol of renewal after a time of great hardship.
They also have traditional uses as medicine in Japan and China. In some parts of the world they are a food source, eaten either as adults or larvae; in Indonesia, for example, they are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.
Vietnamese people have a traditional way to forecast rain by seeing dragonflies: "Chuá»n chuá»n bay thấp thì mÆ°a, bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì râm" (Dragonflies fly at low level, it is rainy; dragonflies fly at high level, it is sunny; dragonflies fly at medium level, it is shadowy).
In some parts of the world it is considered lucky to have a dragonfly land on you, even to the point of yielding seven years of good luck.
In the United States dragonflies and damselflies are sought out as a hobby similar to birding and butterflying, known as oding, from the dragonfly's Latin species name, odonata. Oding is especially popular in Texas, where 225 out of a total of 457 known species of odonates in the world have been observed. With care, dragonflies can be handled and released by Oders, like butterflies. "Dragonflying: The new birding" by Tracy Hobson Lehmann San Antonio Express-News June 19, 2008
Images of dragonflies were common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs. They also appear in posters by modern artists such as Maeve Harris. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.
In Japan dragonflies symbolize "martial success," due to similarity in the sound of the word "dragonfly" and "victory" in Japanese. As a seasonal symbol, the dragonfly is associated with late summer and early autumn.
More generally, in Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. In ancient mythology, Japan was known as Akitsushima, which means "Land of the Dragonflies". The love for dragonflies is reflected by the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight. Mitchell and Lasswell, 38.
Also, in Japan, amongst the Three Great Spears of Japan is one which is called the Tonbogiri, which when translated is called 'The Dragon Fly Cutter'. The spear is an important part of Japan's imperial regalia - the spear itself was once wielded by the legendary Samurai, Honda Tadakatsu. Its name is derived from the story that the blade is so sharp, a dragonfly once landed on it and was instantly cut in half.
In drug references, several drugs have been synthesized that have molecule structures resembling Dragonflies. For instance Bromo-dragonfly and 2C-B-FLY. The names reflect the dragonfly appearance.
Image:Red_dragon_fly.jpg|Red Dragonfly from California
Image:Dragonfly_(2413057204).jpg|Dragonfly from Florida.
Image:Aust blue dragonfly02.jpg|Australian blue dragonfly
Image:Dragonfly on leaf.jpg|African dragonfly perched on a leaf
Image:Anax_withmeal.jpg|Green Darner Dragonfly feeding on honey bee
Image:Yellow-striped hunter dragonfly05.jpg|Austrogomphus guerini
Image:RubyMeadowhawkDragonfly.jpg|Flame Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata
Image:Dragonfly midair.jpg|Dragonfly in midflight over a creek
Image:Dragonfly eye 3811.jpg|The compound eyes of a dragonfly
Image:Cherry-faced meadowhawk pair.jpg|Cherry-faced Meadowhawk,
Sympetrum internum
Image:Aeshna mixta6.jpg|Dragonflies mating
Image:Mating_dragon1.jpg|Mating
Image:Mating_dragon_2.jpg|Mating
Image:Aeshnid-ovipositing-800x600.jpg|Dragonfly depositing eggs
File:Darter August 2007-20.jpg|Sympetrum fonscolombii
Image:Polish_dragonfly.jpg| Dragonfly from Lower Silesia - top
Image:A Perched Dragonfly.jpg|A perched dragonfly Widow Skimmer
Image:Cali spreadwing2.jpg|California Spreadwing Archilestes californicus
Image:Pied paddy skimmer female.JPG|Indian pied paddy skimmer female
Image:Pied paddy skimmer male(Neurothemis tullia tullia).jpg| Indian pied paddy skimmer male
Image:Blue Dragonfly Resting on Water.jpg|in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA
Image:Blue_dragonfly_Kamakura_Japan.jpg|Blue Dragonfly in Kamakura, Japan
Image:Sardinian_Dragonfly.JPG|Sardinian Dragonfly
Image:Darter August 2007-19.jpg|Female Red-veined darter. Lisboa, Portugal
Image:EmperorDragonfly.JPG|Emperor dragonfly in Greece
Image:Eye of dragonfly.jpg|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
Image:Dragonfly by Nabarun.JPG|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
File:Dragonfly001.jpg|Red Dragonfly (Trithemis annulata), Israel
* Elliot Pinhey
* List of British dragonflies
* Obelisk posture
* Tree of Life Odonata
*
* Identification key to dragonflies found in Ireland
* British Dragonfly Society
* Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the United States
* PHAON (Pinhey's Heritage African Odonata Network)
* Dragonflies in folklore and art
* dragonflies and damselflies on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* Photos of dragonflies from Asia, Africa, America, and Russia
|
Dragonfly | In how many directions can the adult dragonfly propel itself? | null | data/set1/a7 | Dragonfly
Dragonfly emerging as an adult
Pair of Yellow Striped Hunters mating
A dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking.
Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic.
Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often on floating or emergent plants. When laying eggs, some species will submerge themselves completely in order to lay their eggs on a good surface. The eggs then hatch into nymphs. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the naiad (that is, nymph) form, beneath the water's surface, using extendable jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. /ref> Some nymphs even hunt on land, an aptitude which could easily have been more common in ancient times when terrestrial predators were clumsier.
The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larva to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies. In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions; upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months.
Formerly, the Anisoptera were given suborder rank beside the "ancient dragonflies" (Anisozygoptera) which were believed to contain the two living species of the genus Epiophlebia and numerous fossil ones. More recently it turned out that the "anisozygopterans" form a paraphyletic assemblage of morphologically primitive relatives of the Anisoptera. Thus, the Anisoptera (true dragonflies) are reduced to an infraorder in the new suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies in general). The artificial grouping Anisozygoptera is disbanded, its members being largely recognized as extinct offshoots at various stages of dragonfly evolution. The two living species formerly placed there â the Asian relict dragonflies â form the infraorder Epiophlebioptera alongside the Anisoptera.
Unusually for a damselfly, the Sydney Flatwing hold their wings horizontal (perpendicular) to their body
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are often confused with newly moulted dragonflies but once a dragonfly molts it is fully grown. There are other distinctions that set them apart: most damselflies hold their wings at rest together above the torso or held slightly open above (such as in the family Lestidae), whereas most dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontally or occasionally slightly down and forward. Also, the back wing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body, while the back wing of the damselfly is similar to the front wing. The eyes on a damselfly are apart; in most dragonflies the eyes touch. Notable exceptions are the Petaluridae (Petaltails) and the Gomphidae (Clubtails).
Broad-bodied Chaser
A Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau) in mid flight
Kirby's Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) in Tsumeb, Namibia.
Flame Skimmer
In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. Another Swedish legend holds that trolls use the dragonflies as spindles when weaving their clothes (hence the Swedish word for dragonfly trollslända, lit. "troll's spindle") as well as sending them to poke out the eyes of their enemies. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Ãyenstikker", which literally means Eye Poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "Tira-olhos" (Eye snatcher). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. The Lithuanian word "Laum žirgis" is a composite word meaning "the Lauma's horse", while in Dutch, Aeshna mixta is called "Paardenbijter" or "horse biter". In some South American countries, dragonflies are also called matacaballo (horse killer), or caballito del diablo (devil's little horse), since they were perceived as harmful, some species being quite large for an insect.
In East Asia and among Native Americans, dragonflies have a far better reputation, one that can also be said to have positively influenced modern day views about dragonflies in most countries, in the same vein as the insect's namesake, the dragon, which has a positive image in the east, but initially had an association with evil in the west.
Dragonfly symbol on a Hopi bowl from Sikyatki archaeological site.
For some Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity, and for the Navajo they symbolize pure water. Dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in Hopi rock art and on Pueblo necklaces. Mitchell and Lasswell, 20-26. It is said in some Native American beliefs that dragonflies are a symbol of renewal after a time of great hardship.
They also have traditional uses as medicine in Japan and China. In some parts of the world they are a food source, eaten either as adults or larvae; in Indonesia, for example, they are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.
Vietnamese people have a traditional way to forecast rain by seeing dragonflies: "Chuá»n chuá»n bay thấp thì mÆ°a, bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì râm" (Dragonflies fly at low level, it is rainy; dragonflies fly at high level, it is sunny; dragonflies fly at medium level, it is shadowy).
In some parts of the world it is considered lucky to have a dragonfly land on you, even to the point of yielding seven years of good luck.
In the United States dragonflies and damselflies are sought out as a hobby similar to birding and butterflying, known as oding, from the dragonfly's Latin species name, odonata. Oding is especially popular in Texas, where 225 out of a total of 457 known species of odonates in the world have been observed. With care, dragonflies can be handled and released by Oders, like butterflies. "Dragonflying: The new birding" by Tracy Hobson Lehmann San Antonio Express-News June 19, 2008
Images of dragonflies were common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs. They also appear in posters by modern artists such as Maeve Harris. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.
In Japan dragonflies symbolize "martial success," due to similarity in the sound of the word "dragonfly" and "victory" in Japanese. As a seasonal symbol, the dragonfly is associated with late summer and early autumn.
More generally, in Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. In ancient mythology, Japan was known as Akitsushima, which means "Land of the Dragonflies". The love for dragonflies is reflected by the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight. Mitchell and Lasswell, 38.
Also, in Japan, amongst the Three Great Spears of Japan is one which is called the Tonbogiri, which when translated is called 'The Dragon Fly Cutter'. The spear is an important part of Japan's imperial regalia - the spear itself was once wielded by the legendary Samurai, Honda Tadakatsu. Its name is derived from the story that the blade is so sharp, a dragonfly once landed on it and was instantly cut in half.
In drug references, several drugs have been synthesized that have molecule structures resembling Dragonflies. For instance Bromo-dragonfly and 2C-B-FLY. The names reflect the dragonfly appearance.
Image:Red_dragon_fly.jpg|Red Dragonfly from California
Image:Dragonfly_(2413057204).jpg|Dragonfly from Florida.
Image:Aust blue dragonfly02.jpg|Australian blue dragonfly
Image:Dragonfly on leaf.jpg|African dragonfly perched on a leaf
Image:Anax_withmeal.jpg|Green Darner Dragonfly feeding on honey bee
Image:Yellow-striped hunter dragonfly05.jpg|Austrogomphus guerini
Image:RubyMeadowhawkDragonfly.jpg|Flame Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata
Image:Dragonfly midair.jpg|Dragonfly in midflight over a creek
Image:Dragonfly eye 3811.jpg|The compound eyes of a dragonfly
Image:Cherry-faced meadowhawk pair.jpg|Cherry-faced Meadowhawk,
Sympetrum internum
Image:Aeshna mixta6.jpg|Dragonflies mating
Image:Mating_dragon1.jpg|Mating
Image:Mating_dragon_2.jpg|Mating
Image:Aeshnid-ovipositing-800x600.jpg|Dragonfly depositing eggs
File:Darter August 2007-20.jpg|Sympetrum fonscolombii
Image:Polish_dragonfly.jpg| Dragonfly from Lower Silesia - top
Image:A Perched Dragonfly.jpg|A perched dragonfly Widow Skimmer
Image:Cali spreadwing2.jpg|California Spreadwing Archilestes californicus
Image:Pied paddy skimmer female.JPG|Indian pied paddy skimmer female
Image:Pied paddy skimmer male(Neurothemis tullia tullia).jpg| Indian pied paddy skimmer male
Image:Blue Dragonfly Resting on Water.jpg|in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA
Image:Blue_dragonfly_Kamakura_Japan.jpg|Blue Dragonfly in Kamakura, Japan
Image:Sardinian_Dragonfly.JPG|Sardinian Dragonfly
Image:Darter August 2007-19.jpg|Female Red-veined darter. Lisboa, Portugal
Image:EmperorDragonfly.JPG|Emperor dragonfly in Greece
Image:Eye of dragonfly.jpg|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
Image:Dragonfly by Nabarun.JPG|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
File:Dragonfly001.jpg|Red Dragonfly (Trithemis annulata), Israel
* Elliot Pinhey
* List of British dragonflies
* Obelisk posture
* Tree of Life Odonata
*
* Identification key to dragonflies found in Ireland
* British Dragonfly Society
* Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the United States
* PHAON (Pinhey's Heritage African Odonata Network)
* Dragonflies in folklore and art
* dragonflies and damselflies on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* Photos of dragonflies from Asia, Africa, America, and Russia
|
Dragonfly | What is the hobby of seeking out dragonflies and damselflies called? | null | data/set1/a7 | Dragonfly
Dragonfly emerging as an adult
Pair of Yellow Striped Hunters mating
A dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking.
Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic.
Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often on floating or emergent plants. When laying eggs, some species will submerge themselves completely in order to lay their eggs on a good surface. The eggs then hatch into nymphs. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the naiad (that is, nymph) form, beneath the water's surface, using extendable jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. /ref> Some nymphs even hunt on land, an aptitude which could easily have been more common in ancient times when terrestrial predators were clumsier.
The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larva to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies. In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions; upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months.
Formerly, the Anisoptera were given suborder rank beside the "ancient dragonflies" (Anisozygoptera) which were believed to contain the two living species of the genus Epiophlebia and numerous fossil ones. More recently it turned out that the "anisozygopterans" form a paraphyletic assemblage of morphologically primitive relatives of the Anisoptera. Thus, the Anisoptera (true dragonflies) are reduced to an infraorder in the new suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies in general). The artificial grouping Anisozygoptera is disbanded, its members being largely recognized as extinct offshoots at various stages of dragonfly evolution. The two living species formerly placed there â the Asian relict dragonflies â form the infraorder Epiophlebioptera alongside the Anisoptera.
Unusually for a damselfly, the Sydney Flatwing hold their wings horizontal (perpendicular) to their body
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are often confused with newly moulted dragonflies but once a dragonfly molts it is fully grown. There are other distinctions that set them apart: most damselflies hold their wings at rest together above the torso or held slightly open above (such as in the family Lestidae), whereas most dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontally or occasionally slightly down and forward. Also, the back wing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body, while the back wing of the damselfly is similar to the front wing. The eyes on a damselfly are apart; in most dragonflies the eyes touch. Notable exceptions are the Petaluridae (Petaltails) and the Gomphidae (Clubtails).
Broad-bodied Chaser
A Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau) in mid flight
Kirby's Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) in Tsumeb, Namibia.
Flame Skimmer
In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. Another Swedish legend holds that trolls use the dragonflies as spindles when weaving their clothes (hence the Swedish word for dragonfly trollslända, lit. "troll's spindle") as well as sending them to poke out the eyes of their enemies. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Ãyenstikker", which literally means Eye Poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "Tira-olhos" (Eye snatcher). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. The Lithuanian word "Laum žirgis" is a composite word meaning "the Lauma's horse", while in Dutch, Aeshna mixta is called "Paardenbijter" or "horse biter". In some South American countries, dragonflies are also called matacaballo (horse killer), or caballito del diablo (devil's little horse), since they were perceived as harmful, some species being quite large for an insect.
In East Asia and among Native Americans, dragonflies have a far better reputation, one that can also be said to have positively influenced modern day views about dragonflies in most countries, in the same vein as the insect's namesake, the dragon, which has a positive image in the east, but initially had an association with evil in the west.
Dragonfly symbol on a Hopi bowl from Sikyatki archaeological site.
For some Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity, and for the Navajo they symbolize pure water. Dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in Hopi rock art and on Pueblo necklaces. Mitchell and Lasswell, 20-26. It is said in some Native American beliefs that dragonflies are a symbol of renewal after a time of great hardship.
They also have traditional uses as medicine in Japan and China. In some parts of the world they are a food source, eaten either as adults or larvae; in Indonesia, for example, they are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.
Vietnamese people have a traditional way to forecast rain by seeing dragonflies: "Chuá»n chuá»n bay thấp thì mÆ°a, bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì râm" (Dragonflies fly at low level, it is rainy; dragonflies fly at high level, it is sunny; dragonflies fly at medium level, it is shadowy).
In some parts of the world it is considered lucky to have a dragonfly land on you, even to the point of yielding seven years of good luck.
In the United States dragonflies and damselflies are sought out as a hobby similar to birding and butterflying, known as oding, from the dragonfly's Latin species name, odonata. Oding is especially popular in Texas, where 225 out of a total of 457 known species of odonates in the world have been observed. With care, dragonflies can be handled and released by Oders, like butterflies. "Dragonflying: The new birding" by Tracy Hobson Lehmann San Antonio Express-News June 19, 2008
Images of dragonflies were common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs. They also appear in posters by modern artists such as Maeve Harris. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.
In Japan dragonflies symbolize "martial success," due to similarity in the sound of the word "dragonfly" and "victory" in Japanese. As a seasonal symbol, the dragonfly is associated with late summer and early autumn.
More generally, in Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. In ancient mythology, Japan was known as Akitsushima, which means "Land of the Dragonflies". The love for dragonflies is reflected by the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight. Mitchell and Lasswell, 38.
Also, in Japan, amongst the Three Great Spears of Japan is one which is called the Tonbogiri, which when translated is called 'The Dragon Fly Cutter'. The spear is an important part of Japan's imperial regalia - the spear itself was once wielded by the legendary Samurai, Honda Tadakatsu. Its name is derived from the story that the blade is so sharp, a dragonfly once landed on it and was instantly cut in half.
In drug references, several drugs have been synthesized that have molecule structures resembling Dragonflies. For instance Bromo-dragonfly and 2C-B-FLY. The names reflect the dragonfly appearance.
Image:Red_dragon_fly.jpg|Red Dragonfly from California
Image:Dragonfly_(2413057204).jpg|Dragonfly from Florida.
Image:Aust blue dragonfly02.jpg|Australian blue dragonfly
Image:Dragonfly on leaf.jpg|African dragonfly perched on a leaf
Image:Anax_withmeal.jpg|Green Darner Dragonfly feeding on honey bee
Image:Yellow-striped hunter dragonfly05.jpg|Austrogomphus guerini
Image:RubyMeadowhawkDragonfly.jpg|Flame Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata
Image:Dragonfly midair.jpg|Dragonfly in midflight over a creek
Image:Dragonfly eye 3811.jpg|The compound eyes of a dragonfly
Image:Cherry-faced meadowhawk pair.jpg|Cherry-faced Meadowhawk,
Sympetrum internum
Image:Aeshna mixta6.jpg|Dragonflies mating
Image:Mating_dragon1.jpg|Mating
Image:Mating_dragon_2.jpg|Mating
Image:Aeshnid-ovipositing-800x600.jpg|Dragonfly depositing eggs
File:Darter August 2007-20.jpg|Sympetrum fonscolombii
Image:Polish_dragonfly.jpg| Dragonfly from Lower Silesia - top
Image:A Perched Dragonfly.jpg|A perched dragonfly Widow Skimmer
Image:Cali spreadwing2.jpg|California Spreadwing Archilestes californicus
Image:Pied paddy skimmer female.JPG|Indian pied paddy skimmer female
Image:Pied paddy skimmer male(Neurothemis tullia tullia).jpg| Indian pied paddy skimmer male
Image:Blue Dragonfly Resting on Water.jpg|in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA
Image:Blue_dragonfly_Kamakura_Japan.jpg|Blue Dragonfly in Kamakura, Japan
Image:Sardinian_Dragonfly.JPG|Sardinian Dragonfly
Image:Darter August 2007-19.jpg|Female Red-veined darter. Lisboa, Portugal
Image:EmperorDragonfly.JPG|Emperor dragonfly in Greece
Image:Eye of dragonfly.jpg|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
Image:Dragonfly by Nabarun.JPG|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
File:Dragonfly001.jpg|Red Dragonfly (Trithemis annulata), Israel
* Elliot Pinhey
* List of British dragonflies
* Obelisk posture
* Tree of Life Odonata
*
* Identification key to dragonflies found in Ireland
* British Dragonfly Society
* Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the United States
* PHAON (Pinhey's Heritage African Odonata Network)
* Dragonflies in folklore and art
* dragonflies and damselflies on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* Photos of dragonflies from Asia, Africa, America, and Russia
|
Dragonfly | What is the hobby of seeking out dragonflies and damselflies called? | null | data/set1/a7 | Dragonfly
Dragonfly emerging as an adult
Pair of Yellow Striped Hunters mating
A dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking.
Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic.
Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often on floating or emergent plants. When laying eggs, some species will submerge themselves completely in order to lay their eggs on a good surface. The eggs then hatch into nymphs. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the naiad (that is, nymph) form, beneath the water's surface, using extendable jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. /ref> Some nymphs even hunt on land, an aptitude which could easily have been more common in ancient times when terrestrial predators were clumsier.
The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larva to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies. In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions; upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months.
Formerly, the Anisoptera were given suborder rank beside the "ancient dragonflies" (Anisozygoptera) which were believed to contain the two living species of the genus Epiophlebia and numerous fossil ones. More recently it turned out that the "anisozygopterans" form a paraphyletic assemblage of morphologically primitive relatives of the Anisoptera. Thus, the Anisoptera (true dragonflies) are reduced to an infraorder in the new suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies in general). The artificial grouping Anisozygoptera is disbanded, its members being largely recognized as extinct offshoots at various stages of dragonfly evolution. The two living species formerly placed there â the Asian relict dragonflies â form the infraorder Epiophlebioptera alongside the Anisoptera.
Unusually for a damselfly, the Sydney Flatwing hold their wings horizontal (perpendicular) to their body
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are often confused with newly moulted dragonflies but once a dragonfly molts it is fully grown. There are other distinctions that set them apart: most damselflies hold their wings at rest together above the torso or held slightly open above (such as in the family Lestidae), whereas most dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontally or occasionally slightly down and forward. Also, the back wing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body, while the back wing of the damselfly is similar to the front wing. The eyes on a damselfly are apart; in most dragonflies the eyes touch. Notable exceptions are the Petaluridae (Petaltails) and the Gomphidae (Clubtails).
Broad-bodied Chaser
A Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau) in mid flight
Kirby's Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) in Tsumeb, Namibia.
Flame Skimmer
In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. Another Swedish legend holds that trolls use the dragonflies as spindles when weaving their clothes (hence the Swedish word for dragonfly trollslända, lit. "troll's spindle") as well as sending them to poke out the eyes of their enemies. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Ãyenstikker", which literally means Eye Poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "Tira-olhos" (Eye snatcher). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. The Lithuanian word "Laum žirgis" is a composite word meaning "the Lauma's horse", while in Dutch, Aeshna mixta is called "Paardenbijter" or "horse biter". In some South American countries, dragonflies are also called matacaballo (horse killer), or caballito del diablo (devil's little horse), since they were perceived as harmful, some species being quite large for an insect.
In East Asia and among Native Americans, dragonflies have a far better reputation, one that can also be said to have positively influenced modern day views about dragonflies in most countries, in the same vein as the insect's namesake, the dragon, which has a positive image in the east, but initially had an association with evil in the west.
Dragonfly symbol on a Hopi bowl from Sikyatki archaeological site.
For some Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity, and for the Navajo they symbolize pure water. Dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in Hopi rock art and on Pueblo necklaces. Mitchell and Lasswell, 20-26. It is said in some Native American beliefs that dragonflies are a symbol of renewal after a time of great hardship.
They also have traditional uses as medicine in Japan and China. In some parts of the world they are a food source, eaten either as adults or larvae; in Indonesia, for example, they are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.
Vietnamese people have a traditional way to forecast rain by seeing dragonflies: "Chuá»n chuá»n bay thấp thì mÆ°a, bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì râm" (Dragonflies fly at low level, it is rainy; dragonflies fly at high level, it is sunny; dragonflies fly at medium level, it is shadowy).
In some parts of the world it is considered lucky to have a dragonfly land on you, even to the point of yielding seven years of good luck.
In the United States dragonflies and damselflies are sought out as a hobby similar to birding and butterflying, known as oding, from the dragonfly's Latin species name, odonata. Oding is especially popular in Texas, where 225 out of a total of 457 known species of odonates in the world have been observed. With care, dragonflies can be handled and released by Oders, like butterflies. "Dragonflying: The new birding" by Tracy Hobson Lehmann San Antonio Express-News June 19, 2008
Images of dragonflies were common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs. They also appear in posters by modern artists such as Maeve Harris. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.
In Japan dragonflies symbolize "martial success," due to similarity in the sound of the word "dragonfly" and "victory" in Japanese. As a seasonal symbol, the dragonfly is associated with late summer and early autumn.
More generally, in Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. In ancient mythology, Japan was known as Akitsushima, which means "Land of the Dragonflies". The love for dragonflies is reflected by the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight. Mitchell and Lasswell, 38.
Also, in Japan, amongst the Three Great Spears of Japan is one which is called the Tonbogiri, which when translated is called 'The Dragon Fly Cutter'. The spear is an important part of Japan's imperial regalia - the spear itself was once wielded by the legendary Samurai, Honda Tadakatsu. Its name is derived from the story that the blade is so sharp, a dragonfly once landed on it and was instantly cut in half.
In drug references, several drugs have been synthesized that have molecule structures resembling Dragonflies. For instance Bromo-dragonfly and 2C-B-FLY. The names reflect the dragonfly appearance.
Image:Red_dragon_fly.jpg|Red Dragonfly from California
Image:Dragonfly_(2413057204).jpg|Dragonfly from Florida.
Image:Aust blue dragonfly02.jpg|Australian blue dragonfly
Image:Dragonfly on leaf.jpg|African dragonfly perched on a leaf
Image:Anax_withmeal.jpg|Green Darner Dragonfly feeding on honey bee
Image:Yellow-striped hunter dragonfly05.jpg|Austrogomphus guerini
Image:RubyMeadowhawkDragonfly.jpg|Flame Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata
Image:Dragonfly midair.jpg|Dragonfly in midflight over a creek
Image:Dragonfly eye 3811.jpg|The compound eyes of a dragonfly
Image:Cherry-faced meadowhawk pair.jpg|Cherry-faced Meadowhawk,
Sympetrum internum
Image:Aeshna mixta6.jpg|Dragonflies mating
Image:Mating_dragon1.jpg|Mating
Image:Mating_dragon_2.jpg|Mating
Image:Aeshnid-ovipositing-800x600.jpg|Dragonfly depositing eggs
File:Darter August 2007-20.jpg|Sympetrum fonscolombii
Image:Polish_dragonfly.jpg| Dragonfly from Lower Silesia - top
Image:A Perched Dragonfly.jpg|A perched dragonfly Widow Skimmer
Image:Cali spreadwing2.jpg|California Spreadwing Archilestes californicus
Image:Pied paddy skimmer female.JPG|Indian pied paddy skimmer female
Image:Pied paddy skimmer male(Neurothemis tullia tullia).jpg| Indian pied paddy skimmer male
Image:Blue Dragonfly Resting on Water.jpg|in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA
Image:Blue_dragonfly_Kamakura_Japan.jpg|Blue Dragonfly in Kamakura, Japan
Image:Sardinian_Dragonfly.JPG|Sardinian Dragonfly
Image:Darter August 2007-19.jpg|Female Red-veined darter. Lisboa, Portugal
Image:EmperorDragonfly.JPG|Emperor dragonfly in Greece
Image:Eye of dragonfly.jpg|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
Image:Dragonfly by Nabarun.JPG|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
File:Dragonfly001.jpg|Red Dragonfly (Trithemis annulata), Israel
* Elliot Pinhey
* List of British dragonflies
* Obelisk posture
* Tree of Life Odonata
*
* Identification key to dragonflies found in Ireland
* British Dragonfly Society
* Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the United States
* PHAON (Pinhey's Heritage African Odonata Network)
* Dragonflies in folklore and art
* dragonflies and damselflies on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* Photos of dragonflies from Asia, Africa, America, and Russia
|
Dragonfly | In what country are dragonflies used as a food source? | null | data/set1/a7 | Dragonfly
Dragonfly emerging as an adult
Pair of Yellow Striped Hunters mating
A dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking.
Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic.
Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often on floating or emergent plants. When laying eggs, some species will submerge themselves completely in order to lay their eggs on a good surface. The eggs then hatch into nymphs. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the naiad (that is, nymph) form, beneath the water's surface, using extendable jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. /ref> Some nymphs even hunt on land, an aptitude which could easily have been more common in ancient times when terrestrial predators were clumsier.
The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larva to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies. In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions; upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months.
Formerly, the Anisoptera were given suborder rank beside the "ancient dragonflies" (Anisozygoptera) which were believed to contain the two living species of the genus Epiophlebia and numerous fossil ones. More recently it turned out that the "anisozygopterans" form a paraphyletic assemblage of morphologically primitive relatives of the Anisoptera. Thus, the Anisoptera (true dragonflies) are reduced to an infraorder in the new suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies in general). The artificial grouping Anisozygoptera is disbanded, its members being largely recognized as extinct offshoots at various stages of dragonfly evolution. The two living species formerly placed there â the Asian relict dragonflies â form the infraorder Epiophlebioptera alongside the Anisoptera.
Unusually for a damselfly, the Sydney Flatwing hold their wings horizontal (perpendicular) to their body
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are often confused with newly moulted dragonflies but once a dragonfly molts it is fully grown. There are other distinctions that set them apart: most damselflies hold their wings at rest together above the torso or held slightly open above (such as in the family Lestidae), whereas most dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontally or occasionally slightly down and forward. Also, the back wing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body, while the back wing of the damselfly is similar to the front wing. The eyes on a damselfly are apart; in most dragonflies the eyes touch. Notable exceptions are the Petaluridae (Petaltails) and the Gomphidae (Clubtails).
Broad-bodied Chaser
A Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau) in mid flight
Kirby's Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) in Tsumeb, Namibia.
Flame Skimmer
In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. Another Swedish legend holds that trolls use the dragonflies as spindles when weaving their clothes (hence the Swedish word for dragonfly trollslända, lit. "troll's spindle") as well as sending them to poke out the eyes of their enemies. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Ãyenstikker", which literally means Eye Poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "Tira-olhos" (Eye snatcher). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. The Lithuanian word "Laum žirgis" is a composite word meaning "the Lauma's horse", while in Dutch, Aeshna mixta is called "Paardenbijter" or "horse biter". In some South American countries, dragonflies are also called matacaballo (horse killer), or caballito del diablo (devil's little horse), since they were perceived as harmful, some species being quite large for an insect.
In East Asia and among Native Americans, dragonflies have a far better reputation, one that can also be said to have positively influenced modern day views about dragonflies in most countries, in the same vein as the insect's namesake, the dragon, which has a positive image in the east, but initially had an association with evil in the west.
Dragonfly symbol on a Hopi bowl from Sikyatki archaeological site.
For some Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity, and for the Navajo they symbolize pure water. Dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in Hopi rock art and on Pueblo necklaces. Mitchell and Lasswell, 20-26. It is said in some Native American beliefs that dragonflies are a symbol of renewal after a time of great hardship.
They also have traditional uses as medicine in Japan and China. In some parts of the world they are a food source, eaten either as adults or larvae; in Indonesia, for example, they are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.
Vietnamese people have a traditional way to forecast rain by seeing dragonflies: "Chuá»n chuá»n bay thấp thì mÆ°a, bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì râm" (Dragonflies fly at low level, it is rainy; dragonflies fly at high level, it is sunny; dragonflies fly at medium level, it is shadowy).
In some parts of the world it is considered lucky to have a dragonfly land on you, even to the point of yielding seven years of good luck.
In the United States dragonflies and damselflies are sought out as a hobby similar to birding and butterflying, known as oding, from the dragonfly's Latin species name, odonata. Oding is especially popular in Texas, where 225 out of a total of 457 known species of odonates in the world have been observed. With care, dragonflies can be handled and released by Oders, like butterflies. "Dragonflying: The new birding" by Tracy Hobson Lehmann San Antonio Express-News June 19, 2008
Images of dragonflies were common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs. They also appear in posters by modern artists such as Maeve Harris. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.
In Japan dragonflies symbolize "martial success," due to similarity in the sound of the word "dragonfly" and "victory" in Japanese. As a seasonal symbol, the dragonfly is associated with late summer and early autumn.
More generally, in Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. In ancient mythology, Japan was known as Akitsushima, which means "Land of the Dragonflies". The love for dragonflies is reflected by the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight. Mitchell and Lasswell, 38.
Also, in Japan, amongst the Three Great Spears of Japan is one which is called the Tonbogiri, which when translated is called 'The Dragon Fly Cutter'. The spear is an important part of Japan's imperial regalia - the spear itself was once wielded by the legendary Samurai, Honda Tadakatsu. Its name is derived from the story that the blade is so sharp, a dragonfly once landed on it and was instantly cut in half.
In drug references, several drugs have been synthesized that have molecule structures resembling Dragonflies. For instance Bromo-dragonfly and 2C-B-FLY. The names reflect the dragonfly appearance.
Image:Red_dragon_fly.jpg|Red Dragonfly from California
Image:Dragonfly_(2413057204).jpg|Dragonfly from Florida.
Image:Aust blue dragonfly02.jpg|Australian blue dragonfly
Image:Dragonfly on leaf.jpg|African dragonfly perched on a leaf
Image:Anax_withmeal.jpg|Green Darner Dragonfly feeding on honey bee
Image:Yellow-striped hunter dragonfly05.jpg|Austrogomphus guerini
Image:RubyMeadowhawkDragonfly.jpg|Flame Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata
Image:Dragonfly midair.jpg|Dragonfly in midflight over a creek
Image:Dragonfly eye 3811.jpg|The compound eyes of a dragonfly
Image:Cherry-faced meadowhawk pair.jpg|Cherry-faced Meadowhawk,
Sympetrum internum
Image:Aeshna mixta6.jpg|Dragonflies mating
Image:Mating_dragon1.jpg|Mating
Image:Mating_dragon_2.jpg|Mating
Image:Aeshnid-ovipositing-800x600.jpg|Dragonfly depositing eggs
File:Darter August 2007-20.jpg|Sympetrum fonscolombii
Image:Polish_dragonfly.jpg| Dragonfly from Lower Silesia - top
Image:A Perched Dragonfly.jpg|A perched dragonfly Widow Skimmer
Image:Cali spreadwing2.jpg|California Spreadwing Archilestes californicus
Image:Pied paddy skimmer female.JPG|Indian pied paddy skimmer female
Image:Pied paddy skimmer male(Neurothemis tullia tullia).jpg| Indian pied paddy skimmer male
Image:Blue Dragonfly Resting on Water.jpg|in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA
Image:Blue_dragonfly_Kamakura_Japan.jpg|Blue Dragonfly in Kamakura, Japan
Image:Sardinian_Dragonfly.JPG|Sardinian Dragonfly
Image:Darter August 2007-19.jpg|Female Red-veined darter. Lisboa, Portugal
Image:EmperorDragonfly.JPG|Emperor dragonfly in Greece
Image:Eye of dragonfly.jpg|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
Image:Dragonfly by Nabarun.JPG|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
File:Dragonfly001.jpg|Red Dragonfly (Trithemis annulata), Israel
* Elliot Pinhey
* List of British dragonflies
* Obelisk posture
* Tree of Life Odonata
*
* Identification key to dragonflies found in Ireland
* British Dragonfly Society
* Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the United States
* PHAON (Pinhey's Heritage African Odonata Network)
* Dragonflies in folklore and art
* dragonflies and damselflies on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* Photos of dragonflies from Asia, Africa, America, and Russia
|
Dragonfly | In what country are dragonflies used as a food source? | null | data/set1/a7 | Dragonfly
Dragonfly emerging as an adult
Pair of Yellow Striped Hunters mating
A dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking.
Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic.
Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often on floating or emergent plants. When laying eggs, some species will submerge themselves completely in order to lay their eggs on a good surface. The eggs then hatch into nymphs. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the naiad (that is, nymph) form, beneath the water's surface, using extendable jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. /ref> Some nymphs even hunt on land, an aptitude which could easily have been more common in ancient times when terrestrial predators were clumsier.
The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larva to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies. In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions; upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months.
Formerly, the Anisoptera were given suborder rank beside the "ancient dragonflies" (Anisozygoptera) which were believed to contain the two living species of the genus Epiophlebia and numerous fossil ones. More recently it turned out that the "anisozygopterans" form a paraphyletic assemblage of morphologically primitive relatives of the Anisoptera. Thus, the Anisoptera (true dragonflies) are reduced to an infraorder in the new suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies in general). The artificial grouping Anisozygoptera is disbanded, its members being largely recognized as extinct offshoots at various stages of dragonfly evolution. The two living species formerly placed there â the Asian relict dragonflies â form the infraorder Epiophlebioptera alongside the Anisoptera.
Unusually for a damselfly, the Sydney Flatwing hold their wings horizontal (perpendicular) to their body
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are often confused with newly moulted dragonflies but once a dragonfly molts it is fully grown. There are other distinctions that set them apart: most damselflies hold their wings at rest together above the torso or held slightly open above (such as in the family Lestidae), whereas most dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontally or occasionally slightly down and forward. Also, the back wing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body, while the back wing of the damselfly is similar to the front wing. The eyes on a damselfly are apart; in most dragonflies the eyes touch. Notable exceptions are the Petaluridae (Petaltails) and the Gomphidae (Clubtails).
Broad-bodied Chaser
A Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau) in mid flight
Kirby's Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) in Tsumeb, Namibia.
Flame Skimmer
In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. Another Swedish legend holds that trolls use the dragonflies as spindles when weaving their clothes (hence the Swedish word for dragonfly trollslända, lit. "troll's spindle") as well as sending them to poke out the eyes of their enemies. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Ãyenstikker", which literally means Eye Poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "Tira-olhos" (Eye snatcher). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. The Lithuanian word "Laum žirgis" is a composite word meaning "the Lauma's horse", while in Dutch, Aeshna mixta is called "Paardenbijter" or "horse biter". In some South American countries, dragonflies are also called matacaballo (horse killer), or caballito del diablo (devil's little horse), since they were perceived as harmful, some species being quite large for an insect.
In East Asia and among Native Americans, dragonflies have a far better reputation, one that can also be said to have positively influenced modern day views about dragonflies in most countries, in the same vein as the insect's namesake, the dragon, which has a positive image in the east, but initially had an association with evil in the west.
Dragonfly symbol on a Hopi bowl from Sikyatki archaeological site.
For some Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity, and for the Navajo they symbolize pure water. Dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in Hopi rock art and on Pueblo necklaces. Mitchell and Lasswell, 20-26. It is said in some Native American beliefs that dragonflies are a symbol of renewal after a time of great hardship.
They also have traditional uses as medicine in Japan and China. In some parts of the world they are a food source, eaten either as adults or larvae; in Indonesia, for example, they are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.
Vietnamese people have a traditional way to forecast rain by seeing dragonflies: "Chuá»n chuá»n bay thấp thì mÆ°a, bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì râm" (Dragonflies fly at low level, it is rainy; dragonflies fly at high level, it is sunny; dragonflies fly at medium level, it is shadowy).
In some parts of the world it is considered lucky to have a dragonfly land on you, even to the point of yielding seven years of good luck.
In the United States dragonflies and damselflies are sought out as a hobby similar to birding and butterflying, known as oding, from the dragonfly's Latin species name, odonata. Oding is especially popular in Texas, where 225 out of a total of 457 known species of odonates in the world have been observed. With care, dragonflies can be handled and released by Oders, like butterflies. "Dragonflying: The new birding" by Tracy Hobson Lehmann San Antonio Express-News June 19, 2008
Images of dragonflies were common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs. They also appear in posters by modern artists such as Maeve Harris. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.
In Japan dragonflies symbolize "martial success," due to similarity in the sound of the word "dragonfly" and "victory" in Japanese. As a seasonal symbol, the dragonfly is associated with late summer and early autumn.
More generally, in Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. In ancient mythology, Japan was known as Akitsushima, which means "Land of the Dragonflies". The love for dragonflies is reflected by the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight. Mitchell and Lasswell, 38.
Also, in Japan, amongst the Three Great Spears of Japan is one which is called the Tonbogiri, which when translated is called 'The Dragon Fly Cutter'. The spear is an important part of Japan's imperial regalia - the spear itself was once wielded by the legendary Samurai, Honda Tadakatsu. Its name is derived from the story that the blade is so sharp, a dragonfly once landed on it and was instantly cut in half.
In drug references, several drugs have been synthesized that have molecule structures resembling Dragonflies. For instance Bromo-dragonfly and 2C-B-FLY. The names reflect the dragonfly appearance.
Image:Red_dragon_fly.jpg|Red Dragonfly from California
Image:Dragonfly_(2413057204).jpg|Dragonfly from Florida.
Image:Aust blue dragonfly02.jpg|Australian blue dragonfly
Image:Dragonfly on leaf.jpg|African dragonfly perched on a leaf
Image:Anax_withmeal.jpg|Green Darner Dragonfly feeding on honey bee
Image:Yellow-striped hunter dragonfly05.jpg|Austrogomphus guerini
Image:RubyMeadowhawkDragonfly.jpg|Flame Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata
Image:Dragonfly midair.jpg|Dragonfly in midflight over a creek
Image:Dragonfly eye 3811.jpg|The compound eyes of a dragonfly
Image:Cherry-faced meadowhawk pair.jpg|Cherry-faced Meadowhawk,
Sympetrum internum
Image:Aeshna mixta6.jpg|Dragonflies mating
Image:Mating_dragon1.jpg|Mating
Image:Mating_dragon_2.jpg|Mating
Image:Aeshnid-ovipositing-800x600.jpg|Dragonfly depositing eggs
File:Darter August 2007-20.jpg|Sympetrum fonscolombii
Image:Polish_dragonfly.jpg| Dragonfly from Lower Silesia - top
Image:A Perched Dragonfly.jpg|A perched dragonfly Widow Skimmer
Image:Cali spreadwing2.jpg|California Spreadwing Archilestes californicus
Image:Pied paddy skimmer female.JPG|Indian pied paddy skimmer female
Image:Pied paddy skimmer male(Neurothemis tullia tullia).jpg| Indian pied paddy skimmer male
Image:Blue Dragonfly Resting on Water.jpg|in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA
Image:Blue_dragonfly_Kamakura_Japan.jpg|Blue Dragonfly in Kamakura, Japan
Image:Sardinian_Dragonfly.JPG|Sardinian Dragonfly
Image:Darter August 2007-19.jpg|Female Red-veined darter. Lisboa, Portugal
Image:EmperorDragonfly.JPG|Emperor dragonfly in Greece
Image:Eye of dragonfly.jpg|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
Image:Dragonfly by Nabarun.JPG|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
File:Dragonfly001.jpg|Red Dragonfly (Trithemis annulata), Israel
* Elliot Pinhey
* List of British dragonflies
* Obelisk posture
* Tree of Life Odonata
*
* Identification key to dragonflies found in Ireland
* British Dragonfly Society
* Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the United States
* PHAON (Pinhey's Heritage African Odonata Network)
* Dragonflies in folklore and art
* dragonflies and damselflies on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* Photos of dragonflies from Asia, Africa, America, and Russia
|
Dragonfly | Which culture has a legend that claims that trolls sent dragonflies to poke out their enemies' eyes? | null | data/set1/a7 | Dragonfly
Dragonfly emerging as an adult
Pair of Yellow Striped Hunters mating
A dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking.
Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic.
Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often on floating or emergent plants. When laying eggs, some species will submerge themselves completely in order to lay their eggs on a good surface. The eggs then hatch into nymphs. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the naiad (that is, nymph) form, beneath the water's surface, using extendable jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. /ref> Some nymphs even hunt on land, an aptitude which could easily have been more common in ancient times when terrestrial predators were clumsier.
The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larva to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies. In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions; upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months.
Formerly, the Anisoptera were given suborder rank beside the "ancient dragonflies" (Anisozygoptera) which were believed to contain the two living species of the genus Epiophlebia and numerous fossil ones. More recently it turned out that the "anisozygopterans" form a paraphyletic assemblage of morphologically primitive relatives of the Anisoptera. Thus, the Anisoptera (true dragonflies) are reduced to an infraorder in the new suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies in general). The artificial grouping Anisozygoptera is disbanded, its members being largely recognized as extinct offshoots at various stages of dragonfly evolution. The two living species formerly placed there â the Asian relict dragonflies â form the infraorder Epiophlebioptera alongside the Anisoptera.
Unusually for a damselfly, the Sydney Flatwing hold their wings horizontal (perpendicular) to their body
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are often confused with newly moulted dragonflies but once a dragonfly molts it is fully grown. There are other distinctions that set them apart: most damselflies hold their wings at rest together above the torso or held slightly open above (such as in the family Lestidae), whereas most dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontally or occasionally slightly down and forward. Also, the back wing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body, while the back wing of the damselfly is similar to the front wing. The eyes on a damselfly are apart; in most dragonflies the eyes touch. Notable exceptions are the Petaluridae (Petaltails) and the Gomphidae (Clubtails).
Broad-bodied Chaser
A Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau) in mid flight
Kirby's Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) in Tsumeb, Namibia.
Flame Skimmer
In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. Another Swedish legend holds that trolls use the dragonflies as spindles when weaving their clothes (hence the Swedish word for dragonfly trollslända, lit. "troll's spindle") as well as sending them to poke out the eyes of their enemies. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Ãyenstikker", which literally means Eye Poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "Tira-olhos" (Eye snatcher). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. The Lithuanian word "Laum žirgis" is a composite word meaning "the Lauma's horse", while in Dutch, Aeshna mixta is called "Paardenbijter" or "horse biter". In some South American countries, dragonflies are also called matacaballo (horse killer), or caballito del diablo (devil's little horse), since they were perceived as harmful, some species being quite large for an insect.
In East Asia and among Native Americans, dragonflies have a far better reputation, one that can also be said to have positively influenced modern day views about dragonflies in most countries, in the same vein as the insect's namesake, the dragon, which has a positive image in the east, but initially had an association with evil in the west.
Dragonfly symbol on a Hopi bowl from Sikyatki archaeological site.
For some Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity, and for the Navajo they symbolize pure water. Dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in Hopi rock art and on Pueblo necklaces. Mitchell and Lasswell, 20-26. It is said in some Native American beliefs that dragonflies are a symbol of renewal after a time of great hardship.
They also have traditional uses as medicine in Japan and China. In some parts of the world they are a food source, eaten either as adults or larvae; in Indonesia, for example, they are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.
Vietnamese people have a traditional way to forecast rain by seeing dragonflies: "Chuá»n chuá»n bay thấp thì mÆ°a, bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì râm" (Dragonflies fly at low level, it is rainy; dragonflies fly at high level, it is sunny; dragonflies fly at medium level, it is shadowy).
In some parts of the world it is considered lucky to have a dragonfly land on you, even to the point of yielding seven years of good luck.
In the United States dragonflies and damselflies are sought out as a hobby similar to birding and butterflying, known as oding, from the dragonfly's Latin species name, odonata. Oding is especially popular in Texas, where 225 out of a total of 457 known species of odonates in the world have been observed. With care, dragonflies can be handled and released by Oders, like butterflies. "Dragonflying: The new birding" by Tracy Hobson Lehmann San Antonio Express-News June 19, 2008
Images of dragonflies were common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs. They also appear in posters by modern artists such as Maeve Harris. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.
In Japan dragonflies symbolize "martial success," due to similarity in the sound of the word "dragonfly" and "victory" in Japanese. As a seasonal symbol, the dragonfly is associated with late summer and early autumn.
More generally, in Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. In ancient mythology, Japan was known as Akitsushima, which means "Land of the Dragonflies". The love for dragonflies is reflected by the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight. Mitchell and Lasswell, 38.
Also, in Japan, amongst the Three Great Spears of Japan is one which is called the Tonbogiri, which when translated is called 'The Dragon Fly Cutter'. The spear is an important part of Japan's imperial regalia - the spear itself was once wielded by the legendary Samurai, Honda Tadakatsu. Its name is derived from the story that the blade is so sharp, a dragonfly once landed on it and was instantly cut in half.
In drug references, several drugs have been synthesized that have molecule structures resembling Dragonflies. For instance Bromo-dragonfly and 2C-B-FLY. The names reflect the dragonfly appearance.
Image:Red_dragon_fly.jpg|Red Dragonfly from California
Image:Dragonfly_(2413057204).jpg|Dragonfly from Florida.
Image:Aust blue dragonfly02.jpg|Australian blue dragonfly
Image:Dragonfly on leaf.jpg|African dragonfly perched on a leaf
Image:Anax_withmeal.jpg|Green Darner Dragonfly feeding on honey bee
Image:Yellow-striped hunter dragonfly05.jpg|Austrogomphus guerini
Image:RubyMeadowhawkDragonfly.jpg|Flame Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata
Image:Dragonfly midair.jpg|Dragonfly in midflight over a creek
Image:Dragonfly eye 3811.jpg|The compound eyes of a dragonfly
Image:Cherry-faced meadowhawk pair.jpg|Cherry-faced Meadowhawk,
Sympetrum internum
Image:Aeshna mixta6.jpg|Dragonflies mating
Image:Mating_dragon1.jpg|Mating
Image:Mating_dragon_2.jpg|Mating
Image:Aeshnid-ovipositing-800x600.jpg|Dragonfly depositing eggs
File:Darter August 2007-20.jpg|Sympetrum fonscolombii
Image:Polish_dragonfly.jpg| Dragonfly from Lower Silesia - top
Image:A Perched Dragonfly.jpg|A perched dragonfly Widow Skimmer
Image:Cali spreadwing2.jpg|California Spreadwing Archilestes californicus
Image:Pied paddy skimmer female.JPG|Indian pied paddy skimmer female
Image:Pied paddy skimmer male(Neurothemis tullia tullia).jpg| Indian pied paddy skimmer male
Image:Blue Dragonfly Resting on Water.jpg|in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA
Image:Blue_dragonfly_Kamakura_Japan.jpg|Blue Dragonfly in Kamakura, Japan
Image:Sardinian_Dragonfly.JPG|Sardinian Dragonfly
Image:Darter August 2007-19.jpg|Female Red-veined darter. Lisboa, Portugal
Image:EmperorDragonfly.JPG|Emperor dragonfly in Greece
Image:Eye of dragonfly.jpg|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
Image:Dragonfly by Nabarun.JPG|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
File:Dragonfly001.jpg|Red Dragonfly (Trithemis annulata), Israel
* Elliot Pinhey
* List of British dragonflies
* Obelisk posture
* Tree of Life Odonata
*
* Identification key to dragonflies found in Ireland
* British Dragonfly Society
* Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the United States
* PHAON (Pinhey's Heritage African Odonata Network)
* Dragonflies in folklore and art
* dragonflies and damselflies on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* Photos of dragonflies from Asia, Africa, America, and Russia
|
Dragonfly | Which culture has a legend that claims that trolls sent dragonflies to poke out their enemies' eyes? | null | data/set1/a7 | Dragonfly
Dragonfly emerging as an adult
Pair of Yellow Striped Hunters mating
A dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking.
Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic.
Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often on floating or emergent plants. When laying eggs, some species will submerge themselves completely in order to lay their eggs on a good surface. The eggs then hatch into nymphs. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the naiad (that is, nymph) form, beneath the water's surface, using extendable jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. /ref> Some nymphs even hunt on land, an aptitude which could easily have been more common in ancient times when terrestrial predators were clumsier.
The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larva to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies. In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions; upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months.
Formerly, the Anisoptera were given suborder rank beside the "ancient dragonflies" (Anisozygoptera) which were believed to contain the two living species of the genus Epiophlebia and numerous fossil ones. More recently it turned out that the "anisozygopterans" form a paraphyletic assemblage of morphologically primitive relatives of the Anisoptera. Thus, the Anisoptera (true dragonflies) are reduced to an infraorder in the new suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies in general). The artificial grouping Anisozygoptera is disbanded, its members being largely recognized as extinct offshoots at various stages of dragonfly evolution. The two living species formerly placed there â the Asian relict dragonflies â form the infraorder Epiophlebioptera alongside the Anisoptera.
Unusually for a damselfly, the Sydney Flatwing hold their wings horizontal (perpendicular) to their body
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are often confused with newly moulted dragonflies but once a dragonfly molts it is fully grown. There are other distinctions that set them apart: most damselflies hold their wings at rest together above the torso or held slightly open above (such as in the family Lestidae), whereas most dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontally or occasionally slightly down and forward. Also, the back wing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body, while the back wing of the damselfly is similar to the front wing. The eyes on a damselfly are apart; in most dragonflies the eyes touch. Notable exceptions are the Petaluridae (Petaltails) and the Gomphidae (Clubtails).
Broad-bodied Chaser
A Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau) in mid flight
Kirby's Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) in Tsumeb, Namibia.
Flame Skimmer
In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. Another Swedish legend holds that trolls use the dragonflies as spindles when weaving their clothes (hence the Swedish word for dragonfly trollslända, lit. "troll's spindle") as well as sending them to poke out the eyes of their enemies. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Ãyenstikker", which literally means Eye Poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "Tira-olhos" (Eye snatcher). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. The Lithuanian word "Laum žirgis" is a composite word meaning "the Lauma's horse", while in Dutch, Aeshna mixta is called "Paardenbijter" or "horse biter". In some South American countries, dragonflies are also called matacaballo (horse killer), or caballito del diablo (devil's little horse), since they were perceived as harmful, some species being quite large for an insect.
In East Asia and among Native Americans, dragonflies have a far better reputation, one that can also be said to have positively influenced modern day views about dragonflies in most countries, in the same vein as the insect's namesake, the dragon, which has a positive image in the east, but initially had an association with evil in the west.
Dragonfly symbol on a Hopi bowl from Sikyatki archaeological site.
For some Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity, and for the Navajo they symbolize pure water. Dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in Hopi rock art and on Pueblo necklaces. Mitchell and Lasswell, 20-26. It is said in some Native American beliefs that dragonflies are a symbol of renewal after a time of great hardship.
They also have traditional uses as medicine in Japan and China. In some parts of the world they are a food source, eaten either as adults or larvae; in Indonesia, for example, they are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.
Vietnamese people have a traditional way to forecast rain by seeing dragonflies: "Chuá»n chuá»n bay thấp thì mÆ°a, bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì râm" (Dragonflies fly at low level, it is rainy; dragonflies fly at high level, it is sunny; dragonflies fly at medium level, it is shadowy).
In some parts of the world it is considered lucky to have a dragonfly land on you, even to the point of yielding seven years of good luck.
In the United States dragonflies and damselflies are sought out as a hobby similar to birding and butterflying, known as oding, from the dragonfly's Latin species name, odonata. Oding is especially popular in Texas, where 225 out of a total of 457 known species of odonates in the world have been observed. With care, dragonflies can be handled and released by Oders, like butterflies. "Dragonflying: The new birding" by Tracy Hobson Lehmann San Antonio Express-News June 19, 2008
Images of dragonflies were common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs. They also appear in posters by modern artists such as Maeve Harris. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.
In Japan dragonflies symbolize "martial success," due to similarity in the sound of the word "dragonfly" and "victory" in Japanese. As a seasonal symbol, the dragonfly is associated with late summer and early autumn.
More generally, in Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. In ancient mythology, Japan was known as Akitsushima, which means "Land of the Dragonflies". The love for dragonflies is reflected by the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight. Mitchell and Lasswell, 38.
Also, in Japan, amongst the Three Great Spears of Japan is one which is called the Tonbogiri, which when translated is called 'The Dragon Fly Cutter'. The spear is an important part of Japan's imperial regalia - the spear itself was once wielded by the legendary Samurai, Honda Tadakatsu. Its name is derived from the story that the blade is so sharp, a dragonfly once landed on it and was instantly cut in half.
In drug references, several drugs have been synthesized that have molecule structures resembling Dragonflies. For instance Bromo-dragonfly and 2C-B-FLY. The names reflect the dragonfly appearance.
Image:Red_dragon_fly.jpg|Red Dragonfly from California
Image:Dragonfly_(2413057204).jpg|Dragonfly from Florida.
Image:Aust blue dragonfly02.jpg|Australian blue dragonfly
Image:Dragonfly on leaf.jpg|African dragonfly perched on a leaf
Image:Anax_withmeal.jpg|Green Darner Dragonfly feeding on honey bee
Image:Yellow-striped hunter dragonfly05.jpg|Austrogomphus guerini
Image:RubyMeadowhawkDragonfly.jpg|Flame Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata
Image:Dragonfly midair.jpg|Dragonfly in midflight over a creek
Image:Dragonfly eye 3811.jpg|The compound eyes of a dragonfly
Image:Cherry-faced meadowhawk pair.jpg|Cherry-faced Meadowhawk,
Sympetrum internum
Image:Aeshna mixta6.jpg|Dragonflies mating
Image:Mating_dragon1.jpg|Mating
Image:Mating_dragon_2.jpg|Mating
Image:Aeshnid-ovipositing-800x600.jpg|Dragonfly depositing eggs
File:Darter August 2007-20.jpg|Sympetrum fonscolombii
Image:Polish_dragonfly.jpg| Dragonfly from Lower Silesia - top
Image:A Perched Dragonfly.jpg|A perched dragonfly Widow Skimmer
Image:Cali spreadwing2.jpg|California Spreadwing Archilestes californicus
Image:Pied paddy skimmer female.JPG|Indian pied paddy skimmer female
Image:Pied paddy skimmer male(Neurothemis tullia tullia).jpg| Indian pied paddy skimmer male
Image:Blue Dragonfly Resting on Water.jpg|in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA
Image:Blue_dragonfly_Kamakura_Japan.jpg|Blue Dragonfly in Kamakura, Japan
Image:Sardinian_Dragonfly.JPG|Sardinian Dragonfly
Image:Darter August 2007-19.jpg|Female Red-veined darter. Lisboa, Portugal
Image:EmperorDragonfly.JPG|Emperor dragonfly in Greece
Image:Eye of dragonfly.jpg|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
Image:Dragonfly by Nabarun.JPG|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
File:Dragonfly001.jpg|Red Dragonfly (Trithemis annulata), Israel
* Elliot Pinhey
* List of British dragonflies
* Obelisk posture
* Tree of Life Odonata
*
* Identification key to dragonflies found in Ireland
* British Dragonfly Society
* Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the United States
* PHAON (Pinhey's Heritage African Odonata Network)
* Dragonflies in folklore and art
* dragonflies and damselflies on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* Photos of dragonflies from Asia, Africa, America, and Russia
|
Dragonfly | Is the dragonfly associated with late summer as well as early autumn? | Yes | data/set1/a7 | Dragonfly
Dragonfly emerging as an adult
Pair of Yellow Striped Hunters mating
A dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking.
Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic.
Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often on floating or emergent plants. When laying eggs, some species will submerge themselves completely in order to lay their eggs on a good surface. The eggs then hatch into nymphs. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the naiad (that is, nymph) form, beneath the water's surface, using extendable jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. /ref> Some nymphs even hunt on land, an aptitude which could easily have been more common in ancient times when terrestrial predators were clumsier.
The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larva to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies. In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions; upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months.
Formerly, the Anisoptera were given suborder rank beside the "ancient dragonflies" (Anisozygoptera) which were believed to contain the two living species of the genus Epiophlebia and numerous fossil ones. More recently it turned out that the "anisozygopterans" form a paraphyletic assemblage of morphologically primitive relatives of the Anisoptera. Thus, the Anisoptera (true dragonflies) are reduced to an infraorder in the new suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies in general). The artificial grouping Anisozygoptera is disbanded, its members being largely recognized as extinct offshoots at various stages of dragonfly evolution. The two living species formerly placed there â the Asian relict dragonflies â form the infraorder Epiophlebioptera alongside the Anisoptera.
Unusually for a damselfly, the Sydney Flatwing hold their wings horizontal (perpendicular) to their body
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are often confused with newly moulted dragonflies but once a dragonfly molts it is fully grown. There are other distinctions that set them apart: most damselflies hold their wings at rest together above the torso or held slightly open above (such as in the family Lestidae), whereas most dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontally or occasionally slightly down and forward. Also, the back wing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body, while the back wing of the damselfly is similar to the front wing. The eyes on a damselfly are apart; in most dragonflies the eyes touch. Notable exceptions are the Petaluridae (Petaltails) and the Gomphidae (Clubtails).
Broad-bodied Chaser
A Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau) in mid flight
Kirby's Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) in Tsumeb, Namibia.
Flame Skimmer
In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. Another Swedish legend holds that trolls use the dragonflies as spindles when weaving their clothes (hence the Swedish word for dragonfly trollslända, lit. "troll's spindle") as well as sending them to poke out the eyes of their enemies. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Ãyenstikker", which literally means Eye Poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "Tira-olhos" (Eye snatcher). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. The Lithuanian word "Laum žirgis" is a composite word meaning "the Lauma's horse", while in Dutch, Aeshna mixta is called "Paardenbijter" or "horse biter". In some South American countries, dragonflies are also called matacaballo (horse killer), or caballito del diablo (devil's little horse), since they were perceived as harmful, some species being quite large for an insect.
In East Asia and among Native Americans, dragonflies have a far better reputation, one that can also be said to have positively influenced modern day views about dragonflies in most countries, in the same vein as the insect's namesake, the dragon, which has a positive image in the east, but initially had an association with evil in the west.
Dragonfly symbol on a Hopi bowl from Sikyatki archaeological site.
For some Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity, and for the Navajo they symbolize pure water. Dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in Hopi rock art and on Pueblo necklaces. Mitchell and Lasswell, 20-26. It is said in some Native American beliefs that dragonflies are a symbol of renewal after a time of great hardship.
They also have traditional uses as medicine in Japan and China. In some parts of the world they are a food source, eaten either as adults or larvae; in Indonesia, for example, they are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.
Vietnamese people have a traditional way to forecast rain by seeing dragonflies: "Chuá»n chuá»n bay thấp thì mÆ°a, bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì râm" (Dragonflies fly at low level, it is rainy; dragonflies fly at high level, it is sunny; dragonflies fly at medium level, it is shadowy).
In some parts of the world it is considered lucky to have a dragonfly land on you, even to the point of yielding seven years of good luck.
In the United States dragonflies and damselflies are sought out as a hobby similar to birding and butterflying, known as oding, from the dragonfly's Latin species name, odonata. Oding is especially popular in Texas, where 225 out of a total of 457 known species of odonates in the world have been observed. With care, dragonflies can be handled and released by Oders, like butterflies. "Dragonflying: The new birding" by Tracy Hobson Lehmann San Antonio Express-News June 19, 2008
Images of dragonflies were common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs. They also appear in posters by modern artists such as Maeve Harris. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.
In Japan dragonflies symbolize "martial success," due to similarity in the sound of the word "dragonfly" and "victory" in Japanese. As a seasonal symbol, the dragonfly is associated with late summer and early autumn.
More generally, in Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. In ancient mythology, Japan was known as Akitsushima, which means "Land of the Dragonflies". The love for dragonflies is reflected by the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight. Mitchell and Lasswell, 38.
Also, in Japan, amongst the Three Great Spears of Japan is one which is called the Tonbogiri, which when translated is called 'The Dragon Fly Cutter'. The spear is an important part of Japan's imperial regalia - the spear itself was once wielded by the legendary Samurai, Honda Tadakatsu. Its name is derived from the story that the blade is so sharp, a dragonfly once landed on it and was instantly cut in half.
In drug references, several drugs have been synthesized that have molecule structures resembling Dragonflies. For instance Bromo-dragonfly and 2C-B-FLY. The names reflect the dragonfly appearance.
Image:Red_dragon_fly.jpg|Red Dragonfly from California
Image:Dragonfly_(2413057204).jpg|Dragonfly from Florida.
Image:Aust blue dragonfly02.jpg|Australian blue dragonfly
Image:Dragonfly on leaf.jpg|African dragonfly perched on a leaf
Image:Anax_withmeal.jpg|Green Darner Dragonfly feeding on honey bee
Image:Yellow-striped hunter dragonfly05.jpg|Austrogomphus guerini
Image:RubyMeadowhawkDragonfly.jpg|Flame Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata
Image:Dragonfly midair.jpg|Dragonfly in midflight over a creek
Image:Dragonfly eye 3811.jpg|The compound eyes of a dragonfly
Image:Cherry-faced meadowhawk pair.jpg|Cherry-faced Meadowhawk,
Sympetrum internum
Image:Aeshna mixta6.jpg|Dragonflies mating
Image:Mating_dragon1.jpg|Mating
Image:Mating_dragon_2.jpg|Mating
Image:Aeshnid-ovipositing-800x600.jpg|Dragonfly depositing eggs
File:Darter August 2007-20.jpg|Sympetrum fonscolombii
Image:Polish_dragonfly.jpg| Dragonfly from Lower Silesia - top
Image:A Perched Dragonfly.jpg|A perched dragonfly Widow Skimmer
Image:Cali spreadwing2.jpg|California Spreadwing Archilestes californicus
Image:Pied paddy skimmer female.JPG|Indian pied paddy skimmer female
Image:Pied paddy skimmer male(Neurothemis tullia tullia).jpg| Indian pied paddy skimmer male
Image:Blue Dragonfly Resting on Water.jpg|in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA
Image:Blue_dragonfly_Kamakura_Japan.jpg|Blue Dragonfly in Kamakura, Japan
Image:Sardinian_Dragonfly.JPG|Sardinian Dragonfly
Image:Darter August 2007-19.jpg|Female Red-veined darter. Lisboa, Portugal
Image:EmperorDragonfly.JPG|Emperor dragonfly in Greece
Image:Eye of dragonfly.jpg|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
Image:Dragonfly by Nabarun.JPG|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
File:Dragonfly001.jpg|Red Dragonfly (Trithemis annulata), Israel
* Elliot Pinhey
* List of British dragonflies
* Obelisk posture
* Tree of Life Odonata
*
* Identification key to dragonflies found in Ireland
* British Dragonfly Society
* Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the United States
* PHAON (Pinhey's Heritage African Odonata Network)
* Dragonflies in folklore and art
* dragonflies and damselflies on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* Photos of dragonflies from Asia, Africa, America, and Russia
|
Dragonfly | Does Exposure to air cause the larva to begin breathing? | Yes (capitalization). | data/set1/a7 | Dragonfly
Dragonfly emerging as an adult
Pair of Yellow Striped Hunters mating
A dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking.
Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic.
Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often on floating or emergent plants. When laying eggs, some species will submerge themselves completely in order to lay their eggs on a good surface. The eggs then hatch into nymphs. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the naiad (that is, nymph) form, beneath the water's surface, using extendable jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. /ref> Some nymphs even hunt on land, an aptitude which could easily have been more common in ancient times when terrestrial predators were clumsier.
The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larva to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies. In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions; upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months.
Formerly, the Anisoptera were given suborder rank beside the "ancient dragonflies" (Anisozygoptera) which were believed to contain the two living species of the genus Epiophlebia and numerous fossil ones. More recently it turned out that the "anisozygopterans" form a paraphyletic assemblage of morphologically primitive relatives of the Anisoptera. Thus, the Anisoptera (true dragonflies) are reduced to an infraorder in the new suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies in general). The artificial grouping Anisozygoptera is disbanded, its members being largely recognized as extinct offshoots at various stages of dragonfly evolution. The two living species formerly placed there â the Asian relict dragonflies â form the infraorder Epiophlebioptera alongside the Anisoptera.
Unusually for a damselfly, the Sydney Flatwing hold their wings horizontal (perpendicular) to their body
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are often confused with newly moulted dragonflies but once a dragonfly molts it is fully grown. There are other distinctions that set them apart: most damselflies hold their wings at rest together above the torso or held slightly open above (such as in the family Lestidae), whereas most dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontally or occasionally slightly down and forward. Also, the back wing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body, while the back wing of the damselfly is similar to the front wing. The eyes on a damselfly are apart; in most dragonflies the eyes touch. Notable exceptions are the Petaluridae (Petaltails) and the Gomphidae (Clubtails).
Broad-bodied Chaser
A Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau) in mid flight
Kirby's Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) in Tsumeb, Namibia.
Flame Skimmer
In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. Another Swedish legend holds that trolls use the dragonflies as spindles when weaving their clothes (hence the Swedish word for dragonfly trollslända, lit. "troll's spindle") as well as sending them to poke out the eyes of their enemies. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Ãyenstikker", which literally means Eye Poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "Tira-olhos" (Eye snatcher). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. The Lithuanian word "Laum žirgis" is a composite word meaning "the Lauma's horse", while in Dutch, Aeshna mixta is called "Paardenbijter" or "horse biter". In some South American countries, dragonflies are also called matacaballo (horse killer), or caballito del diablo (devil's little horse), since they were perceived as harmful, some species being quite large for an insect.
In East Asia and among Native Americans, dragonflies have a far better reputation, one that can also be said to have positively influenced modern day views about dragonflies in most countries, in the same vein as the insect's namesake, the dragon, which has a positive image in the east, but initially had an association with evil in the west.
Dragonfly symbol on a Hopi bowl from Sikyatki archaeological site.
For some Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity, and for the Navajo they symbolize pure water. Dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in Hopi rock art and on Pueblo necklaces. Mitchell and Lasswell, 20-26. It is said in some Native American beliefs that dragonflies are a symbol of renewal after a time of great hardship.
They also have traditional uses as medicine in Japan and China. In some parts of the world they are a food source, eaten either as adults or larvae; in Indonesia, for example, they are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.
Vietnamese people have a traditional way to forecast rain by seeing dragonflies: "Chuá»n chuá»n bay thấp thì mÆ°a, bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì râm" (Dragonflies fly at low level, it is rainy; dragonflies fly at high level, it is sunny; dragonflies fly at medium level, it is shadowy).
In some parts of the world it is considered lucky to have a dragonfly land on you, even to the point of yielding seven years of good luck.
In the United States dragonflies and damselflies are sought out as a hobby similar to birding and butterflying, known as oding, from the dragonfly's Latin species name, odonata. Oding is especially popular in Texas, where 225 out of a total of 457 known species of odonates in the world have been observed. With care, dragonflies can be handled and released by Oders, like butterflies. "Dragonflying: The new birding" by Tracy Hobson Lehmann San Antonio Express-News June 19, 2008
Images of dragonflies were common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs. They also appear in posters by modern artists such as Maeve Harris. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.
In Japan dragonflies symbolize "martial success," due to similarity in the sound of the word "dragonfly" and "victory" in Japanese. As a seasonal symbol, the dragonfly is associated with late summer and early autumn.
More generally, in Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. In ancient mythology, Japan was known as Akitsushima, which means "Land of the Dragonflies". The love for dragonflies is reflected by the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight. Mitchell and Lasswell, 38.
Also, in Japan, amongst the Three Great Spears of Japan is one which is called the Tonbogiri, which when translated is called 'The Dragon Fly Cutter'. The spear is an important part of Japan's imperial regalia - the spear itself was once wielded by the legendary Samurai, Honda Tadakatsu. Its name is derived from the story that the blade is so sharp, a dragonfly once landed on it and was instantly cut in half.
In drug references, several drugs have been synthesized that have molecule structures resembling Dragonflies. For instance Bromo-dragonfly and 2C-B-FLY. The names reflect the dragonfly appearance.
Image:Red_dragon_fly.jpg|Red Dragonfly from California
Image:Dragonfly_(2413057204).jpg|Dragonfly from Florida.
Image:Aust blue dragonfly02.jpg|Australian blue dragonfly
Image:Dragonfly on leaf.jpg|African dragonfly perched on a leaf
Image:Anax_withmeal.jpg|Green Darner Dragonfly feeding on honey bee
Image:Yellow-striped hunter dragonfly05.jpg|Austrogomphus guerini
Image:RubyMeadowhawkDragonfly.jpg|Flame Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata
Image:Dragonfly midair.jpg|Dragonfly in midflight over a creek
Image:Dragonfly eye 3811.jpg|The compound eyes of a dragonfly
Image:Cherry-faced meadowhawk pair.jpg|Cherry-faced Meadowhawk,
Sympetrum internum
Image:Aeshna mixta6.jpg|Dragonflies mating
Image:Mating_dragon1.jpg|Mating
Image:Mating_dragon_2.jpg|Mating
Image:Aeshnid-ovipositing-800x600.jpg|Dragonfly depositing eggs
File:Darter August 2007-20.jpg|Sympetrum fonscolombii
Image:Polish_dragonfly.jpg| Dragonfly from Lower Silesia - top
Image:A Perched Dragonfly.jpg|A perched dragonfly Widow Skimmer
Image:Cali spreadwing2.jpg|California Spreadwing Archilestes californicus
Image:Pied paddy skimmer female.JPG|Indian pied paddy skimmer female
Image:Pied paddy skimmer male(Neurothemis tullia tullia).jpg| Indian pied paddy skimmer male
Image:Blue Dragonfly Resting on Water.jpg|in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA
Image:Blue_dragonfly_Kamakura_Japan.jpg|Blue Dragonfly in Kamakura, Japan
Image:Sardinian_Dragonfly.JPG|Sardinian Dragonfly
Image:Darter August 2007-19.jpg|Female Red-veined darter. Lisboa, Portugal
Image:EmperorDragonfly.JPG|Emperor dragonfly in Greece
Image:Eye of dragonfly.jpg|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
Image:Dragonfly by Nabarun.JPG|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
File:Dragonfly001.jpg|Red Dragonfly (Trithemis annulata), Israel
* Elliot Pinhey
* List of British dragonflies
* Obelisk posture
* Tree of Life Odonata
*
* Identification key to dragonflies found in Ireland
* British Dragonfly Society
* Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the United States
* PHAON (Pinhey's Heritage African Odonata Network)
* Dragonflies in folklore and art
* dragonflies and damselflies on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* Photos of dragonflies from Asia, Africa, America, and Russia
|
Dragonfly | Is it characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body? | Yes. | data/set1/a7 | Dragonfly
Dragonfly emerging as an adult
Pair of Yellow Striped Hunters mating
A dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking.
Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic.
Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often on floating or emergent plants. When laying eggs, some species will submerge themselves completely in order to lay their eggs on a good surface. The eggs then hatch into nymphs. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the naiad (that is, nymph) form, beneath the water's surface, using extendable jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. /ref> Some nymphs even hunt on land, an aptitude which could easily have been more common in ancient times when terrestrial predators were clumsier.
The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larva to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies. In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions; upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months.
Formerly, the Anisoptera were given suborder rank beside the "ancient dragonflies" (Anisozygoptera) which were believed to contain the two living species of the genus Epiophlebia and numerous fossil ones. More recently it turned out that the "anisozygopterans" form a paraphyletic assemblage of morphologically primitive relatives of the Anisoptera. Thus, the Anisoptera (true dragonflies) are reduced to an infraorder in the new suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies in general). The artificial grouping Anisozygoptera is disbanded, its members being largely recognized as extinct offshoots at various stages of dragonfly evolution. The two living species formerly placed there â the Asian relict dragonflies â form the infraorder Epiophlebioptera alongside the Anisoptera.
Unusually for a damselfly, the Sydney Flatwing hold their wings horizontal (perpendicular) to their body
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are often confused with newly moulted dragonflies but once a dragonfly molts it is fully grown. There are other distinctions that set them apart: most damselflies hold their wings at rest together above the torso or held slightly open above (such as in the family Lestidae), whereas most dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontally or occasionally slightly down and forward. Also, the back wing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body, while the back wing of the damselfly is similar to the front wing. The eyes on a damselfly are apart; in most dragonflies the eyes touch. Notable exceptions are the Petaluridae (Petaltails) and the Gomphidae (Clubtails).
Broad-bodied Chaser
A Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau) in mid flight
Kirby's Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) in Tsumeb, Namibia.
Flame Skimmer
In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. Another Swedish legend holds that trolls use the dragonflies as spindles when weaving their clothes (hence the Swedish word for dragonfly trollslända, lit. "troll's spindle") as well as sending them to poke out the eyes of their enemies. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Ãyenstikker", which literally means Eye Poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "Tira-olhos" (Eye snatcher). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. The Lithuanian word "Laum žirgis" is a composite word meaning "the Lauma's horse", while in Dutch, Aeshna mixta is called "Paardenbijter" or "horse biter". In some South American countries, dragonflies are also called matacaballo (horse killer), or caballito del diablo (devil's little horse), since they were perceived as harmful, some species being quite large for an insect.
In East Asia and among Native Americans, dragonflies have a far better reputation, one that can also be said to have positively influenced modern day views about dragonflies in most countries, in the same vein as the insect's namesake, the dragon, which has a positive image in the east, but initially had an association with evil in the west.
Dragonfly symbol on a Hopi bowl from Sikyatki archaeological site.
For some Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity, and for the Navajo they symbolize pure water. Dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in Hopi rock art and on Pueblo necklaces. Mitchell and Lasswell, 20-26. It is said in some Native American beliefs that dragonflies are a symbol of renewal after a time of great hardship.
They also have traditional uses as medicine in Japan and China. In some parts of the world they are a food source, eaten either as adults or larvae; in Indonesia, for example, they are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.
Vietnamese people have a traditional way to forecast rain by seeing dragonflies: "Chuá»n chuá»n bay thấp thì mÆ°a, bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì râm" (Dragonflies fly at low level, it is rainy; dragonflies fly at high level, it is sunny; dragonflies fly at medium level, it is shadowy).
In some parts of the world it is considered lucky to have a dragonfly land on you, even to the point of yielding seven years of good luck.
In the United States dragonflies and damselflies are sought out as a hobby similar to birding and butterflying, known as oding, from the dragonfly's Latin species name, odonata. Oding is especially popular in Texas, where 225 out of a total of 457 known species of odonates in the world have been observed. With care, dragonflies can be handled and released by Oders, like butterflies. "Dragonflying: The new birding" by Tracy Hobson Lehmann San Antonio Express-News June 19, 2008
Images of dragonflies were common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs. They also appear in posters by modern artists such as Maeve Harris. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.
In Japan dragonflies symbolize "martial success," due to similarity in the sound of the word "dragonfly" and "victory" in Japanese. As a seasonal symbol, the dragonfly is associated with late summer and early autumn.
More generally, in Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. In ancient mythology, Japan was known as Akitsushima, which means "Land of the Dragonflies". The love for dragonflies is reflected by the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight. Mitchell and Lasswell, 38.
Also, in Japan, amongst the Three Great Spears of Japan is one which is called the Tonbogiri, which when translated is called 'The Dragon Fly Cutter'. The spear is an important part of Japan's imperial regalia - the spear itself was once wielded by the legendary Samurai, Honda Tadakatsu. Its name is derived from the story that the blade is so sharp, a dragonfly once landed on it and was instantly cut in half.
In drug references, several drugs have been synthesized that have molecule structures resembling Dragonflies. For instance Bromo-dragonfly and 2C-B-FLY. The names reflect the dragonfly appearance.
Image:Red_dragon_fly.jpg|Red Dragonfly from California
Image:Dragonfly_(2413057204).jpg|Dragonfly from Florida.
Image:Aust blue dragonfly02.jpg|Australian blue dragonfly
Image:Dragonfly on leaf.jpg|African dragonfly perched on a leaf
Image:Anax_withmeal.jpg|Green Darner Dragonfly feeding on honey bee
Image:Yellow-striped hunter dragonfly05.jpg|Austrogomphus guerini
Image:RubyMeadowhawkDragonfly.jpg|Flame Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata
Image:Dragonfly midair.jpg|Dragonfly in midflight over a creek
Image:Dragonfly eye 3811.jpg|The compound eyes of a dragonfly
Image:Cherry-faced meadowhawk pair.jpg|Cherry-faced Meadowhawk,
Sympetrum internum
Image:Aeshna mixta6.jpg|Dragonflies mating
Image:Mating_dragon1.jpg|Mating
Image:Mating_dragon_2.jpg|Mating
Image:Aeshnid-ovipositing-800x600.jpg|Dragonfly depositing eggs
File:Darter August 2007-20.jpg|Sympetrum fonscolombii
Image:Polish_dragonfly.jpg| Dragonfly from Lower Silesia - top
Image:A Perched Dragonfly.jpg|A perched dragonfly Widow Skimmer
Image:Cali spreadwing2.jpg|California Spreadwing Archilestes californicus
Image:Pied paddy skimmer female.JPG|Indian pied paddy skimmer female
Image:Pied paddy skimmer male(Neurothemis tullia tullia).jpg| Indian pied paddy skimmer male
Image:Blue Dragonfly Resting on Water.jpg|in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA
Image:Blue_dragonfly_Kamakura_Japan.jpg|Blue Dragonfly in Kamakura, Japan
Image:Sardinian_Dragonfly.JPG|Sardinian Dragonfly
Image:Darter August 2007-19.jpg|Female Red-veined darter. Lisboa, Portugal
Image:EmperorDragonfly.JPG|Emperor dragonfly in Greece
Image:Eye of dragonfly.jpg|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
Image:Dragonfly by Nabarun.JPG|Dragonfly, Kolkata India
File:Dragonfly001.jpg|Red Dragonfly (Trithemis annulata), Israel
* Elliot Pinhey
* List of British dragonflies
* Obelisk posture
* Tree of Life Odonata
*
* Identification key to dragonflies found in Ireland
* British Dragonfly Society
* Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the United States
* PHAON (Pinhey's Heritage African Odonata Network)
* Dragonflies in folklore and art
* dragonflies and damselflies on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* Photos of dragonflies from Asia, Africa, America, and Russia
|
Drum | Is the drum a member of the percussion group? | yes | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Is the drum a member of the percussion group? | yes | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Does each type of drum head serve its own musical purpose? | yes | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Does each type of drum head serve its own musical purpose? | yes | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Is the Aburukuwa a type of drum? | yes | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Is the Aburukuwa a type of drum? | yes | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | How long has the basic design of the drum remained unchanged? | remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | How long has the basic design of the drum remained unchanged? | thousands of years | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | What is the second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum? | tension | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | What is the second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum? | the tension at which the drum head is held against the shell of the drum. | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | By what name are drums classified as under the percussion group? | membranophone | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | By what name are drums classified as under the percussion group? | membranous | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | How do rock and roll drummers like their drumheads? | rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | How do rock and roll drummers like their drumheads? | drums that sound loud and deep | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Whare is the name for drums that have a set of wires held across some of all of the drum heads? | snares | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Had the drums been used in Sri Lanka since Before Christ? | yes | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Had the drums been used in Sri Lanka since Before Christ? | yes | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Is the drum a member of the percussion group? | yes | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Is the drum a member of the percussion group? | yes | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Are drums often used in music therapy? | yes | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Are drums often used in music therapy? | yes | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Do drums consist of at least eight membranes? | no | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Do drums consist of at least eight membranes? | no | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | What has the most effect on how a drum sounds? | the drumhead | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | What has the most effect on how a drum sounds? | the drumhead | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Who constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums? | Terry Bozzio | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Who constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums? | Terry Bozzio | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Drums are usually played by what? | the hands, or by one or two sticks | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Drums are usually played by what? | the hands | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Has the design of drums changed recently? | no | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Has the design of drums changed recently? | no | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Can some cylindrical shell drums have no drum heads? | no | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Can some cylindrical shell drums have no drum heads? | no | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Does every drumhead make the same sound? | no | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Does every drumhead make the same sound? | no | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Aren't drums often used in music therapy? | Yes, drums are often used in music therapy. | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Aren't drums usually played by the hands? | Yes. | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Are drums usually played by the hands? | Yes | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Do many such drums have six to ten tension rods? | Yes. | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Do drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound? | yes | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Drum | Have other techniques been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the ``Thumb roll''? | Yes | data/set2/a4 | Drum
Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin
The drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone.
. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.
Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs .
The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani, for example, use bowl-shaped shells . Other shapes include a frame design (tar, Bodhrán), truncated cones (bongo drums, Ashiko), goblet shaped (djembe), and joined truncated cones (talking drum),
Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as is the case with timbales), or can have two drum heads. Single-headed drums normally consist of a skin which is stretched over an enclosed space, or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel. Drums with two heads covering both ends of a cylindrical shell often have a small hole somewhat halfway between the two heads; the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums with two heads can also have a set of wires, called snares, held across the bottom head, top head, or both heads, hence the name snare drum .
On modern band and orchestral drums, the drumhead is placed over the opening of the drum, which in turn is held onto the shell by a "counterhoop" (or "rim), which is then held by means of a number of tuning keyscrews called "tension rods" (also known as lugs) placed regularly around the circumference. The head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Many such drums have six to ten tension rods. The sound of a drum depends on several variables, including shape, size and thickness of its shell, materials from which the shell was made, counterhoop material, type of drumhead used and tension applied to it, position of the drum, location, and the velocity and angle in which it is struck.
Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums .
Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type of shell the drum has, the type of drumheads it has, and the tension of the drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, a jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Because these drummers want different sounds, their drums will be constructed differently.
The drumhead has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drumhead serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Thicker drumheads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drumheads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drumhead slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drumheads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drumheads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drumheads, preferring single ply drumheads or drumheads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drumheads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is the tension at which the drumhead is held against the shell of the drum. When the hoop is placed around the drumhead and shell and tightened down with bolts, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch of the drum will be. The type of wood is important as well. Birch generates a bright, crisp, and clean sound, maple reproduces the frequency of the drumhead as it resonates and has a warm, wholesome sound while mahogany raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch shells. For more information about tuning drums or the physics of a drum, visit the external links listed below.
Drums are usually played by the hands, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Within the realm of popular music and jazz, "drums" usually refers to a drum kit or a set of drums, and "drummer" to the actual band member or person who plays them.
Moche ceramic vessel depicting a drummer. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history drums have been used for communication between the state and the community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over 2500 years. Chinese troops used tà igÇ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements . Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip). It is to this instrument that English word "drum" was first used. Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks. Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique drum beats which only they would recognize.
Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, from a 12th century remake of Gu Hongzhong's 10th century original, Song Dynasty.
* Aburukuwa
* Ashiko
* bass drums
* Bodhrán
* bongo drums
* Bougarabou
* Five gallon buckets
* Cajón
* Cocktail drum
* Chenda
* Conga
* Darbuka
* Davul
* Damphu
* Dhak
* Dhimay
* Dhol
* Dholak
* Djembe
* Dong Son drum
* Drum kit
* Ewe Drums
* Goblet drum
* Hand drum
* Kpanlogo
* Log drum
* Madal
* Mridangam
* side drum (Marching snare drum)
* Slit drum
* Snare drum
* Steelpan (steel drum)
* Tabor
* Tambourine
* Taiko
* Tabla
* Talking drum
* Tapan
* Tar
* Tavil
* Tenor drums
* Timbales
* Timpani
* Tom-tom drum
* Blast beat
* Double drumming
* Drum beat
* Drum circle
* Drum kit
* Drumline
* Drum machine
* Drum replacement
* Drummer
* Vibrations of a circular drum
* Hearing the shape of a drum
* Gallop
* List of drummers
* Musical instrument
* Practice pad
* Percussive Arts Society
* Drumsticks
* Electronic drum
Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian.
*Howie. 2005. Tuning. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
*Johnson. 1999. Drum Woods. Retrieved on: April 22, 2005.
* WikiRecording's Guide to Recording Drums
* 411Drums: Drums Lessons, Drum Tabs, Drum History, Drum Tips & more
|
Eel | Is the electric eel a true eel? | No | data/set1/a8 | Eel
:"Eel" often refers to one particular species of Anguilliformes: Anguilla anguilla (Europe), A. japonica (East Asia) or A. rostrata (North America).
True eels (Anguilliformes; ) are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 19 families, 110 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators. The term "eel" is also used for some other similarly shaped fish, such as electric eels and spiny eels, but these are not members of the Anguilliformes order.
True eels are elongated fishes, ranging in length from in the one-jawed eel (Monognathus ahlstromi) to in the giant moray. They possess no pelvic fins, and many species also lack pectoral fins. The dorsal and anal fins are fused with the caudal or tail fin, to form a single ribbon running along much of the length of the animal.
Most true eels prefer to dwell in shallow waters or hide at the bottom layer of the ocean, sometimes in holes. These holes are called eel pits. Only members of the Anguillidae family regularly inhabit fresh water; they too return to the sea to breed. Some eels dwell in water as deep as . Others are active swimmers.
Eels begin life as flat and transparent larvae, called leptocephali. Eel larvae drift in the surface waters of the sea feeding on small particles called marine snow. Eel larvae then metamorphorphose into glass eels and then become elvers before finally seeking out the adult habitat.
A moray eel. Juvenile American eels
Garden eels
This classification follows FishBase in dividing the eels into fifteen families. Additional families that are included in other classifications (notably ITIS and Systema Naturae 2000) are noted below the family with which they are synomized in the Fish Base system.
The origin of the fresh water species has been problematic. Genomic studies indicate that they are a monophylectic group which originated amoung the deep sea eels. Inoue JG, Miya M, Miller MJ, Sado T, Hanel R, Hatooka K, Aoyama J, Minegishi Y, Nishida M, Tsukamoto K (2010) Deep-ocean origin of the freshwater eels. Biol. Lett.
Suborder Anguilloidei
*Anguillidae (freshwater eels)
*Chlopsidae (false morays)
*Heterenchelyidae (mud eels)
*Moringuidae (spaghetti eels)
*Muraenidae (moray eels)
*Myrocongridae (thin eels)
Suborder Congroidei
*Colocongridae (worm eels)
*Congridae (congers)
**Including Macrocephenchelyidae
*Derichthyidae (longneck eels)
**Including Nessorhamphidae
*Muraenesocidae (pike congers)
*Nettastomatidae (duckbill eels)
*Ophichthidae (snake eels)
Suborder Nemichthyoidei
*Nemichthyidae (snipe eels)
*Serrivomeridae (sawtooth eels)
Suborder Synaphobranchoidei
*Synaphobranchidae (cutthroat eels)
**Including Dysommidae, Nettodaridae, and Simenchelyidae
In some classifications the family Cyematidae of bobtail snipe eels is included in the Anguilliformes, but in the FishBase system that family is included in the order Saccopharyngiformes.
The electric eel of South America is not a true eel, but is more closely related to the Carp.
alt=Photo of thin-sliced fish in restaurant setting
alt=Drawing of man standing on pier, with the shore to the left and a nested series of cone-shaped nets extending along the water surface to the right
Freshwater eels (unagi) and marine eels (conger eel, anago) are commonly used in Japanese cuisine; foods such as Unadon and Unajuu are popular but expensive. Eels are also very popular in Chinese cuisine, and are prepared in many different ways. Hong Kong eel prices have often reached 1000 HKD per kilogram, and once exceeded 5000 HKD per kilogram. Eel is also popular in Korean cuisine and is seen as a source of stamina for men. The European eel and other freshwater eels are eaten in Europe, the United States, and other places. A traditional East London food is jellied eels, although their demand has significantly declined since World War II. The Basque delicacy angulas consists of deep-fried elver (young eels); elver eels usually reach prices of up to 1000 euro per kilogram. New Zealand longfin eel is a traditional MÄori food in New Zealand. In Italian cuisine eels from the Comacchio area (a swampy zone along the Adriatic coast) are specially prized along with freshwater eels of Bolsena Lake. In northern Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, smoked eel is considered a delicacy.
Fisherman consumed elvers as a cheap dish, but environmental changes have reduced eel populations. They are now considered a delicacy and are priced at up to £700 per kg in the United Kingdom.
Eels, particularly the Moray eel, are popular among marine aquarists.
Eel blood is toxic to humans , but cooking destroys the toxic protein. The toxin derived from eel blood serum was used by Charles Richet in his Nobel winning research which discovered anaphylaxis (by injecting it into dogs and observing the effect).
alt=Photo of eight eels on white sheet
The English name eel descends from Old English ǽl, Common Germanic * laz. Also from the common Germanic are Middle Dutch ael, Old High German âl, Old Norse áll. Katz (1998) J. Katz, 'How to be a Dragon in Indo-European: Hittite illuyankas and its Linguistic and Cultural Congeners in Latin, Greek, and Germanic', in: MÃr Curad. Studies in Honor of Calvert Watkins, ed. Jasanoff, Melchert, Oliver, Innsbruck 1998, 317â334.
identifies a number of Indo-European cognates, among them the second part of the Latin name of the eels, anguilla, which is attested in its simplex form illa in a glossary only, and likewise the Greek word for "eel", egkhelys, the second part being attested in Hesychius as elyes. The first compound member, anguis "snake", is cognate to other Indo-European words for "snake", cf. Old Irish escung "eel", Old High German unc "snake", Lithuanian angìs, Greek ophis, okhis, Vedic Sanskrit áhi, Avestan aži, Armenian auj, iž, Old Church Slavonic * žÑ, all from Proto-Indo-European *og uh is, Äg uh is. The word also appears in Old English igil "hedgehog" (named as the "snake eater"), and perhaps in the egi- of Old High German egidehsa "wall lizard".
The name of Bellerophon (ÎελλεÏοÏÏνÏηÏ, attested in a variant á¼Î»Î»ÎµÏοÏÏνÏÎ·Ï in Eustathius of Thessalonica) according to this theory is also related, translating to "the slayer of the serpent" (ahihán), the ελλεÏο- being an adjective for a lost ελλÏ
- "snake", directly comparable to Hittite ellu-essar- "snake pit". This myth likely came to Greece via Anatolia, and in the Hittite version, the dragon is called Illuyanka, the illuy- part being cognate to the illa word, and the -anka part being cognate to the angu word for "snake". As designations for "snake" (and similar shaped animals) are often liable to taboo in many Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages, no unambiguous Proto-Indo-European form for the eel word can thus be reconstructed, it could have been *Äl(l)-u-, *Äl(l)-o- or similar.
A famous attraction on the French Polynesian island of Huahine (part of the Society Islands) is the bridge across a stream hosting long eels, deemed sacred by local culture.
* Eel life history
*
*
|
Eel | Is the electric eel a true eel? | No, the electric eel is not a true eel. | data/set1/a8 | Eel
:"Eel" often refers to one particular species of Anguilliformes: Anguilla anguilla (Europe), A. japonica (East Asia) or A. rostrata (North America).
True eels (Anguilliformes; ) are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 19 families, 110 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators. The term "eel" is also used for some other similarly shaped fish, such as electric eels and spiny eels, but these are not members of the Anguilliformes order.
True eels are elongated fishes, ranging in length from in the one-jawed eel (Monognathus ahlstromi) to in the giant moray. They possess no pelvic fins, and many species also lack pectoral fins. The dorsal and anal fins are fused with the caudal or tail fin, to form a single ribbon running along much of the length of the animal.
Most true eels prefer to dwell in shallow waters or hide at the bottom layer of the ocean, sometimes in holes. These holes are called eel pits. Only members of the Anguillidae family regularly inhabit fresh water; they too return to the sea to breed. Some eels dwell in water as deep as . Others are active swimmers.
Eels begin life as flat and transparent larvae, called leptocephali. Eel larvae drift in the surface waters of the sea feeding on small particles called marine snow. Eel larvae then metamorphorphose into glass eels and then become elvers before finally seeking out the adult habitat.
A moray eel. Juvenile American eels
Garden eels
This classification follows FishBase in dividing the eels into fifteen families. Additional families that are included in other classifications (notably ITIS and Systema Naturae 2000) are noted below the family with which they are synomized in the Fish Base system.
The origin of the fresh water species has been problematic. Genomic studies indicate that they are a monophylectic group which originated amoung the deep sea eels. Inoue JG, Miya M, Miller MJ, Sado T, Hanel R, Hatooka K, Aoyama J, Minegishi Y, Nishida M, Tsukamoto K (2010) Deep-ocean origin of the freshwater eels. Biol. Lett.
Suborder Anguilloidei
*Anguillidae (freshwater eels)
*Chlopsidae (false morays)
*Heterenchelyidae (mud eels)
*Moringuidae (spaghetti eels)
*Muraenidae (moray eels)
*Myrocongridae (thin eels)
Suborder Congroidei
*Colocongridae (worm eels)
*Congridae (congers)
**Including Macrocephenchelyidae
*Derichthyidae (longneck eels)
**Including Nessorhamphidae
*Muraenesocidae (pike congers)
*Nettastomatidae (duckbill eels)
*Ophichthidae (snake eels)
Suborder Nemichthyoidei
*Nemichthyidae (snipe eels)
*Serrivomeridae (sawtooth eels)
Suborder Synaphobranchoidei
*Synaphobranchidae (cutthroat eels)
**Including Dysommidae, Nettodaridae, and Simenchelyidae
In some classifications the family Cyematidae of bobtail snipe eels is included in the Anguilliformes, but in the FishBase system that family is included in the order Saccopharyngiformes.
The electric eel of South America is not a true eel, but is more closely related to the Carp.
alt=Photo of thin-sliced fish in restaurant setting
alt=Drawing of man standing on pier, with the shore to the left and a nested series of cone-shaped nets extending along the water surface to the right
Freshwater eels (unagi) and marine eels (conger eel, anago) are commonly used in Japanese cuisine; foods such as Unadon and Unajuu are popular but expensive. Eels are also very popular in Chinese cuisine, and are prepared in many different ways. Hong Kong eel prices have often reached 1000 HKD per kilogram, and once exceeded 5000 HKD per kilogram. Eel is also popular in Korean cuisine and is seen as a source of stamina for men. The European eel and other freshwater eels are eaten in Europe, the United States, and other places. A traditional East London food is jellied eels, although their demand has significantly declined since World War II. The Basque delicacy angulas consists of deep-fried elver (young eels); elver eels usually reach prices of up to 1000 euro per kilogram. New Zealand longfin eel is a traditional MÄori food in New Zealand. In Italian cuisine eels from the Comacchio area (a swampy zone along the Adriatic coast) are specially prized along with freshwater eels of Bolsena Lake. In northern Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, smoked eel is considered a delicacy.
Fisherman consumed elvers as a cheap dish, but environmental changes have reduced eel populations. They are now considered a delicacy and are priced at up to £700 per kg in the United Kingdom.
Eels, particularly the Moray eel, are popular among marine aquarists.
Eel blood is toxic to humans , but cooking destroys the toxic protein. The toxin derived from eel blood serum was used by Charles Richet in his Nobel winning research which discovered anaphylaxis (by injecting it into dogs and observing the effect).
alt=Photo of eight eels on white sheet
The English name eel descends from Old English ǽl, Common Germanic * laz. Also from the common Germanic are Middle Dutch ael, Old High German âl, Old Norse áll. Katz (1998) J. Katz, 'How to be a Dragon in Indo-European: Hittite illuyankas and its Linguistic and Cultural Congeners in Latin, Greek, and Germanic', in: MÃr Curad. Studies in Honor of Calvert Watkins, ed. Jasanoff, Melchert, Oliver, Innsbruck 1998, 317â334.
identifies a number of Indo-European cognates, among them the second part of the Latin name of the eels, anguilla, which is attested in its simplex form illa in a glossary only, and likewise the Greek word for "eel", egkhelys, the second part being attested in Hesychius as elyes. The first compound member, anguis "snake", is cognate to other Indo-European words for "snake", cf. Old Irish escung "eel", Old High German unc "snake", Lithuanian angìs, Greek ophis, okhis, Vedic Sanskrit áhi, Avestan aži, Armenian auj, iž, Old Church Slavonic * žÑ, all from Proto-Indo-European *og uh is, Äg uh is. The word also appears in Old English igil "hedgehog" (named as the "snake eater"), and perhaps in the egi- of Old High German egidehsa "wall lizard".
The name of Bellerophon (ÎελλεÏοÏÏνÏηÏ, attested in a variant á¼Î»Î»ÎµÏοÏÏνÏÎ·Ï in Eustathius of Thessalonica) according to this theory is also related, translating to "the slayer of the serpent" (ahihán), the ελλεÏο- being an adjective for a lost ελλÏ
- "snake", directly comparable to Hittite ellu-essar- "snake pit". This myth likely came to Greece via Anatolia, and in the Hittite version, the dragon is called Illuyanka, the illuy- part being cognate to the illa word, and the -anka part being cognate to the angu word for "snake". As designations for "snake" (and similar shaped animals) are often liable to taboo in many Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages, no unambiguous Proto-Indo-European form for the eel word can thus be reconstructed, it could have been *Äl(l)-u-, *Äl(l)-o- or similar.
A famous attraction on the French Polynesian island of Huahine (part of the Society Islands) is the bridge across a stream hosting long eels, deemed sacred by local culture.
* Eel life history
*
*
|
Eel | Are most eels predators? | Yes | data/set1/a8 | Eel
:"Eel" often refers to one particular species of Anguilliformes: Anguilla anguilla (Europe), A. japonica (East Asia) or A. rostrata (North America).
True eels (Anguilliformes; ) are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 19 families, 110 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators. The term "eel" is also used for some other similarly shaped fish, such as electric eels and spiny eels, but these are not members of the Anguilliformes order.
True eels are elongated fishes, ranging in length from in the one-jawed eel (Monognathus ahlstromi) to in the giant moray. They possess no pelvic fins, and many species also lack pectoral fins. The dorsal and anal fins are fused with the caudal or tail fin, to form a single ribbon running along much of the length of the animal.
Most true eels prefer to dwell in shallow waters or hide at the bottom layer of the ocean, sometimes in holes. These holes are called eel pits. Only members of the Anguillidae family regularly inhabit fresh water; they too return to the sea to breed. Some eels dwell in water as deep as . Others are active swimmers.
Eels begin life as flat and transparent larvae, called leptocephali. Eel larvae drift in the surface waters of the sea feeding on small particles called marine snow. Eel larvae then metamorphorphose into glass eels and then become elvers before finally seeking out the adult habitat.
A moray eel. Juvenile American eels
Garden eels
This classification follows FishBase in dividing the eels into fifteen families. Additional families that are included in other classifications (notably ITIS and Systema Naturae 2000) are noted below the family with which they are synomized in the Fish Base system.
The origin of the fresh water species has been problematic. Genomic studies indicate that they are a monophylectic group which originated amoung the deep sea eels. Inoue JG, Miya M, Miller MJ, Sado T, Hanel R, Hatooka K, Aoyama J, Minegishi Y, Nishida M, Tsukamoto K (2010) Deep-ocean origin of the freshwater eels. Biol. Lett.
Suborder Anguilloidei
*Anguillidae (freshwater eels)
*Chlopsidae (false morays)
*Heterenchelyidae (mud eels)
*Moringuidae (spaghetti eels)
*Muraenidae (moray eels)
*Myrocongridae (thin eels)
Suborder Congroidei
*Colocongridae (worm eels)
*Congridae (congers)
**Including Macrocephenchelyidae
*Derichthyidae (longneck eels)
**Including Nessorhamphidae
*Muraenesocidae (pike congers)
*Nettastomatidae (duckbill eels)
*Ophichthidae (snake eels)
Suborder Nemichthyoidei
*Nemichthyidae (snipe eels)
*Serrivomeridae (sawtooth eels)
Suborder Synaphobranchoidei
*Synaphobranchidae (cutthroat eels)
**Including Dysommidae, Nettodaridae, and Simenchelyidae
In some classifications the family Cyematidae of bobtail snipe eels is included in the Anguilliformes, but in the FishBase system that family is included in the order Saccopharyngiformes.
The electric eel of South America is not a true eel, but is more closely related to the Carp.
alt=Photo of thin-sliced fish in restaurant setting
alt=Drawing of man standing on pier, with the shore to the left and a nested series of cone-shaped nets extending along the water surface to the right
Freshwater eels (unagi) and marine eels (conger eel, anago) are commonly used in Japanese cuisine; foods such as Unadon and Unajuu are popular but expensive. Eels are also very popular in Chinese cuisine, and are prepared in many different ways. Hong Kong eel prices have often reached 1000 HKD per kilogram, and once exceeded 5000 HKD per kilogram. Eel is also popular in Korean cuisine and is seen as a source of stamina for men. The European eel and other freshwater eels are eaten in Europe, the United States, and other places. A traditional East London food is jellied eels, although their demand has significantly declined since World War II. The Basque delicacy angulas consists of deep-fried elver (young eels); elver eels usually reach prices of up to 1000 euro per kilogram. New Zealand longfin eel is a traditional MÄori food in New Zealand. In Italian cuisine eels from the Comacchio area (a swampy zone along the Adriatic coast) are specially prized along with freshwater eels of Bolsena Lake. In northern Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, smoked eel is considered a delicacy.
Fisherman consumed elvers as a cheap dish, but environmental changes have reduced eel populations. They are now considered a delicacy and are priced at up to £700 per kg in the United Kingdom.
Eels, particularly the Moray eel, are popular among marine aquarists.
Eel blood is toxic to humans , but cooking destroys the toxic protein. The toxin derived from eel blood serum was used by Charles Richet in his Nobel winning research which discovered anaphylaxis (by injecting it into dogs and observing the effect).
alt=Photo of eight eels on white sheet
The English name eel descends from Old English ǽl, Common Germanic * laz. Also from the common Germanic are Middle Dutch ael, Old High German âl, Old Norse áll. Katz (1998) J. Katz, 'How to be a Dragon in Indo-European: Hittite illuyankas and its Linguistic and Cultural Congeners in Latin, Greek, and Germanic', in: MÃr Curad. Studies in Honor of Calvert Watkins, ed. Jasanoff, Melchert, Oliver, Innsbruck 1998, 317â334.
identifies a number of Indo-European cognates, among them the second part of the Latin name of the eels, anguilla, which is attested in its simplex form illa in a glossary only, and likewise the Greek word for "eel", egkhelys, the second part being attested in Hesychius as elyes. The first compound member, anguis "snake", is cognate to other Indo-European words for "snake", cf. Old Irish escung "eel", Old High German unc "snake", Lithuanian angìs, Greek ophis, okhis, Vedic Sanskrit áhi, Avestan aži, Armenian auj, iž, Old Church Slavonic * žÑ, all from Proto-Indo-European *og uh is, Äg uh is. The word also appears in Old English igil "hedgehog" (named as the "snake eater"), and perhaps in the egi- of Old High German egidehsa "wall lizard".
The name of Bellerophon (ÎελλεÏοÏÏνÏηÏ, attested in a variant á¼Î»Î»ÎµÏοÏÏνÏÎ·Ï in Eustathius of Thessalonica) according to this theory is also related, translating to "the slayer of the serpent" (ahihán), the ελλεÏο- being an adjective for a lost ελλÏ
- "snake", directly comparable to Hittite ellu-essar- "snake pit". This myth likely came to Greece via Anatolia, and in the Hittite version, the dragon is called Illuyanka, the illuy- part being cognate to the illa word, and the -anka part being cognate to the angu word for "snake". As designations for "snake" (and similar shaped animals) are often liable to taboo in many Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages, no unambiguous Proto-Indo-European form for the eel word can thus be reconstructed, it could have been *Äl(l)-u-, *Äl(l)-o- or similar.
A famous attraction on the French Polynesian island of Huahine (part of the Society Islands) is the bridge across a stream hosting long eels, deemed sacred by local culture.
* Eel life history
*
*
|
Eel | Are most eels predators? | Yes, most eels are predators. | data/set1/a8 | Eel
:"Eel" often refers to one particular species of Anguilliformes: Anguilla anguilla (Europe), A. japonica (East Asia) or A. rostrata (North America).
True eels (Anguilliformes; ) are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 19 families, 110 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators. The term "eel" is also used for some other similarly shaped fish, such as electric eels and spiny eels, but these are not members of the Anguilliformes order.
True eels are elongated fishes, ranging in length from in the one-jawed eel (Monognathus ahlstromi) to in the giant moray. They possess no pelvic fins, and many species also lack pectoral fins. The dorsal and anal fins are fused with the caudal or tail fin, to form a single ribbon running along much of the length of the animal.
Most true eels prefer to dwell in shallow waters or hide at the bottom layer of the ocean, sometimes in holes. These holes are called eel pits. Only members of the Anguillidae family regularly inhabit fresh water; they too return to the sea to breed. Some eels dwell in water as deep as . Others are active swimmers.
Eels begin life as flat and transparent larvae, called leptocephali. Eel larvae drift in the surface waters of the sea feeding on small particles called marine snow. Eel larvae then metamorphorphose into glass eels and then become elvers before finally seeking out the adult habitat.
A moray eel. Juvenile American eels
Garden eels
This classification follows FishBase in dividing the eels into fifteen families. Additional families that are included in other classifications (notably ITIS and Systema Naturae 2000) are noted below the family with which they are synomized in the Fish Base system.
The origin of the fresh water species has been problematic. Genomic studies indicate that they are a monophylectic group which originated amoung the deep sea eels. Inoue JG, Miya M, Miller MJ, Sado T, Hanel R, Hatooka K, Aoyama J, Minegishi Y, Nishida M, Tsukamoto K (2010) Deep-ocean origin of the freshwater eels. Biol. Lett.
Suborder Anguilloidei
*Anguillidae (freshwater eels)
*Chlopsidae (false morays)
*Heterenchelyidae (mud eels)
*Moringuidae (spaghetti eels)
*Muraenidae (moray eels)
*Myrocongridae (thin eels)
Suborder Congroidei
*Colocongridae (worm eels)
*Congridae (congers)
**Including Macrocephenchelyidae
*Derichthyidae (longneck eels)
**Including Nessorhamphidae
*Muraenesocidae (pike congers)
*Nettastomatidae (duckbill eels)
*Ophichthidae (snake eels)
Suborder Nemichthyoidei
*Nemichthyidae (snipe eels)
*Serrivomeridae (sawtooth eels)
Suborder Synaphobranchoidei
*Synaphobranchidae (cutthroat eels)
**Including Dysommidae, Nettodaridae, and Simenchelyidae
In some classifications the family Cyematidae of bobtail snipe eels is included in the Anguilliformes, but in the FishBase system that family is included in the order Saccopharyngiformes.
The electric eel of South America is not a true eel, but is more closely related to the Carp.
alt=Photo of thin-sliced fish in restaurant setting
alt=Drawing of man standing on pier, with the shore to the left and a nested series of cone-shaped nets extending along the water surface to the right
Freshwater eels (unagi) and marine eels (conger eel, anago) are commonly used in Japanese cuisine; foods such as Unadon and Unajuu are popular but expensive. Eels are also very popular in Chinese cuisine, and are prepared in many different ways. Hong Kong eel prices have often reached 1000 HKD per kilogram, and once exceeded 5000 HKD per kilogram. Eel is also popular in Korean cuisine and is seen as a source of stamina for men. The European eel and other freshwater eels are eaten in Europe, the United States, and other places. A traditional East London food is jellied eels, although their demand has significantly declined since World War II. The Basque delicacy angulas consists of deep-fried elver (young eels); elver eels usually reach prices of up to 1000 euro per kilogram. New Zealand longfin eel is a traditional MÄori food in New Zealand. In Italian cuisine eels from the Comacchio area (a swampy zone along the Adriatic coast) are specially prized along with freshwater eels of Bolsena Lake. In northern Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, smoked eel is considered a delicacy.
Fisherman consumed elvers as a cheap dish, but environmental changes have reduced eel populations. They are now considered a delicacy and are priced at up to £700 per kg in the United Kingdom.
Eels, particularly the Moray eel, are popular among marine aquarists.
Eel blood is toxic to humans , but cooking destroys the toxic protein. The toxin derived from eel blood serum was used by Charles Richet in his Nobel winning research which discovered anaphylaxis (by injecting it into dogs and observing the effect).
alt=Photo of eight eels on white sheet
The English name eel descends from Old English ǽl, Common Germanic * laz. Also from the common Germanic are Middle Dutch ael, Old High German âl, Old Norse áll. Katz (1998) J. Katz, 'How to be a Dragon in Indo-European: Hittite illuyankas and its Linguistic and Cultural Congeners in Latin, Greek, and Germanic', in: MÃr Curad. Studies in Honor of Calvert Watkins, ed. Jasanoff, Melchert, Oliver, Innsbruck 1998, 317â334.
identifies a number of Indo-European cognates, among them the second part of the Latin name of the eels, anguilla, which is attested in its simplex form illa in a glossary only, and likewise the Greek word for "eel", egkhelys, the second part being attested in Hesychius as elyes. The first compound member, anguis "snake", is cognate to other Indo-European words for "snake", cf. Old Irish escung "eel", Old High German unc "snake", Lithuanian angìs, Greek ophis, okhis, Vedic Sanskrit áhi, Avestan aži, Armenian auj, iž, Old Church Slavonic * žÑ, all from Proto-Indo-European *og uh is, Äg uh is. The word also appears in Old English igil "hedgehog" (named as the "snake eater"), and perhaps in the egi- of Old High German egidehsa "wall lizard".
The name of Bellerophon (ÎελλεÏοÏÏνÏηÏ, attested in a variant á¼Î»Î»ÎµÏοÏÏνÏÎ·Ï in Eustathius of Thessalonica) according to this theory is also related, translating to "the slayer of the serpent" (ahihán), the ελλεÏο- being an adjective for a lost ελλÏ
- "snake", directly comparable to Hittite ellu-essar- "snake pit". This myth likely came to Greece via Anatolia, and in the Hittite version, the dragon is called Illuyanka, the illuy- part being cognate to the illa word, and the -anka part being cognate to the angu word for "snake". As designations for "snake" (and similar shaped animals) are often liable to taboo in many Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages, no unambiguous Proto-Indo-European form for the eel word can thus be reconstructed, it could have been *Äl(l)-u-, *Äl(l)-o- or similar.
A famous attraction on the French Polynesian island of Huahine (part of the Society Islands) is the bridge across a stream hosting long eels, deemed sacred by local culture.
* Eel life history
*
*
|
Eel | Is eel blood toxic to humans? | Yes | data/set1/a8 | Eel
:"Eel" often refers to one particular species of Anguilliformes: Anguilla anguilla (Europe), A. japonica (East Asia) or A. rostrata (North America).
True eels (Anguilliformes; ) are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 19 families, 110 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators. The term "eel" is also used for some other similarly shaped fish, such as electric eels and spiny eels, but these are not members of the Anguilliformes order.
True eels are elongated fishes, ranging in length from in the one-jawed eel (Monognathus ahlstromi) to in the giant moray. They possess no pelvic fins, and many species also lack pectoral fins. The dorsal and anal fins are fused with the caudal or tail fin, to form a single ribbon running along much of the length of the animal.
Most true eels prefer to dwell in shallow waters or hide at the bottom layer of the ocean, sometimes in holes. These holes are called eel pits. Only members of the Anguillidae family regularly inhabit fresh water; they too return to the sea to breed. Some eels dwell in water as deep as . Others are active swimmers.
Eels begin life as flat and transparent larvae, called leptocephali. Eel larvae drift in the surface waters of the sea feeding on small particles called marine snow. Eel larvae then metamorphorphose into glass eels and then become elvers before finally seeking out the adult habitat.
A moray eel. Juvenile American eels
Garden eels
This classification follows FishBase in dividing the eels into fifteen families. Additional families that are included in other classifications (notably ITIS and Systema Naturae 2000) are noted below the family with which they are synomized in the Fish Base system.
The origin of the fresh water species has been problematic. Genomic studies indicate that they are a monophylectic group which originated amoung the deep sea eels. Inoue JG, Miya M, Miller MJ, Sado T, Hanel R, Hatooka K, Aoyama J, Minegishi Y, Nishida M, Tsukamoto K (2010) Deep-ocean origin of the freshwater eels. Biol. Lett.
Suborder Anguilloidei
*Anguillidae (freshwater eels)
*Chlopsidae (false morays)
*Heterenchelyidae (mud eels)
*Moringuidae (spaghetti eels)
*Muraenidae (moray eels)
*Myrocongridae (thin eels)
Suborder Congroidei
*Colocongridae (worm eels)
*Congridae (congers)
**Including Macrocephenchelyidae
*Derichthyidae (longneck eels)
**Including Nessorhamphidae
*Muraenesocidae (pike congers)
*Nettastomatidae (duckbill eels)
*Ophichthidae (snake eels)
Suborder Nemichthyoidei
*Nemichthyidae (snipe eels)
*Serrivomeridae (sawtooth eels)
Suborder Synaphobranchoidei
*Synaphobranchidae (cutthroat eels)
**Including Dysommidae, Nettodaridae, and Simenchelyidae
In some classifications the family Cyematidae of bobtail snipe eels is included in the Anguilliformes, but in the FishBase system that family is included in the order Saccopharyngiformes.
The electric eel of South America is not a true eel, but is more closely related to the Carp.
alt=Photo of thin-sliced fish in restaurant setting
alt=Drawing of man standing on pier, with the shore to the left and a nested series of cone-shaped nets extending along the water surface to the right
Freshwater eels (unagi) and marine eels (conger eel, anago) are commonly used in Japanese cuisine; foods such as Unadon and Unajuu are popular but expensive. Eels are also very popular in Chinese cuisine, and are prepared in many different ways. Hong Kong eel prices have often reached 1000 HKD per kilogram, and once exceeded 5000 HKD per kilogram. Eel is also popular in Korean cuisine and is seen as a source of stamina for men. The European eel and other freshwater eels are eaten in Europe, the United States, and other places. A traditional East London food is jellied eels, although their demand has significantly declined since World War II. The Basque delicacy angulas consists of deep-fried elver (young eels); elver eels usually reach prices of up to 1000 euro per kilogram. New Zealand longfin eel is a traditional MÄori food in New Zealand. In Italian cuisine eels from the Comacchio area (a swampy zone along the Adriatic coast) are specially prized along with freshwater eels of Bolsena Lake. In northern Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, smoked eel is considered a delicacy.
Fisherman consumed elvers as a cheap dish, but environmental changes have reduced eel populations. They are now considered a delicacy and are priced at up to £700 per kg in the United Kingdom.
Eels, particularly the Moray eel, are popular among marine aquarists.
Eel blood is toxic to humans , but cooking destroys the toxic protein. The toxin derived from eel blood serum was used by Charles Richet in his Nobel winning research which discovered anaphylaxis (by injecting it into dogs and observing the effect).
alt=Photo of eight eels on white sheet
The English name eel descends from Old English ǽl, Common Germanic * laz. Also from the common Germanic are Middle Dutch ael, Old High German âl, Old Norse áll. Katz (1998) J. Katz, 'How to be a Dragon in Indo-European: Hittite illuyankas and its Linguistic and Cultural Congeners in Latin, Greek, and Germanic', in: MÃr Curad. Studies in Honor of Calvert Watkins, ed. Jasanoff, Melchert, Oliver, Innsbruck 1998, 317â334.
identifies a number of Indo-European cognates, among them the second part of the Latin name of the eels, anguilla, which is attested in its simplex form illa in a glossary only, and likewise the Greek word for "eel", egkhelys, the second part being attested in Hesychius as elyes. The first compound member, anguis "snake", is cognate to other Indo-European words for "snake", cf. Old Irish escung "eel", Old High German unc "snake", Lithuanian angìs, Greek ophis, okhis, Vedic Sanskrit áhi, Avestan aži, Armenian auj, iž, Old Church Slavonic * žÑ, all from Proto-Indo-European *og uh is, Äg uh is. The word also appears in Old English igil "hedgehog" (named as the "snake eater"), and perhaps in the egi- of Old High German egidehsa "wall lizard".
The name of Bellerophon (ÎελλεÏοÏÏνÏηÏ, attested in a variant á¼Î»Î»ÎµÏοÏÏνÏÎ·Ï in Eustathius of Thessalonica) according to this theory is also related, translating to "the slayer of the serpent" (ahihán), the ελλεÏο- being an adjective for a lost ελλÏ
- "snake", directly comparable to Hittite ellu-essar- "snake pit". This myth likely came to Greece via Anatolia, and in the Hittite version, the dragon is called Illuyanka, the illuy- part being cognate to the illa word, and the -anka part being cognate to the angu word for "snake". As designations for "snake" (and similar shaped animals) are often liable to taboo in many Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages, no unambiguous Proto-Indo-European form for the eel word can thus be reconstructed, it could have been *Äl(l)-u-, *Äl(l)-o- or similar.
A famous attraction on the French Polynesian island of Huahine (part of the Society Islands) is the bridge across a stream hosting long eels, deemed sacred by local culture.
* Eel life history
*
*
|
Eel | Is eel blood toxic to humans? | Yes, eel blood is toxic to humans. | data/set1/a8 | Eel
:"Eel" often refers to one particular species of Anguilliformes: Anguilla anguilla (Europe), A. japonica (East Asia) or A. rostrata (North America).
True eels (Anguilliformes; ) are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 19 families, 110 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators. The term "eel" is also used for some other similarly shaped fish, such as electric eels and spiny eels, but these are not members of the Anguilliformes order.
True eels are elongated fishes, ranging in length from in the one-jawed eel (Monognathus ahlstromi) to in the giant moray. They possess no pelvic fins, and many species also lack pectoral fins. The dorsal and anal fins are fused with the caudal or tail fin, to form a single ribbon running along much of the length of the animal.
Most true eels prefer to dwell in shallow waters or hide at the bottom layer of the ocean, sometimes in holes. These holes are called eel pits. Only members of the Anguillidae family regularly inhabit fresh water; they too return to the sea to breed. Some eels dwell in water as deep as . Others are active swimmers.
Eels begin life as flat and transparent larvae, called leptocephali. Eel larvae drift in the surface waters of the sea feeding on small particles called marine snow. Eel larvae then metamorphorphose into glass eels and then become elvers before finally seeking out the adult habitat.
A moray eel. Juvenile American eels
Garden eels
This classification follows FishBase in dividing the eels into fifteen families. Additional families that are included in other classifications (notably ITIS and Systema Naturae 2000) are noted below the family with which they are synomized in the Fish Base system.
The origin of the fresh water species has been problematic. Genomic studies indicate that they are a monophylectic group which originated amoung the deep sea eels. Inoue JG, Miya M, Miller MJ, Sado T, Hanel R, Hatooka K, Aoyama J, Minegishi Y, Nishida M, Tsukamoto K (2010) Deep-ocean origin of the freshwater eels. Biol. Lett.
Suborder Anguilloidei
*Anguillidae (freshwater eels)
*Chlopsidae (false morays)
*Heterenchelyidae (mud eels)
*Moringuidae (spaghetti eels)
*Muraenidae (moray eels)
*Myrocongridae (thin eels)
Suborder Congroidei
*Colocongridae (worm eels)
*Congridae (congers)
**Including Macrocephenchelyidae
*Derichthyidae (longneck eels)
**Including Nessorhamphidae
*Muraenesocidae (pike congers)
*Nettastomatidae (duckbill eels)
*Ophichthidae (snake eels)
Suborder Nemichthyoidei
*Nemichthyidae (snipe eels)
*Serrivomeridae (sawtooth eels)
Suborder Synaphobranchoidei
*Synaphobranchidae (cutthroat eels)
**Including Dysommidae, Nettodaridae, and Simenchelyidae
In some classifications the family Cyematidae of bobtail snipe eels is included in the Anguilliformes, but in the FishBase system that family is included in the order Saccopharyngiformes.
The electric eel of South America is not a true eel, but is more closely related to the Carp.
alt=Photo of thin-sliced fish in restaurant setting
alt=Drawing of man standing on pier, with the shore to the left and a nested series of cone-shaped nets extending along the water surface to the right
Freshwater eels (unagi) and marine eels (conger eel, anago) are commonly used in Japanese cuisine; foods such as Unadon and Unajuu are popular but expensive. Eels are also very popular in Chinese cuisine, and are prepared in many different ways. Hong Kong eel prices have often reached 1000 HKD per kilogram, and once exceeded 5000 HKD per kilogram. Eel is also popular in Korean cuisine and is seen as a source of stamina for men. The European eel and other freshwater eels are eaten in Europe, the United States, and other places. A traditional East London food is jellied eels, although their demand has significantly declined since World War II. The Basque delicacy angulas consists of deep-fried elver (young eels); elver eels usually reach prices of up to 1000 euro per kilogram. New Zealand longfin eel is a traditional MÄori food in New Zealand. In Italian cuisine eels from the Comacchio area (a swampy zone along the Adriatic coast) are specially prized along with freshwater eels of Bolsena Lake. In northern Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, smoked eel is considered a delicacy.
Fisherman consumed elvers as a cheap dish, but environmental changes have reduced eel populations. They are now considered a delicacy and are priced at up to £700 per kg in the United Kingdom.
Eels, particularly the Moray eel, are popular among marine aquarists.
Eel blood is toxic to humans , but cooking destroys the toxic protein. The toxin derived from eel blood serum was used by Charles Richet in his Nobel winning research which discovered anaphylaxis (by injecting it into dogs and observing the effect).
alt=Photo of eight eels on white sheet
The English name eel descends from Old English ǽl, Common Germanic * laz. Also from the common Germanic are Middle Dutch ael, Old High German âl, Old Norse áll. Katz (1998) J. Katz, 'How to be a Dragon in Indo-European: Hittite illuyankas and its Linguistic and Cultural Congeners in Latin, Greek, and Germanic', in: MÃr Curad. Studies in Honor of Calvert Watkins, ed. Jasanoff, Melchert, Oliver, Innsbruck 1998, 317â334.
identifies a number of Indo-European cognates, among them the second part of the Latin name of the eels, anguilla, which is attested in its simplex form illa in a glossary only, and likewise the Greek word for "eel", egkhelys, the second part being attested in Hesychius as elyes. The first compound member, anguis "snake", is cognate to other Indo-European words for "snake", cf. Old Irish escung "eel", Old High German unc "snake", Lithuanian angìs, Greek ophis, okhis, Vedic Sanskrit áhi, Avestan aži, Armenian auj, iž, Old Church Slavonic * žÑ, all from Proto-Indo-European *og uh is, Äg uh is. The word also appears in Old English igil "hedgehog" (named as the "snake eater"), and perhaps in the egi- of Old High German egidehsa "wall lizard".
The name of Bellerophon (ÎελλεÏοÏÏνÏηÏ, attested in a variant á¼Î»Î»ÎµÏοÏÏνÏÎ·Ï in Eustathius of Thessalonica) according to this theory is also related, translating to "the slayer of the serpent" (ahihán), the ελλεÏο- being an adjective for a lost ελλÏ
- "snake", directly comparable to Hittite ellu-essar- "snake pit". This myth likely came to Greece via Anatolia, and in the Hittite version, the dragon is called Illuyanka, the illuy- part being cognate to the illa word, and the -anka part being cognate to the angu word for "snake". As designations for "snake" (and similar shaped animals) are often liable to taboo in many Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages, no unambiguous Proto-Indo-European form for the eel word can thus be reconstructed, it could have been *Äl(l)-u-, *Äl(l)-o- or similar.
A famous attraction on the French Polynesian island of Huahine (part of the Society Islands) is the bridge across a stream hosting long eels, deemed sacred by local culture.
* Eel life history
*
*
|
Eel | How many species of true eels are there? | approximately 800 species | data/set1/a8 | Eel
:"Eel" often refers to one particular species of Anguilliformes: Anguilla anguilla (Europe), A. japonica (East Asia) or A. rostrata (North America).
True eels (Anguilliformes; ) are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 19 families, 110 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators. The term "eel" is also used for some other similarly shaped fish, such as electric eels and spiny eels, but these are not members of the Anguilliformes order.
True eels are elongated fishes, ranging in length from in the one-jawed eel (Monognathus ahlstromi) to in the giant moray. They possess no pelvic fins, and many species also lack pectoral fins. The dorsal and anal fins are fused with the caudal or tail fin, to form a single ribbon running along much of the length of the animal.
Most true eels prefer to dwell in shallow waters or hide at the bottom layer of the ocean, sometimes in holes. These holes are called eel pits. Only members of the Anguillidae family regularly inhabit fresh water; they too return to the sea to breed. Some eels dwell in water as deep as . Others are active swimmers.
Eels begin life as flat and transparent larvae, called leptocephali. Eel larvae drift in the surface waters of the sea feeding on small particles called marine snow. Eel larvae then metamorphorphose into glass eels and then become elvers before finally seeking out the adult habitat.
A moray eel. Juvenile American eels
Garden eels
This classification follows FishBase in dividing the eels into fifteen families. Additional families that are included in other classifications (notably ITIS and Systema Naturae 2000) are noted below the family with which they are synomized in the Fish Base system.
The origin of the fresh water species has been problematic. Genomic studies indicate that they are a monophylectic group which originated amoung the deep sea eels. Inoue JG, Miya M, Miller MJ, Sado T, Hanel R, Hatooka K, Aoyama J, Minegishi Y, Nishida M, Tsukamoto K (2010) Deep-ocean origin of the freshwater eels. Biol. Lett.
Suborder Anguilloidei
*Anguillidae (freshwater eels)
*Chlopsidae (false morays)
*Heterenchelyidae (mud eels)
*Moringuidae (spaghetti eels)
*Muraenidae (moray eels)
*Myrocongridae (thin eels)
Suborder Congroidei
*Colocongridae (worm eels)
*Congridae (congers)
**Including Macrocephenchelyidae
*Derichthyidae (longneck eels)
**Including Nessorhamphidae
*Muraenesocidae (pike congers)
*Nettastomatidae (duckbill eels)
*Ophichthidae (snake eels)
Suborder Nemichthyoidei
*Nemichthyidae (snipe eels)
*Serrivomeridae (sawtooth eels)
Suborder Synaphobranchoidei
*Synaphobranchidae (cutthroat eels)
**Including Dysommidae, Nettodaridae, and Simenchelyidae
In some classifications the family Cyematidae of bobtail snipe eels is included in the Anguilliformes, but in the FishBase system that family is included in the order Saccopharyngiformes.
The electric eel of South America is not a true eel, but is more closely related to the Carp.
alt=Photo of thin-sliced fish in restaurant setting
alt=Drawing of man standing on pier, with the shore to the left and a nested series of cone-shaped nets extending along the water surface to the right
Freshwater eels (unagi) and marine eels (conger eel, anago) are commonly used in Japanese cuisine; foods such as Unadon and Unajuu are popular but expensive. Eels are also very popular in Chinese cuisine, and are prepared in many different ways. Hong Kong eel prices have often reached 1000 HKD per kilogram, and once exceeded 5000 HKD per kilogram. Eel is also popular in Korean cuisine and is seen as a source of stamina for men. The European eel and other freshwater eels are eaten in Europe, the United States, and other places. A traditional East London food is jellied eels, although their demand has significantly declined since World War II. The Basque delicacy angulas consists of deep-fried elver (young eels); elver eels usually reach prices of up to 1000 euro per kilogram. New Zealand longfin eel is a traditional MÄori food in New Zealand. In Italian cuisine eels from the Comacchio area (a swampy zone along the Adriatic coast) are specially prized along with freshwater eels of Bolsena Lake. In northern Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, smoked eel is considered a delicacy.
Fisherman consumed elvers as a cheap dish, but environmental changes have reduced eel populations. They are now considered a delicacy and are priced at up to £700 per kg in the United Kingdom.
Eels, particularly the Moray eel, are popular among marine aquarists.
Eel blood is toxic to humans , but cooking destroys the toxic protein. The toxin derived from eel blood serum was used by Charles Richet in his Nobel winning research which discovered anaphylaxis (by injecting it into dogs and observing the effect).
alt=Photo of eight eels on white sheet
The English name eel descends from Old English ǽl, Common Germanic * laz. Also from the common Germanic are Middle Dutch ael, Old High German âl, Old Norse áll. Katz (1998) J. Katz, 'How to be a Dragon in Indo-European: Hittite illuyankas and its Linguistic and Cultural Congeners in Latin, Greek, and Germanic', in: MÃr Curad. Studies in Honor of Calvert Watkins, ed. Jasanoff, Melchert, Oliver, Innsbruck 1998, 317â334.
identifies a number of Indo-European cognates, among them the second part of the Latin name of the eels, anguilla, which is attested in its simplex form illa in a glossary only, and likewise the Greek word for "eel", egkhelys, the second part being attested in Hesychius as elyes. The first compound member, anguis "snake", is cognate to other Indo-European words for "snake", cf. Old Irish escung "eel", Old High German unc "snake", Lithuanian angìs, Greek ophis, okhis, Vedic Sanskrit áhi, Avestan aži, Armenian auj, iž, Old Church Slavonic * žÑ, all from Proto-Indo-European *og uh is, Äg uh is. The word also appears in Old English igil "hedgehog" (named as the "snake eater"), and perhaps in the egi- of Old High German egidehsa "wall lizard".
The name of Bellerophon (ÎελλεÏοÏÏνÏηÏ, attested in a variant á¼Î»Î»ÎµÏοÏÏνÏÎ·Ï in Eustathius of Thessalonica) according to this theory is also related, translating to "the slayer of the serpent" (ahihán), the ελλεÏο- being an adjective for a lost ελλÏ
- "snake", directly comparable to Hittite ellu-essar- "snake pit". This myth likely came to Greece via Anatolia, and in the Hittite version, the dragon is called Illuyanka, the illuy- part being cognate to the illa word, and the -anka part being cognate to the angu word for "snake". As designations for "snake" (and similar shaped animals) are often liable to taboo in many Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages, no unambiguous Proto-Indo-European form for the eel word can thus be reconstructed, it could have been *Äl(l)-u-, *Äl(l)-o- or similar.
A famous attraction on the French Polynesian island of Huahine (part of the Society Islands) is the bridge across a stream hosting long eels, deemed sacred by local culture.
* Eel life history
*
*
|
Eel | How many species of true eels are there? | There are approximately 800 species of true eels. | data/set1/a8 | Eel
:"Eel" often refers to one particular species of Anguilliformes: Anguilla anguilla (Europe), A. japonica (East Asia) or A. rostrata (North America).
True eels (Anguilliformes; ) are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 19 families, 110 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators. The term "eel" is also used for some other similarly shaped fish, such as electric eels and spiny eels, but these are not members of the Anguilliformes order.
True eels are elongated fishes, ranging in length from in the one-jawed eel (Monognathus ahlstromi) to in the giant moray. They possess no pelvic fins, and many species also lack pectoral fins. The dorsal and anal fins are fused with the caudal or tail fin, to form a single ribbon running along much of the length of the animal.
Most true eels prefer to dwell in shallow waters or hide at the bottom layer of the ocean, sometimes in holes. These holes are called eel pits. Only members of the Anguillidae family regularly inhabit fresh water; they too return to the sea to breed. Some eels dwell in water as deep as . Others are active swimmers.
Eels begin life as flat and transparent larvae, called leptocephali. Eel larvae drift in the surface waters of the sea feeding on small particles called marine snow. Eel larvae then metamorphorphose into glass eels and then become elvers before finally seeking out the adult habitat.
A moray eel. Juvenile American eels
Garden eels
This classification follows FishBase in dividing the eels into fifteen families. Additional families that are included in other classifications (notably ITIS and Systema Naturae 2000) are noted below the family with which they are synomized in the Fish Base system.
The origin of the fresh water species has been problematic. Genomic studies indicate that they are a monophylectic group which originated amoung the deep sea eels. Inoue JG, Miya M, Miller MJ, Sado T, Hanel R, Hatooka K, Aoyama J, Minegishi Y, Nishida M, Tsukamoto K (2010) Deep-ocean origin of the freshwater eels. Biol. Lett.
Suborder Anguilloidei
*Anguillidae (freshwater eels)
*Chlopsidae (false morays)
*Heterenchelyidae (mud eels)
*Moringuidae (spaghetti eels)
*Muraenidae (moray eels)
*Myrocongridae (thin eels)
Suborder Congroidei
*Colocongridae (worm eels)
*Congridae (congers)
**Including Macrocephenchelyidae
*Derichthyidae (longneck eels)
**Including Nessorhamphidae
*Muraenesocidae (pike congers)
*Nettastomatidae (duckbill eels)
*Ophichthidae (snake eels)
Suborder Nemichthyoidei
*Nemichthyidae (snipe eels)
*Serrivomeridae (sawtooth eels)
Suborder Synaphobranchoidei
*Synaphobranchidae (cutthroat eels)
**Including Dysommidae, Nettodaridae, and Simenchelyidae
In some classifications the family Cyematidae of bobtail snipe eels is included in the Anguilliformes, but in the FishBase system that family is included in the order Saccopharyngiformes.
The electric eel of South America is not a true eel, but is more closely related to the Carp.
alt=Photo of thin-sliced fish in restaurant setting
alt=Drawing of man standing on pier, with the shore to the left and a nested series of cone-shaped nets extending along the water surface to the right
Freshwater eels (unagi) and marine eels (conger eel, anago) are commonly used in Japanese cuisine; foods such as Unadon and Unajuu are popular but expensive. Eels are also very popular in Chinese cuisine, and are prepared in many different ways. Hong Kong eel prices have often reached 1000 HKD per kilogram, and once exceeded 5000 HKD per kilogram. Eel is also popular in Korean cuisine and is seen as a source of stamina for men. The European eel and other freshwater eels are eaten in Europe, the United States, and other places. A traditional East London food is jellied eels, although their demand has significantly declined since World War II. The Basque delicacy angulas consists of deep-fried elver (young eels); elver eels usually reach prices of up to 1000 euro per kilogram. New Zealand longfin eel is a traditional MÄori food in New Zealand. In Italian cuisine eels from the Comacchio area (a swampy zone along the Adriatic coast) are specially prized along with freshwater eels of Bolsena Lake. In northern Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, smoked eel is considered a delicacy.
Fisherman consumed elvers as a cheap dish, but environmental changes have reduced eel populations. They are now considered a delicacy and are priced at up to £700 per kg in the United Kingdom.
Eels, particularly the Moray eel, are popular among marine aquarists.
Eel blood is toxic to humans , but cooking destroys the toxic protein. The toxin derived from eel blood serum was used by Charles Richet in his Nobel winning research which discovered anaphylaxis (by injecting it into dogs and observing the effect).
alt=Photo of eight eels on white sheet
The English name eel descends from Old English ǽl, Common Germanic * laz. Also from the common Germanic are Middle Dutch ael, Old High German âl, Old Norse áll. Katz (1998) J. Katz, 'How to be a Dragon in Indo-European: Hittite illuyankas and its Linguistic and Cultural Congeners in Latin, Greek, and Germanic', in: MÃr Curad. Studies in Honor of Calvert Watkins, ed. Jasanoff, Melchert, Oliver, Innsbruck 1998, 317â334.
identifies a number of Indo-European cognates, among them the second part of the Latin name of the eels, anguilla, which is attested in its simplex form illa in a glossary only, and likewise the Greek word for "eel", egkhelys, the second part being attested in Hesychius as elyes. The first compound member, anguis "snake", is cognate to other Indo-European words for "snake", cf. Old Irish escung "eel", Old High German unc "snake", Lithuanian angìs, Greek ophis, okhis, Vedic Sanskrit áhi, Avestan aži, Armenian auj, iž, Old Church Slavonic * žÑ, all from Proto-Indo-European *og uh is, Äg uh is. The word also appears in Old English igil "hedgehog" (named as the "snake eater"), and perhaps in the egi- of Old High German egidehsa "wall lizard".
The name of Bellerophon (ÎελλεÏοÏÏνÏηÏ, attested in a variant á¼Î»Î»ÎµÏοÏÏνÏÎ·Ï in Eustathius of Thessalonica) according to this theory is also related, translating to "the slayer of the serpent" (ahihán), the ελλεÏο- being an adjective for a lost ελλÏ
- "snake", directly comparable to Hittite ellu-essar- "snake pit". This myth likely came to Greece via Anatolia, and in the Hittite version, the dragon is called Illuyanka, the illuy- part being cognate to the illa word, and the -anka part being cognate to the angu word for "snake". As designations for "snake" (and similar shaped animals) are often liable to taboo in many Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages, no unambiguous Proto-Indo-European form for the eel word can thus be reconstructed, it could have been *Äl(l)-u-, *Äl(l)-o- or similar.
A famous attraction on the French Polynesian island of Huahine (part of the Society Islands) is the bridge across a stream hosting long eels, deemed sacred by local culture.
* Eel life history
*
*
|
Eel | Where is smoked eel considered a delicacy? | Northern Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden | data/set1/a8 | Eel
:"Eel" often refers to one particular species of Anguilliformes: Anguilla anguilla (Europe), A. japonica (East Asia) or A. rostrata (North America).
True eels (Anguilliformes; ) are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 19 families, 110 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators. The term "eel" is also used for some other similarly shaped fish, such as electric eels and spiny eels, but these are not members of the Anguilliformes order.
True eels are elongated fishes, ranging in length from in the one-jawed eel (Monognathus ahlstromi) to in the giant moray. They possess no pelvic fins, and many species also lack pectoral fins. The dorsal and anal fins are fused with the caudal or tail fin, to form a single ribbon running along much of the length of the animal.
Most true eels prefer to dwell in shallow waters or hide at the bottom layer of the ocean, sometimes in holes. These holes are called eel pits. Only members of the Anguillidae family regularly inhabit fresh water; they too return to the sea to breed. Some eels dwell in water as deep as . Others are active swimmers.
Eels begin life as flat and transparent larvae, called leptocephali. Eel larvae drift in the surface waters of the sea feeding on small particles called marine snow. Eel larvae then metamorphorphose into glass eels and then become elvers before finally seeking out the adult habitat.
A moray eel. Juvenile American eels
Garden eels
This classification follows FishBase in dividing the eels into fifteen families. Additional families that are included in other classifications (notably ITIS and Systema Naturae 2000) are noted below the family with which they are synomized in the Fish Base system.
The origin of the fresh water species has been problematic. Genomic studies indicate that they are a monophylectic group which originated amoung the deep sea eels. Inoue JG, Miya M, Miller MJ, Sado T, Hanel R, Hatooka K, Aoyama J, Minegishi Y, Nishida M, Tsukamoto K (2010) Deep-ocean origin of the freshwater eels. Biol. Lett.
Suborder Anguilloidei
*Anguillidae (freshwater eels)
*Chlopsidae (false morays)
*Heterenchelyidae (mud eels)
*Moringuidae (spaghetti eels)
*Muraenidae (moray eels)
*Myrocongridae (thin eels)
Suborder Congroidei
*Colocongridae (worm eels)
*Congridae (congers)
**Including Macrocephenchelyidae
*Derichthyidae (longneck eels)
**Including Nessorhamphidae
*Muraenesocidae (pike congers)
*Nettastomatidae (duckbill eels)
*Ophichthidae (snake eels)
Suborder Nemichthyoidei
*Nemichthyidae (snipe eels)
*Serrivomeridae (sawtooth eels)
Suborder Synaphobranchoidei
*Synaphobranchidae (cutthroat eels)
**Including Dysommidae, Nettodaridae, and Simenchelyidae
In some classifications the family Cyematidae of bobtail snipe eels is included in the Anguilliformes, but in the FishBase system that family is included in the order Saccopharyngiformes.
The electric eel of South America is not a true eel, but is more closely related to the Carp.
alt=Photo of thin-sliced fish in restaurant setting
alt=Drawing of man standing on pier, with the shore to the left and a nested series of cone-shaped nets extending along the water surface to the right
Freshwater eels (unagi) and marine eels (conger eel, anago) are commonly used in Japanese cuisine; foods such as Unadon and Unajuu are popular but expensive. Eels are also very popular in Chinese cuisine, and are prepared in many different ways. Hong Kong eel prices have often reached 1000 HKD per kilogram, and once exceeded 5000 HKD per kilogram. Eel is also popular in Korean cuisine and is seen as a source of stamina for men. The European eel and other freshwater eels are eaten in Europe, the United States, and other places. A traditional East London food is jellied eels, although their demand has significantly declined since World War II. The Basque delicacy angulas consists of deep-fried elver (young eels); elver eels usually reach prices of up to 1000 euro per kilogram. New Zealand longfin eel is a traditional MÄori food in New Zealand. In Italian cuisine eels from the Comacchio area (a swampy zone along the Adriatic coast) are specially prized along with freshwater eels of Bolsena Lake. In northern Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, smoked eel is considered a delicacy.
Fisherman consumed elvers as a cheap dish, but environmental changes have reduced eel populations. They are now considered a delicacy and are priced at up to £700 per kg in the United Kingdom.
Eels, particularly the Moray eel, are popular among marine aquarists.
Eel blood is toxic to humans , but cooking destroys the toxic protein. The toxin derived from eel blood serum was used by Charles Richet in his Nobel winning research which discovered anaphylaxis (by injecting it into dogs and observing the effect).
alt=Photo of eight eels on white sheet
The English name eel descends from Old English ǽl, Common Germanic * laz. Also from the common Germanic are Middle Dutch ael, Old High German âl, Old Norse áll. Katz (1998) J. Katz, 'How to be a Dragon in Indo-European: Hittite illuyankas and its Linguistic and Cultural Congeners in Latin, Greek, and Germanic', in: MÃr Curad. Studies in Honor of Calvert Watkins, ed. Jasanoff, Melchert, Oliver, Innsbruck 1998, 317â334.
identifies a number of Indo-European cognates, among them the second part of the Latin name of the eels, anguilla, which is attested in its simplex form illa in a glossary only, and likewise the Greek word for "eel", egkhelys, the second part being attested in Hesychius as elyes. The first compound member, anguis "snake", is cognate to other Indo-European words for "snake", cf. Old Irish escung "eel", Old High German unc "snake", Lithuanian angìs, Greek ophis, okhis, Vedic Sanskrit áhi, Avestan aži, Armenian auj, iž, Old Church Slavonic * žÑ, all from Proto-Indo-European *og uh is, Äg uh is. The word also appears in Old English igil "hedgehog" (named as the "snake eater"), and perhaps in the egi- of Old High German egidehsa "wall lizard".
The name of Bellerophon (ÎελλεÏοÏÏνÏηÏ, attested in a variant á¼Î»Î»ÎµÏοÏÏνÏÎ·Ï in Eustathius of Thessalonica) according to this theory is also related, translating to "the slayer of the serpent" (ahihán), the ελλεÏο- being an adjective for a lost ελλÏ
- "snake", directly comparable to Hittite ellu-essar- "snake pit". This myth likely came to Greece via Anatolia, and in the Hittite version, the dragon is called Illuyanka, the illuy- part being cognate to the illa word, and the -anka part being cognate to the angu word for "snake". As designations for "snake" (and similar shaped animals) are often liable to taboo in many Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages, no unambiguous Proto-Indo-European form for the eel word can thus be reconstructed, it could have been *Äl(l)-u-, *Äl(l)-o- or similar.
A famous attraction on the French Polynesian island of Huahine (part of the Society Islands) is the bridge across a stream hosting long eels, deemed sacred by local culture.
* Eel life history
*
*
|
Eel | Where is smoked eel considered a delicacy? | Smoked eel is considered a delicacy in northern Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden. | data/set1/a8 | Eel
:"Eel" often refers to one particular species of Anguilliformes: Anguilla anguilla (Europe), A. japonica (East Asia) or A. rostrata (North America).
True eels (Anguilliformes; ) are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 19 families, 110 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators. The term "eel" is also used for some other similarly shaped fish, such as electric eels and spiny eels, but these are not members of the Anguilliformes order.
True eels are elongated fishes, ranging in length from in the one-jawed eel (Monognathus ahlstromi) to in the giant moray. They possess no pelvic fins, and many species also lack pectoral fins. The dorsal and anal fins are fused with the caudal or tail fin, to form a single ribbon running along much of the length of the animal.
Most true eels prefer to dwell in shallow waters or hide at the bottom layer of the ocean, sometimes in holes. These holes are called eel pits. Only members of the Anguillidae family regularly inhabit fresh water; they too return to the sea to breed. Some eels dwell in water as deep as . Others are active swimmers.
Eels begin life as flat and transparent larvae, called leptocephali. Eel larvae drift in the surface waters of the sea feeding on small particles called marine snow. Eel larvae then metamorphorphose into glass eels and then become elvers before finally seeking out the adult habitat.
A moray eel. Juvenile American eels
Garden eels
This classification follows FishBase in dividing the eels into fifteen families. Additional families that are included in other classifications (notably ITIS and Systema Naturae 2000) are noted below the family with which they are synomized in the Fish Base system.
The origin of the fresh water species has been problematic. Genomic studies indicate that they are a monophylectic group which originated amoung the deep sea eels. Inoue JG, Miya M, Miller MJ, Sado T, Hanel R, Hatooka K, Aoyama J, Minegishi Y, Nishida M, Tsukamoto K (2010) Deep-ocean origin of the freshwater eels. Biol. Lett.
Suborder Anguilloidei
*Anguillidae (freshwater eels)
*Chlopsidae (false morays)
*Heterenchelyidae (mud eels)
*Moringuidae (spaghetti eels)
*Muraenidae (moray eels)
*Myrocongridae (thin eels)
Suborder Congroidei
*Colocongridae (worm eels)
*Congridae (congers)
**Including Macrocephenchelyidae
*Derichthyidae (longneck eels)
**Including Nessorhamphidae
*Muraenesocidae (pike congers)
*Nettastomatidae (duckbill eels)
*Ophichthidae (snake eels)
Suborder Nemichthyoidei
*Nemichthyidae (snipe eels)
*Serrivomeridae (sawtooth eels)
Suborder Synaphobranchoidei
*Synaphobranchidae (cutthroat eels)
**Including Dysommidae, Nettodaridae, and Simenchelyidae
In some classifications the family Cyematidae of bobtail snipe eels is included in the Anguilliformes, but in the FishBase system that family is included in the order Saccopharyngiformes.
The electric eel of South America is not a true eel, but is more closely related to the Carp.
alt=Photo of thin-sliced fish in restaurant setting
alt=Drawing of man standing on pier, with the shore to the left and a nested series of cone-shaped nets extending along the water surface to the right
Freshwater eels (unagi) and marine eels (conger eel, anago) are commonly used in Japanese cuisine; foods such as Unadon and Unajuu are popular but expensive. Eels are also very popular in Chinese cuisine, and are prepared in many different ways. Hong Kong eel prices have often reached 1000 HKD per kilogram, and once exceeded 5000 HKD per kilogram. Eel is also popular in Korean cuisine and is seen as a source of stamina for men. The European eel and other freshwater eels are eaten in Europe, the United States, and other places. A traditional East London food is jellied eels, although their demand has significantly declined since World War II. The Basque delicacy angulas consists of deep-fried elver (young eels); elver eels usually reach prices of up to 1000 euro per kilogram. New Zealand longfin eel is a traditional MÄori food in New Zealand. In Italian cuisine eels from the Comacchio area (a swampy zone along the Adriatic coast) are specially prized along with freshwater eels of Bolsena Lake. In northern Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, smoked eel is considered a delicacy.
Fisherman consumed elvers as a cheap dish, but environmental changes have reduced eel populations. They are now considered a delicacy and are priced at up to £700 per kg in the United Kingdom.
Eels, particularly the Moray eel, are popular among marine aquarists.
Eel blood is toxic to humans , but cooking destroys the toxic protein. The toxin derived from eel blood serum was used by Charles Richet in his Nobel winning research which discovered anaphylaxis (by injecting it into dogs and observing the effect).
alt=Photo of eight eels on white sheet
The English name eel descends from Old English ǽl, Common Germanic * laz. Also from the common Germanic are Middle Dutch ael, Old High German âl, Old Norse áll. Katz (1998) J. Katz, 'How to be a Dragon in Indo-European: Hittite illuyankas and its Linguistic and Cultural Congeners in Latin, Greek, and Germanic', in: MÃr Curad. Studies in Honor of Calvert Watkins, ed. Jasanoff, Melchert, Oliver, Innsbruck 1998, 317â334.
identifies a number of Indo-European cognates, among them the second part of the Latin name of the eels, anguilla, which is attested in its simplex form illa in a glossary only, and likewise the Greek word for "eel", egkhelys, the second part being attested in Hesychius as elyes. The first compound member, anguis "snake", is cognate to other Indo-European words for "snake", cf. Old Irish escung "eel", Old High German unc "snake", Lithuanian angìs, Greek ophis, okhis, Vedic Sanskrit áhi, Avestan aži, Armenian auj, iž, Old Church Slavonic * žÑ, all from Proto-Indo-European *og uh is, Äg uh is. The word also appears in Old English igil "hedgehog" (named as the "snake eater"), and perhaps in the egi- of Old High German egidehsa "wall lizard".
The name of Bellerophon (ÎελλεÏοÏÏνÏηÏ, attested in a variant á¼Î»Î»ÎµÏοÏÏνÏÎ·Ï in Eustathius of Thessalonica) according to this theory is also related, translating to "the slayer of the serpent" (ahihán), the ελλεÏο- being an adjective for a lost ελλÏ
- "snake", directly comparable to Hittite ellu-essar- "snake pit". This myth likely came to Greece via Anatolia, and in the Hittite version, the dragon is called Illuyanka, the illuy- part being cognate to the illa word, and the -anka part being cognate to the angu word for "snake". As designations for "snake" (and similar shaped animals) are often liable to taboo in many Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages, no unambiguous Proto-Indo-European form for the eel word can thus be reconstructed, it could have been *Äl(l)-u-, *Äl(l)-o- or similar.
A famous attraction on the French Polynesian island of Huahine (part of the Society Islands) is the bridge across a stream hosting long eels, deemed sacred by local culture.
* Eel life history
*
*
|
Eel | How do eels begin life? | As flat and transparent larvae, called leptocephali | data/set1/a8 | Eel
:"Eel" often refers to one particular species of Anguilliformes: Anguilla anguilla (Europe), A. japonica (East Asia) or A. rostrata (North America).
True eels (Anguilliformes; ) are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 19 families, 110 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators. The term "eel" is also used for some other similarly shaped fish, such as electric eels and spiny eels, but these are not members of the Anguilliformes order.
True eels are elongated fishes, ranging in length from in the one-jawed eel (Monognathus ahlstromi) to in the giant moray. They possess no pelvic fins, and many species also lack pectoral fins. The dorsal and anal fins are fused with the caudal or tail fin, to form a single ribbon running along much of the length of the animal.
Most true eels prefer to dwell in shallow waters or hide at the bottom layer of the ocean, sometimes in holes. These holes are called eel pits. Only members of the Anguillidae family regularly inhabit fresh water; they too return to the sea to breed. Some eels dwell in water as deep as . Others are active swimmers.
Eels begin life as flat and transparent larvae, called leptocephali. Eel larvae drift in the surface waters of the sea feeding on small particles called marine snow. Eel larvae then metamorphorphose into glass eels and then become elvers before finally seeking out the adult habitat.
A moray eel. Juvenile American eels
Garden eels
This classification follows FishBase in dividing the eels into fifteen families. Additional families that are included in other classifications (notably ITIS and Systema Naturae 2000) are noted below the family with which they are synomized in the Fish Base system.
The origin of the fresh water species has been problematic. Genomic studies indicate that they are a monophylectic group which originated amoung the deep sea eels. Inoue JG, Miya M, Miller MJ, Sado T, Hanel R, Hatooka K, Aoyama J, Minegishi Y, Nishida M, Tsukamoto K (2010) Deep-ocean origin of the freshwater eels. Biol. Lett.
Suborder Anguilloidei
*Anguillidae (freshwater eels)
*Chlopsidae (false morays)
*Heterenchelyidae (mud eels)
*Moringuidae (spaghetti eels)
*Muraenidae (moray eels)
*Myrocongridae (thin eels)
Suborder Congroidei
*Colocongridae (worm eels)
*Congridae (congers)
**Including Macrocephenchelyidae
*Derichthyidae (longneck eels)
**Including Nessorhamphidae
*Muraenesocidae (pike congers)
*Nettastomatidae (duckbill eels)
*Ophichthidae (snake eels)
Suborder Nemichthyoidei
*Nemichthyidae (snipe eels)
*Serrivomeridae (sawtooth eels)
Suborder Synaphobranchoidei
*Synaphobranchidae (cutthroat eels)
**Including Dysommidae, Nettodaridae, and Simenchelyidae
In some classifications the family Cyematidae of bobtail snipe eels is included in the Anguilliformes, but in the FishBase system that family is included in the order Saccopharyngiformes.
The electric eel of South America is not a true eel, but is more closely related to the Carp.
alt=Photo of thin-sliced fish in restaurant setting
alt=Drawing of man standing on pier, with the shore to the left and a nested series of cone-shaped nets extending along the water surface to the right
Freshwater eels (unagi) and marine eels (conger eel, anago) are commonly used in Japanese cuisine; foods such as Unadon and Unajuu are popular but expensive. Eels are also very popular in Chinese cuisine, and are prepared in many different ways. Hong Kong eel prices have often reached 1000 HKD per kilogram, and once exceeded 5000 HKD per kilogram. Eel is also popular in Korean cuisine and is seen as a source of stamina for men. The European eel and other freshwater eels are eaten in Europe, the United States, and other places. A traditional East London food is jellied eels, although their demand has significantly declined since World War II. The Basque delicacy angulas consists of deep-fried elver (young eels); elver eels usually reach prices of up to 1000 euro per kilogram. New Zealand longfin eel is a traditional MÄori food in New Zealand. In Italian cuisine eels from the Comacchio area (a swampy zone along the Adriatic coast) are specially prized along with freshwater eels of Bolsena Lake. In northern Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, smoked eel is considered a delicacy.
Fisherman consumed elvers as a cheap dish, but environmental changes have reduced eel populations. They are now considered a delicacy and are priced at up to £700 per kg in the United Kingdom.
Eels, particularly the Moray eel, are popular among marine aquarists.
Eel blood is toxic to humans , but cooking destroys the toxic protein. The toxin derived from eel blood serum was used by Charles Richet in his Nobel winning research which discovered anaphylaxis (by injecting it into dogs and observing the effect).
alt=Photo of eight eels on white sheet
The English name eel descends from Old English ǽl, Common Germanic * laz. Also from the common Germanic are Middle Dutch ael, Old High German âl, Old Norse áll. Katz (1998) J. Katz, 'How to be a Dragon in Indo-European: Hittite illuyankas and its Linguistic and Cultural Congeners in Latin, Greek, and Germanic', in: MÃr Curad. Studies in Honor of Calvert Watkins, ed. Jasanoff, Melchert, Oliver, Innsbruck 1998, 317â334.
identifies a number of Indo-European cognates, among them the second part of the Latin name of the eels, anguilla, which is attested in its simplex form illa in a glossary only, and likewise the Greek word for "eel", egkhelys, the second part being attested in Hesychius as elyes. The first compound member, anguis "snake", is cognate to other Indo-European words for "snake", cf. Old Irish escung "eel", Old High German unc "snake", Lithuanian angìs, Greek ophis, okhis, Vedic Sanskrit áhi, Avestan aži, Armenian auj, iž, Old Church Slavonic * žÑ, all from Proto-Indo-European *og uh is, Äg uh is. The word also appears in Old English igil "hedgehog" (named as the "snake eater"), and perhaps in the egi- of Old High German egidehsa "wall lizard".
The name of Bellerophon (ÎελλεÏοÏÏνÏηÏ, attested in a variant á¼Î»Î»ÎµÏοÏÏνÏÎ·Ï in Eustathius of Thessalonica) according to this theory is also related, translating to "the slayer of the serpent" (ahihán), the ελλεÏο- being an adjective for a lost ελλÏ
- "snake", directly comparable to Hittite ellu-essar- "snake pit". This myth likely came to Greece via Anatolia, and in the Hittite version, the dragon is called Illuyanka, the illuy- part being cognate to the illa word, and the -anka part being cognate to the angu word for "snake". As designations for "snake" (and similar shaped animals) are often liable to taboo in many Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages, no unambiguous Proto-Indo-European form for the eel word can thus be reconstructed, it could have been *Äl(l)-u-, *Äl(l)-o- or similar.
A famous attraction on the French Polynesian island of Huahine (part of the Society Islands) is the bridge across a stream hosting long eels, deemed sacred by local culture.
* Eel life history
*
*
|
Eel | How do eels begin life? | Eels begin life as flat and transparent larvae, called leptocephali. | data/set1/a8 | Eel
:"Eel" often refers to one particular species of Anguilliformes: Anguilla anguilla (Europe), A. japonica (East Asia) or A. rostrata (North America).
True eels (Anguilliformes; ) are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 19 families, 110 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators. The term "eel" is also used for some other similarly shaped fish, such as electric eels and spiny eels, but these are not members of the Anguilliformes order.
True eels are elongated fishes, ranging in length from in the one-jawed eel (Monognathus ahlstromi) to in the giant moray. They possess no pelvic fins, and many species also lack pectoral fins. The dorsal and anal fins are fused with the caudal or tail fin, to form a single ribbon running along much of the length of the animal.
Most true eels prefer to dwell in shallow waters or hide at the bottom layer of the ocean, sometimes in holes. These holes are called eel pits. Only members of the Anguillidae family regularly inhabit fresh water; they too return to the sea to breed. Some eels dwell in water as deep as . Others are active swimmers.
Eels begin life as flat and transparent larvae, called leptocephali. Eel larvae drift in the surface waters of the sea feeding on small particles called marine snow. Eel larvae then metamorphorphose into glass eels and then become elvers before finally seeking out the adult habitat.
A moray eel. Juvenile American eels
Garden eels
This classification follows FishBase in dividing the eels into fifteen families. Additional families that are included in other classifications (notably ITIS and Systema Naturae 2000) are noted below the family with which they are synomized in the Fish Base system.
The origin of the fresh water species has been problematic. Genomic studies indicate that they are a monophylectic group which originated amoung the deep sea eels. Inoue JG, Miya M, Miller MJ, Sado T, Hanel R, Hatooka K, Aoyama J, Minegishi Y, Nishida M, Tsukamoto K (2010) Deep-ocean origin of the freshwater eels. Biol. Lett.
Suborder Anguilloidei
*Anguillidae (freshwater eels)
*Chlopsidae (false morays)
*Heterenchelyidae (mud eels)
*Moringuidae (spaghetti eels)
*Muraenidae (moray eels)
*Myrocongridae (thin eels)
Suborder Congroidei
*Colocongridae (worm eels)
*Congridae (congers)
**Including Macrocephenchelyidae
*Derichthyidae (longneck eels)
**Including Nessorhamphidae
*Muraenesocidae (pike congers)
*Nettastomatidae (duckbill eels)
*Ophichthidae (snake eels)
Suborder Nemichthyoidei
*Nemichthyidae (snipe eels)
*Serrivomeridae (sawtooth eels)
Suborder Synaphobranchoidei
*Synaphobranchidae (cutthroat eels)
**Including Dysommidae, Nettodaridae, and Simenchelyidae
In some classifications the family Cyematidae of bobtail snipe eels is included in the Anguilliformes, but in the FishBase system that family is included in the order Saccopharyngiformes.
The electric eel of South America is not a true eel, but is more closely related to the Carp.
alt=Photo of thin-sliced fish in restaurant setting
alt=Drawing of man standing on pier, with the shore to the left and a nested series of cone-shaped nets extending along the water surface to the right
Freshwater eels (unagi) and marine eels (conger eel, anago) are commonly used in Japanese cuisine; foods such as Unadon and Unajuu are popular but expensive. Eels are also very popular in Chinese cuisine, and are prepared in many different ways. Hong Kong eel prices have often reached 1000 HKD per kilogram, and once exceeded 5000 HKD per kilogram. Eel is also popular in Korean cuisine and is seen as a source of stamina for men. The European eel and other freshwater eels are eaten in Europe, the United States, and other places. A traditional East London food is jellied eels, although their demand has significantly declined since World War II. The Basque delicacy angulas consists of deep-fried elver (young eels); elver eels usually reach prices of up to 1000 euro per kilogram. New Zealand longfin eel is a traditional MÄori food in New Zealand. In Italian cuisine eels from the Comacchio area (a swampy zone along the Adriatic coast) are specially prized along with freshwater eels of Bolsena Lake. In northern Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, smoked eel is considered a delicacy.
Fisherman consumed elvers as a cheap dish, but environmental changes have reduced eel populations. They are now considered a delicacy and are priced at up to £700 per kg in the United Kingdom.
Eels, particularly the Moray eel, are popular among marine aquarists.
Eel blood is toxic to humans , but cooking destroys the toxic protein. The toxin derived from eel blood serum was used by Charles Richet in his Nobel winning research which discovered anaphylaxis (by injecting it into dogs and observing the effect).
alt=Photo of eight eels on white sheet
The English name eel descends from Old English ǽl, Common Germanic * laz. Also from the common Germanic are Middle Dutch ael, Old High German âl, Old Norse áll. Katz (1998) J. Katz, 'How to be a Dragon in Indo-European: Hittite illuyankas and its Linguistic and Cultural Congeners in Latin, Greek, and Germanic', in: MÃr Curad. Studies in Honor of Calvert Watkins, ed. Jasanoff, Melchert, Oliver, Innsbruck 1998, 317â334.
identifies a number of Indo-European cognates, among them the second part of the Latin name of the eels, anguilla, which is attested in its simplex form illa in a glossary only, and likewise the Greek word for "eel", egkhelys, the second part being attested in Hesychius as elyes. The first compound member, anguis "snake", is cognate to other Indo-European words for "snake", cf. Old Irish escung "eel", Old High German unc "snake", Lithuanian angìs, Greek ophis, okhis, Vedic Sanskrit áhi, Avestan aži, Armenian auj, iž, Old Church Slavonic * žÑ, all from Proto-Indo-European *og uh is, Äg uh is. The word also appears in Old English igil "hedgehog" (named as the "snake eater"), and perhaps in the egi- of Old High German egidehsa "wall lizard".
The name of Bellerophon (ÎελλεÏοÏÏνÏηÏ, attested in a variant á¼Î»Î»ÎµÏοÏÏνÏÎ·Ï in Eustathius of Thessalonica) according to this theory is also related, translating to "the slayer of the serpent" (ahihán), the ελλεÏο- being an adjective for a lost ελλÏ
- "snake", directly comparable to Hittite ellu-essar- "snake pit". This myth likely came to Greece via Anatolia, and in the Hittite version, the dragon is called Illuyanka, the illuy- part being cognate to the illa word, and the -anka part being cognate to the angu word for "snake". As designations for "snake" (and similar shaped animals) are often liable to taboo in many Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages, no unambiguous Proto-Indo-European form for the eel word can thus be reconstructed, it could have been *Äl(l)-u-, *Äl(l)-o- or similar.
A famous attraction on the French Polynesian island of Huahine (part of the Society Islands) is the bridge across a stream hosting long eels, deemed sacred by local culture.
* Eel life history
*
*
|
Eel | What types of fins do eels have? | Dorsal, anal, caudal, tail fins | data/set1/a8 | Eel
:"Eel" often refers to one particular species of Anguilliformes: Anguilla anguilla (Europe), A. japonica (East Asia) or A. rostrata (North America).
True eels (Anguilliformes; ) are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 19 families, 110 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators. The term "eel" is also used for some other similarly shaped fish, such as electric eels and spiny eels, but these are not members of the Anguilliformes order.
True eels are elongated fishes, ranging in length from in the one-jawed eel (Monognathus ahlstromi) to in the giant moray. They possess no pelvic fins, and many species also lack pectoral fins. The dorsal and anal fins are fused with the caudal or tail fin, to form a single ribbon running along much of the length of the animal.
Most true eels prefer to dwell in shallow waters or hide at the bottom layer of the ocean, sometimes in holes. These holes are called eel pits. Only members of the Anguillidae family regularly inhabit fresh water; they too return to the sea to breed. Some eels dwell in water as deep as . Others are active swimmers.
Eels begin life as flat and transparent larvae, called leptocephali. Eel larvae drift in the surface waters of the sea feeding on small particles called marine snow. Eel larvae then metamorphorphose into glass eels and then become elvers before finally seeking out the adult habitat.
A moray eel. Juvenile American eels
Garden eels
This classification follows FishBase in dividing the eels into fifteen families. Additional families that are included in other classifications (notably ITIS and Systema Naturae 2000) are noted below the family with which they are synomized in the Fish Base system.
The origin of the fresh water species has been problematic. Genomic studies indicate that they are a monophylectic group which originated amoung the deep sea eels. Inoue JG, Miya M, Miller MJ, Sado T, Hanel R, Hatooka K, Aoyama J, Minegishi Y, Nishida M, Tsukamoto K (2010) Deep-ocean origin of the freshwater eels. Biol. Lett.
Suborder Anguilloidei
*Anguillidae (freshwater eels)
*Chlopsidae (false morays)
*Heterenchelyidae (mud eels)
*Moringuidae (spaghetti eels)
*Muraenidae (moray eels)
*Myrocongridae (thin eels)
Suborder Congroidei
*Colocongridae (worm eels)
*Congridae (congers)
**Including Macrocephenchelyidae
*Derichthyidae (longneck eels)
**Including Nessorhamphidae
*Muraenesocidae (pike congers)
*Nettastomatidae (duckbill eels)
*Ophichthidae (snake eels)
Suborder Nemichthyoidei
*Nemichthyidae (snipe eels)
*Serrivomeridae (sawtooth eels)
Suborder Synaphobranchoidei
*Synaphobranchidae (cutthroat eels)
**Including Dysommidae, Nettodaridae, and Simenchelyidae
In some classifications the family Cyematidae of bobtail snipe eels is included in the Anguilliformes, but in the FishBase system that family is included in the order Saccopharyngiformes.
The electric eel of South America is not a true eel, but is more closely related to the Carp.
alt=Photo of thin-sliced fish in restaurant setting
alt=Drawing of man standing on pier, with the shore to the left and a nested series of cone-shaped nets extending along the water surface to the right
Freshwater eels (unagi) and marine eels (conger eel, anago) are commonly used in Japanese cuisine; foods such as Unadon and Unajuu are popular but expensive. Eels are also very popular in Chinese cuisine, and are prepared in many different ways. Hong Kong eel prices have often reached 1000 HKD per kilogram, and once exceeded 5000 HKD per kilogram. Eel is also popular in Korean cuisine and is seen as a source of stamina for men. The European eel and other freshwater eels are eaten in Europe, the United States, and other places. A traditional East London food is jellied eels, although their demand has significantly declined since World War II. The Basque delicacy angulas consists of deep-fried elver (young eels); elver eels usually reach prices of up to 1000 euro per kilogram. New Zealand longfin eel is a traditional MÄori food in New Zealand. In Italian cuisine eels from the Comacchio area (a swampy zone along the Adriatic coast) are specially prized along with freshwater eels of Bolsena Lake. In northern Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, smoked eel is considered a delicacy.
Fisherman consumed elvers as a cheap dish, but environmental changes have reduced eel populations. They are now considered a delicacy and are priced at up to £700 per kg in the United Kingdom.
Eels, particularly the Moray eel, are popular among marine aquarists.
Eel blood is toxic to humans , but cooking destroys the toxic protein. The toxin derived from eel blood serum was used by Charles Richet in his Nobel winning research which discovered anaphylaxis (by injecting it into dogs and observing the effect).
alt=Photo of eight eels on white sheet
The English name eel descends from Old English ǽl, Common Germanic * laz. Also from the common Germanic are Middle Dutch ael, Old High German âl, Old Norse áll. Katz (1998) J. Katz, 'How to be a Dragon in Indo-European: Hittite illuyankas and its Linguistic and Cultural Congeners in Latin, Greek, and Germanic', in: MÃr Curad. Studies in Honor of Calvert Watkins, ed. Jasanoff, Melchert, Oliver, Innsbruck 1998, 317â334.
identifies a number of Indo-European cognates, among them the second part of the Latin name of the eels, anguilla, which is attested in its simplex form illa in a glossary only, and likewise the Greek word for "eel", egkhelys, the second part being attested in Hesychius as elyes. The first compound member, anguis "snake", is cognate to other Indo-European words for "snake", cf. Old Irish escung "eel", Old High German unc "snake", Lithuanian angìs, Greek ophis, okhis, Vedic Sanskrit áhi, Avestan aži, Armenian auj, iž, Old Church Slavonic * žÑ, all from Proto-Indo-European *og uh is, Äg uh is. The word also appears in Old English igil "hedgehog" (named as the "snake eater"), and perhaps in the egi- of Old High German egidehsa "wall lizard".
The name of Bellerophon (ÎελλεÏοÏÏνÏηÏ, attested in a variant á¼Î»Î»ÎµÏοÏÏνÏÎ·Ï in Eustathius of Thessalonica) according to this theory is also related, translating to "the slayer of the serpent" (ahihán), the ελλεÏο- being an adjective for a lost ελλÏ
- "snake", directly comparable to Hittite ellu-essar- "snake pit". This myth likely came to Greece via Anatolia, and in the Hittite version, the dragon is called Illuyanka, the illuy- part being cognate to the illa word, and the -anka part being cognate to the angu word for "snake". As designations for "snake" (and similar shaped animals) are often liable to taboo in many Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages, no unambiguous Proto-Indo-European form for the eel word can thus be reconstructed, it could have been *Äl(l)-u-, *Äl(l)-o- or similar.
A famous attraction on the French Polynesian island of Huahine (part of the Society Islands) is the bridge across a stream hosting long eels, deemed sacred by local culture.
* Eel life history
*
*
|
Eel | What types of fins do eels have? | Eels have dorsal and anal fins fused with a tail fin. Some also have pectoral fins. | data/set1/a8 | Eel
:"Eel" often refers to one particular species of Anguilliformes: Anguilla anguilla (Europe), A. japonica (East Asia) or A. rostrata (North America).
True eels (Anguilliformes; ) are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 19 families, 110 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators. The term "eel" is also used for some other similarly shaped fish, such as electric eels and spiny eels, but these are not members of the Anguilliformes order.
True eels are elongated fishes, ranging in length from in the one-jawed eel (Monognathus ahlstromi) to in the giant moray. They possess no pelvic fins, and many species also lack pectoral fins. The dorsal and anal fins are fused with the caudal or tail fin, to form a single ribbon running along much of the length of the animal.
Most true eels prefer to dwell in shallow waters or hide at the bottom layer of the ocean, sometimes in holes. These holes are called eel pits. Only members of the Anguillidae family regularly inhabit fresh water; they too return to the sea to breed. Some eels dwell in water as deep as . Others are active swimmers.
Eels begin life as flat and transparent larvae, called leptocephali. Eel larvae drift in the surface waters of the sea feeding on small particles called marine snow. Eel larvae then metamorphorphose into glass eels and then become elvers before finally seeking out the adult habitat.
A moray eel. Juvenile American eels
Garden eels
This classification follows FishBase in dividing the eels into fifteen families. Additional families that are included in other classifications (notably ITIS and Systema Naturae 2000) are noted below the family with which they are synomized in the Fish Base system.
The origin of the fresh water species has been problematic. Genomic studies indicate that they are a monophylectic group which originated amoung the deep sea eels. Inoue JG, Miya M, Miller MJ, Sado T, Hanel R, Hatooka K, Aoyama J, Minegishi Y, Nishida M, Tsukamoto K (2010) Deep-ocean origin of the freshwater eels. Biol. Lett.
Suborder Anguilloidei
*Anguillidae (freshwater eels)
*Chlopsidae (false morays)
*Heterenchelyidae (mud eels)
*Moringuidae (spaghetti eels)
*Muraenidae (moray eels)
*Myrocongridae (thin eels)
Suborder Congroidei
*Colocongridae (worm eels)
*Congridae (congers)
**Including Macrocephenchelyidae
*Derichthyidae (longneck eels)
**Including Nessorhamphidae
*Muraenesocidae (pike congers)
*Nettastomatidae (duckbill eels)
*Ophichthidae (snake eels)
Suborder Nemichthyoidei
*Nemichthyidae (snipe eels)
*Serrivomeridae (sawtooth eels)
Suborder Synaphobranchoidei
*Synaphobranchidae (cutthroat eels)
**Including Dysommidae, Nettodaridae, and Simenchelyidae
In some classifications the family Cyematidae of bobtail snipe eels is included in the Anguilliformes, but in the FishBase system that family is included in the order Saccopharyngiformes.
The electric eel of South America is not a true eel, but is more closely related to the Carp.
alt=Photo of thin-sliced fish in restaurant setting
alt=Drawing of man standing on pier, with the shore to the left and a nested series of cone-shaped nets extending along the water surface to the right
Freshwater eels (unagi) and marine eels (conger eel, anago) are commonly used in Japanese cuisine; foods such as Unadon and Unajuu are popular but expensive. Eels are also very popular in Chinese cuisine, and are prepared in many different ways. Hong Kong eel prices have often reached 1000 HKD per kilogram, and once exceeded 5000 HKD per kilogram. Eel is also popular in Korean cuisine and is seen as a source of stamina for men. The European eel and other freshwater eels are eaten in Europe, the United States, and other places. A traditional East London food is jellied eels, although their demand has significantly declined since World War II. The Basque delicacy angulas consists of deep-fried elver (young eels); elver eels usually reach prices of up to 1000 euro per kilogram. New Zealand longfin eel is a traditional MÄori food in New Zealand. In Italian cuisine eels from the Comacchio area (a swampy zone along the Adriatic coast) are specially prized along with freshwater eels of Bolsena Lake. In northern Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, smoked eel is considered a delicacy.
Fisherman consumed elvers as a cheap dish, but environmental changes have reduced eel populations. They are now considered a delicacy and are priced at up to £700 per kg in the United Kingdom.
Eels, particularly the Moray eel, are popular among marine aquarists.
Eel blood is toxic to humans , but cooking destroys the toxic protein. The toxin derived from eel blood serum was used by Charles Richet in his Nobel winning research which discovered anaphylaxis (by injecting it into dogs and observing the effect).
alt=Photo of eight eels on white sheet
The English name eel descends from Old English ǽl, Common Germanic * laz. Also from the common Germanic are Middle Dutch ael, Old High German âl, Old Norse áll. Katz (1998) J. Katz, 'How to be a Dragon in Indo-European: Hittite illuyankas and its Linguistic and Cultural Congeners in Latin, Greek, and Germanic', in: MÃr Curad. Studies in Honor of Calvert Watkins, ed. Jasanoff, Melchert, Oliver, Innsbruck 1998, 317â334.
identifies a number of Indo-European cognates, among them the second part of the Latin name of the eels, anguilla, which is attested in its simplex form illa in a glossary only, and likewise the Greek word for "eel", egkhelys, the second part being attested in Hesychius as elyes. The first compound member, anguis "snake", is cognate to other Indo-European words for "snake", cf. Old Irish escung "eel", Old High German unc "snake", Lithuanian angìs, Greek ophis, okhis, Vedic Sanskrit áhi, Avestan aži, Armenian auj, iž, Old Church Slavonic * žÑ, all from Proto-Indo-European *og uh is, Äg uh is. The word also appears in Old English igil "hedgehog" (named as the "snake eater"), and perhaps in the egi- of Old High German egidehsa "wall lizard".
The name of Bellerophon (ÎελλεÏοÏÏνÏηÏ, attested in a variant á¼Î»Î»ÎµÏοÏÏνÏÎ·Ï in Eustathius of Thessalonica) according to this theory is also related, translating to "the slayer of the serpent" (ahihán), the ελλεÏο- being an adjective for a lost ελλÏ
- "snake", directly comparable to Hittite ellu-essar- "snake pit". This myth likely came to Greece via Anatolia, and in the Hittite version, the dragon is called Illuyanka, the illuy- part being cognate to the illa word, and the -anka part being cognate to the angu word for "snake". As designations for "snake" (and similar shaped animals) are often liable to taboo in many Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages, no unambiguous Proto-Indo-European form for the eel word can thus be reconstructed, it could have been *Äl(l)-u-, *Äl(l)-o- or similar.
A famous attraction on the French Polynesian island of Huahine (part of the Society Islands) is the bridge across a stream hosting long eels, deemed sacred by local culture.
* Eel life history
*
*
|
Eel | What do leptocephali eat? | Marine snow | data/set1/a8 | Eel
:"Eel" often refers to one particular species of Anguilliformes: Anguilla anguilla (Europe), A. japonica (East Asia) or A. rostrata (North America).
True eels (Anguilliformes; ) are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 19 families, 110 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators. The term "eel" is also used for some other similarly shaped fish, such as electric eels and spiny eels, but these are not members of the Anguilliformes order.
True eels are elongated fishes, ranging in length from in the one-jawed eel (Monognathus ahlstromi) to in the giant moray. They possess no pelvic fins, and many species also lack pectoral fins. The dorsal and anal fins are fused with the caudal or tail fin, to form a single ribbon running along much of the length of the animal.
Most true eels prefer to dwell in shallow waters or hide at the bottom layer of the ocean, sometimes in holes. These holes are called eel pits. Only members of the Anguillidae family regularly inhabit fresh water; they too return to the sea to breed. Some eels dwell in water as deep as . Others are active swimmers.
Eels begin life as flat and transparent larvae, called leptocephali. Eel larvae drift in the surface waters of the sea feeding on small particles called marine snow. Eel larvae then metamorphorphose into glass eels and then become elvers before finally seeking out the adult habitat.
A moray eel. Juvenile American eels
Garden eels
This classification follows FishBase in dividing the eels into fifteen families. Additional families that are included in other classifications (notably ITIS and Systema Naturae 2000) are noted below the family with which they are synomized in the Fish Base system.
The origin of the fresh water species has been problematic. Genomic studies indicate that they are a monophylectic group which originated amoung the deep sea eels. Inoue JG, Miya M, Miller MJ, Sado T, Hanel R, Hatooka K, Aoyama J, Minegishi Y, Nishida M, Tsukamoto K (2010) Deep-ocean origin of the freshwater eels. Biol. Lett.
Suborder Anguilloidei
*Anguillidae (freshwater eels)
*Chlopsidae (false morays)
*Heterenchelyidae (mud eels)
*Moringuidae (spaghetti eels)
*Muraenidae (moray eels)
*Myrocongridae (thin eels)
Suborder Congroidei
*Colocongridae (worm eels)
*Congridae (congers)
**Including Macrocephenchelyidae
*Derichthyidae (longneck eels)
**Including Nessorhamphidae
*Muraenesocidae (pike congers)
*Nettastomatidae (duckbill eels)
*Ophichthidae (snake eels)
Suborder Nemichthyoidei
*Nemichthyidae (snipe eels)
*Serrivomeridae (sawtooth eels)
Suborder Synaphobranchoidei
*Synaphobranchidae (cutthroat eels)
**Including Dysommidae, Nettodaridae, and Simenchelyidae
In some classifications the family Cyematidae of bobtail snipe eels is included in the Anguilliformes, but in the FishBase system that family is included in the order Saccopharyngiformes.
The electric eel of South America is not a true eel, but is more closely related to the Carp.
alt=Photo of thin-sliced fish in restaurant setting
alt=Drawing of man standing on pier, with the shore to the left and a nested series of cone-shaped nets extending along the water surface to the right
Freshwater eels (unagi) and marine eels (conger eel, anago) are commonly used in Japanese cuisine; foods such as Unadon and Unajuu are popular but expensive. Eels are also very popular in Chinese cuisine, and are prepared in many different ways. Hong Kong eel prices have often reached 1000 HKD per kilogram, and once exceeded 5000 HKD per kilogram. Eel is also popular in Korean cuisine and is seen as a source of stamina for men. The European eel and other freshwater eels are eaten in Europe, the United States, and other places. A traditional East London food is jellied eels, although their demand has significantly declined since World War II. The Basque delicacy angulas consists of deep-fried elver (young eels); elver eels usually reach prices of up to 1000 euro per kilogram. New Zealand longfin eel is a traditional MÄori food in New Zealand. In Italian cuisine eels from the Comacchio area (a swampy zone along the Adriatic coast) are specially prized along with freshwater eels of Bolsena Lake. In northern Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, smoked eel is considered a delicacy.
Fisherman consumed elvers as a cheap dish, but environmental changes have reduced eel populations. They are now considered a delicacy and are priced at up to £700 per kg in the United Kingdom.
Eels, particularly the Moray eel, are popular among marine aquarists.
Eel blood is toxic to humans , but cooking destroys the toxic protein. The toxin derived from eel blood serum was used by Charles Richet in his Nobel winning research which discovered anaphylaxis (by injecting it into dogs and observing the effect).
alt=Photo of eight eels on white sheet
The English name eel descends from Old English ǽl, Common Germanic * laz. Also from the common Germanic are Middle Dutch ael, Old High German âl, Old Norse áll. Katz (1998) J. Katz, 'How to be a Dragon in Indo-European: Hittite illuyankas and its Linguistic and Cultural Congeners in Latin, Greek, and Germanic', in: MÃr Curad. Studies in Honor of Calvert Watkins, ed. Jasanoff, Melchert, Oliver, Innsbruck 1998, 317â334.
identifies a number of Indo-European cognates, among them the second part of the Latin name of the eels, anguilla, which is attested in its simplex form illa in a glossary only, and likewise the Greek word for "eel", egkhelys, the second part being attested in Hesychius as elyes. The first compound member, anguis "snake", is cognate to other Indo-European words for "snake", cf. Old Irish escung "eel", Old High German unc "snake", Lithuanian angìs, Greek ophis, okhis, Vedic Sanskrit áhi, Avestan aži, Armenian auj, iž, Old Church Slavonic * žÑ, all from Proto-Indo-European *og uh is, Äg uh is. The word also appears in Old English igil "hedgehog" (named as the "snake eater"), and perhaps in the egi- of Old High German egidehsa "wall lizard".
The name of Bellerophon (ÎελλεÏοÏÏνÏηÏ, attested in a variant á¼Î»Î»ÎµÏοÏÏνÏÎ·Ï in Eustathius of Thessalonica) according to this theory is also related, translating to "the slayer of the serpent" (ahihán), the ελλεÏο- being an adjective for a lost ελλÏ
- "snake", directly comparable to Hittite ellu-essar- "snake pit". This myth likely came to Greece via Anatolia, and in the Hittite version, the dragon is called Illuyanka, the illuy- part being cognate to the illa word, and the -anka part being cognate to the angu word for "snake". As designations for "snake" (and similar shaped animals) are often liable to taboo in many Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages, no unambiguous Proto-Indo-European form for the eel word can thus be reconstructed, it could have been *Äl(l)-u-, *Äl(l)-o- or similar.
A famous attraction on the French Polynesian island of Huahine (part of the Society Islands) is the bridge across a stream hosting long eels, deemed sacred by local culture.
* Eel life history
*
*
|
Eel | What do leptocephali eat? | Leptocephali eat small particles called marine snow. | data/set1/a8 | Eel
:"Eel" often refers to one particular species of Anguilliformes: Anguilla anguilla (Europe), A. japonica (East Asia) or A. rostrata (North America).
True eels (Anguilliformes; ) are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 19 families, 110 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators. The term "eel" is also used for some other similarly shaped fish, such as electric eels and spiny eels, but these are not members of the Anguilliformes order.
True eels are elongated fishes, ranging in length from in the one-jawed eel (Monognathus ahlstromi) to in the giant moray. They possess no pelvic fins, and many species also lack pectoral fins. The dorsal and anal fins are fused with the caudal or tail fin, to form a single ribbon running along much of the length of the animal.
Most true eels prefer to dwell in shallow waters or hide at the bottom layer of the ocean, sometimes in holes. These holes are called eel pits. Only members of the Anguillidae family regularly inhabit fresh water; they too return to the sea to breed. Some eels dwell in water as deep as . Others are active swimmers.
Eels begin life as flat and transparent larvae, called leptocephali. Eel larvae drift in the surface waters of the sea feeding on small particles called marine snow. Eel larvae then metamorphorphose into glass eels and then become elvers before finally seeking out the adult habitat.
A moray eel. Juvenile American eels
Garden eels
This classification follows FishBase in dividing the eels into fifteen families. Additional families that are included in other classifications (notably ITIS and Systema Naturae 2000) are noted below the family with which they are synomized in the Fish Base system.
The origin of the fresh water species has been problematic. Genomic studies indicate that they are a monophylectic group which originated amoung the deep sea eels. Inoue JG, Miya M, Miller MJ, Sado T, Hanel R, Hatooka K, Aoyama J, Minegishi Y, Nishida M, Tsukamoto K (2010) Deep-ocean origin of the freshwater eels. Biol. Lett.
Suborder Anguilloidei
*Anguillidae (freshwater eels)
*Chlopsidae (false morays)
*Heterenchelyidae (mud eels)
*Moringuidae (spaghetti eels)
*Muraenidae (moray eels)
*Myrocongridae (thin eels)
Suborder Congroidei
*Colocongridae (worm eels)
*Congridae (congers)
**Including Macrocephenchelyidae
*Derichthyidae (longneck eels)
**Including Nessorhamphidae
*Muraenesocidae (pike congers)
*Nettastomatidae (duckbill eels)
*Ophichthidae (snake eels)
Suborder Nemichthyoidei
*Nemichthyidae (snipe eels)
*Serrivomeridae (sawtooth eels)
Suborder Synaphobranchoidei
*Synaphobranchidae (cutthroat eels)
**Including Dysommidae, Nettodaridae, and Simenchelyidae
In some classifications the family Cyematidae of bobtail snipe eels is included in the Anguilliformes, but in the FishBase system that family is included in the order Saccopharyngiformes.
The electric eel of South America is not a true eel, but is more closely related to the Carp.
alt=Photo of thin-sliced fish in restaurant setting
alt=Drawing of man standing on pier, with the shore to the left and a nested series of cone-shaped nets extending along the water surface to the right
Freshwater eels (unagi) and marine eels (conger eel, anago) are commonly used in Japanese cuisine; foods such as Unadon and Unajuu are popular but expensive. Eels are also very popular in Chinese cuisine, and are prepared in many different ways. Hong Kong eel prices have often reached 1000 HKD per kilogram, and once exceeded 5000 HKD per kilogram. Eel is also popular in Korean cuisine and is seen as a source of stamina for men. The European eel and other freshwater eels are eaten in Europe, the United States, and other places. A traditional East London food is jellied eels, although their demand has significantly declined since World War II. The Basque delicacy angulas consists of deep-fried elver (young eels); elver eels usually reach prices of up to 1000 euro per kilogram. New Zealand longfin eel is a traditional MÄori food in New Zealand. In Italian cuisine eels from the Comacchio area (a swampy zone along the Adriatic coast) are specially prized along with freshwater eels of Bolsena Lake. In northern Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, smoked eel is considered a delicacy.
Fisherman consumed elvers as a cheap dish, but environmental changes have reduced eel populations. They are now considered a delicacy and are priced at up to £700 per kg in the United Kingdom.
Eels, particularly the Moray eel, are popular among marine aquarists.
Eel blood is toxic to humans , but cooking destroys the toxic protein. The toxin derived from eel blood serum was used by Charles Richet in his Nobel winning research which discovered anaphylaxis (by injecting it into dogs and observing the effect).
alt=Photo of eight eels on white sheet
The English name eel descends from Old English ǽl, Common Germanic * laz. Also from the common Germanic are Middle Dutch ael, Old High German âl, Old Norse áll. Katz (1998) J. Katz, 'How to be a Dragon in Indo-European: Hittite illuyankas and its Linguistic and Cultural Congeners in Latin, Greek, and Germanic', in: MÃr Curad. Studies in Honor of Calvert Watkins, ed. Jasanoff, Melchert, Oliver, Innsbruck 1998, 317â334.
identifies a number of Indo-European cognates, among them the second part of the Latin name of the eels, anguilla, which is attested in its simplex form illa in a glossary only, and likewise the Greek word for "eel", egkhelys, the second part being attested in Hesychius as elyes. The first compound member, anguis "snake", is cognate to other Indo-European words for "snake", cf. Old Irish escung "eel", Old High German unc "snake", Lithuanian angìs, Greek ophis, okhis, Vedic Sanskrit áhi, Avestan aži, Armenian auj, iž, Old Church Slavonic * žÑ, all from Proto-Indo-European *og uh is, Äg uh is. The word also appears in Old English igil "hedgehog" (named as the "snake eater"), and perhaps in the egi- of Old High German egidehsa "wall lizard".
The name of Bellerophon (ÎελλεÏοÏÏνÏηÏ, attested in a variant á¼Î»Î»ÎµÏοÏÏνÏÎ·Ï in Eustathius of Thessalonica) according to this theory is also related, translating to "the slayer of the serpent" (ahihán), the ελλεÏο- being an adjective for a lost ελλÏ
- "snake", directly comparable to Hittite ellu-essar- "snake pit". This myth likely came to Greece via Anatolia, and in the Hittite version, the dragon is called Illuyanka, the illuy- part being cognate to the illa word, and the -anka part being cognate to the angu word for "snake". As designations for "snake" (and similar shaped animals) are often liable to taboo in many Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages, no unambiguous Proto-Indo-European form for the eel word can thus be reconstructed, it could have been *Äl(l)-u-, *Äl(l)-o- or similar.
A famous attraction on the French Polynesian island of Huahine (part of the Society Islands) is the bridge across a stream hosting long eels, deemed sacred by local culture.
* Eel life history
*
*
|
Eel | Do all eels live in fresh water? | No | data/set1/a8 | Eel
:"Eel" often refers to one particular species of Anguilliformes: Anguilla anguilla (Europe), A. japonica (East Asia) or A. rostrata (North America).
True eels (Anguilliformes; ) are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 19 families, 110 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators. The term "eel" is also used for some other similarly shaped fish, such as electric eels and spiny eels, but these are not members of the Anguilliformes order.
True eels are elongated fishes, ranging in length from in the one-jawed eel (Monognathus ahlstromi) to in the giant moray. They possess no pelvic fins, and many species also lack pectoral fins. The dorsal and anal fins are fused with the caudal or tail fin, to form a single ribbon running along much of the length of the animal.
Most true eels prefer to dwell in shallow waters or hide at the bottom layer of the ocean, sometimes in holes. These holes are called eel pits. Only members of the Anguillidae family regularly inhabit fresh water; they too return to the sea to breed. Some eels dwell in water as deep as . Others are active swimmers.
Eels begin life as flat and transparent larvae, called leptocephali. Eel larvae drift in the surface waters of the sea feeding on small particles called marine snow. Eel larvae then metamorphorphose into glass eels and then become elvers before finally seeking out the adult habitat.
A moray eel. Juvenile American eels
Garden eels
This classification follows FishBase in dividing the eels into fifteen families. Additional families that are included in other classifications (notably ITIS and Systema Naturae 2000) are noted below the family with which they are synomized in the Fish Base system.
The origin of the fresh water species has been problematic. Genomic studies indicate that they are a monophylectic group which originated amoung the deep sea eels. Inoue JG, Miya M, Miller MJ, Sado T, Hanel R, Hatooka K, Aoyama J, Minegishi Y, Nishida M, Tsukamoto K (2010) Deep-ocean origin of the freshwater eels. Biol. Lett.
Suborder Anguilloidei
*Anguillidae (freshwater eels)
*Chlopsidae (false morays)
*Heterenchelyidae (mud eels)
*Moringuidae (spaghetti eels)
*Muraenidae (moray eels)
*Myrocongridae (thin eels)
Suborder Congroidei
*Colocongridae (worm eels)
*Congridae (congers)
**Including Macrocephenchelyidae
*Derichthyidae (longneck eels)
**Including Nessorhamphidae
*Muraenesocidae (pike congers)
*Nettastomatidae (duckbill eels)
*Ophichthidae (snake eels)
Suborder Nemichthyoidei
*Nemichthyidae (snipe eels)
*Serrivomeridae (sawtooth eels)
Suborder Synaphobranchoidei
*Synaphobranchidae (cutthroat eels)
**Including Dysommidae, Nettodaridae, and Simenchelyidae
In some classifications the family Cyematidae of bobtail snipe eels is included in the Anguilliformes, but in the FishBase system that family is included in the order Saccopharyngiformes.
The electric eel of South America is not a true eel, but is more closely related to the Carp.
alt=Photo of thin-sliced fish in restaurant setting
alt=Drawing of man standing on pier, with the shore to the left and a nested series of cone-shaped nets extending along the water surface to the right
Freshwater eels (unagi) and marine eels (conger eel, anago) are commonly used in Japanese cuisine; foods such as Unadon and Unajuu are popular but expensive. Eels are also very popular in Chinese cuisine, and are prepared in many different ways. Hong Kong eel prices have often reached 1000 HKD per kilogram, and once exceeded 5000 HKD per kilogram. Eel is also popular in Korean cuisine and is seen as a source of stamina for men. The European eel and other freshwater eels are eaten in Europe, the United States, and other places. A traditional East London food is jellied eels, although their demand has significantly declined since World War II. The Basque delicacy angulas consists of deep-fried elver (young eels); elver eels usually reach prices of up to 1000 euro per kilogram. New Zealand longfin eel is a traditional MÄori food in New Zealand. In Italian cuisine eels from the Comacchio area (a swampy zone along the Adriatic coast) are specially prized along with freshwater eels of Bolsena Lake. In northern Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, smoked eel is considered a delicacy.
Fisherman consumed elvers as a cheap dish, but environmental changes have reduced eel populations. They are now considered a delicacy and are priced at up to £700 per kg in the United Kingdom.
Eels, particularly the Moray eel, are popular among marine aquarists.
Eel blood is toxic to humans , but cooking destroys the toxic protein. The toxin derived from eel blood serum was used by Charles Richet in his Nobel winning research which discovered anaphylaxis (by injecting it into dogs and observing the effect).
alt=Photo of eight eels on white sheet
The English name eel descends from Old English ǽl, Common Germanic * laz. Also from the common Germanic are Middle Dutch ael, Old High German âl, Old Norse áll. Katz (1998) J. Katz, 'How to be a Dragon in Indo-European: Hittite illuyankas and its Linguistic and Cultural Congeners in Latin, Greek, and Germanic', in: MÃr Curad. Studies in Honor of Calvert Watkins, ed. Jasanoff, Melchert, Oliver, Innsbruck 1998, 317â334.
identifies a number of Indo-European cognates, among them the second part of the Latin name of the eels, anguilla, which is attested in its simplex form illa in a glossary only, and likewise the Greek word for "eel", egkhelys, the second part being attested in Hesychius as elyes. The first compound member, anguis "snake", is cognate to other Indo-European words for "snake", cf. Old Irish escung "eel", Old High German unc "snake", Lithuanian angìs, Greek ophis, okhis, Vedic Sanskrit áhi, Avestan aži, Armenian auj, iž, Old Church Slavonic * žÑ, all from Proto-Indo-European *og uh is, Äg uh is. The word also appears in Old English igil "hedgehog" (named as the "snake eater"), and perhaps in the egi- of Old High German egidehsa "wall lizard".
The name of Bellerophon (ÎελλεÏοÏÏνÏηÏ, attested in a variant á¼Î»Î»ÎµÏοÏÏνÏÎ·Ï in Eustathius of Thessalonica) according to this theory is also related, translating to "the slayer of the serpent" (ahihán), the ελλεÏο- being an adjective for a lost ελλÏ
- "snake", directly comparable to Hittite ellu-essar- "snake pit". This myth likely came to Greece via Anatolia, and in the Hittite version, the dragon is called Illuyanka, the illuy- part being cognate to the illa word, and the -anka part being cognate to the angu word for "snake". As designations for "snake" (and similar shaped animals) are often liable to taboo in many Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages, no unambiguous Proto-Indo-European form for the eel word can thus be reconstructed, it could have been *Äl(l)-u-, *Äl(l)-o- or similar.
A famous attraction on the French Polynesian island of Huahine (part of the Society Islands) is the bridge across a stream hosting long eels, deemed sacred by local culture.
* Eel life history
*
*
|
Eel | Do all eels live in fresh water? | No, not all eels live in fresh water. | data/set1/a8 | Eel
:"Eel" often refers to one particular species of Anguilliformes: Anguilla anguilla (Europe), A. japonica (East Asia) or A. rostrata (North America).
True eels (Anguilliformes; ) are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 19 families, 110 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators. The term "eel" is also used for some other similarly shaped fish, such as electric eels and spiny eels, but these are not members of the Anguilliformes order.
True eels are elongated fishes, ranging in length from in the one-jawed eel (Monognathus ahlstromi) to in the giant moray. They possess no pelvic fins, and many species also lack pectoral fins. The dorsal and anal fins are fused with the caudal or tail fin, to form a single ribbon running along much of the length of the animal.
Most true eels prefer to dwell in shallow waters or hide at the bottom layer of the ocean, sometimes in holes. These holes are called eel pits. Only members of the Anguillidae family regularly inhabit fresh water; they too return to the sea to breed. Some eels dwell in water as deep as . Others are active swimmers.
Eels begin life as flat and transparent larvae, called leptocephali. Eel larvae drift in the surface waters of the sea feeding on small particles called marine snow. Eel larvae then metamorphorphose into glass eels and then become elvers before finally seeking out the adult habitat.
A moray eel. Juvenile American eels
Garden eels
This classification follows FishBase in dividing the eels into fifteen families. Additional families that are included in other classifications (notably ITIS and Systema Naturae 2000) are noted below the family with which they are synomized in the Fish Base system.
The origin of the fresh water species has been problematic. Genomic studies indicate that they are a monophylectic group which originated amoung the deep sea eels. Inoue JG, Miya M, Miller MJ, Sado T, Hanel R, Hatooka K, Aoyama J, Minegishi Y, Nishida M, Tsukamoto K (2010) Deep-ocean origin of the freshwater eels. Biol. Lett.
Suborder Anguilloidei
*Anguillidae (freshwater eels)
*Chlopsidae (false morays)
*Heterenchelyidae (mud eels)
*Moringuidae (spaghetti eels)
*Muraenidae (moray eels)
*Myrocongridae (thin eels)
Suborder Congroidei
*Colocongridae (worm eels)
*Congridae (congers)
**Including Macrocephenchelyidae
*Derichthyidae (longneck eels)
**Including Nessorhamphidae
*Muraenesocidae (pike congers)
*Nettastomatidae (duckbill eels)
*Ophichthidae (snake eels)
Suborder Nemichthyoidei
*Nemichthyidae (snipe eels)
*Serrivomeridae (sawtooth eels)
Suborder Synaphobranchoidei
*Synaphobranchidae (cutthroat eels)
**Including Dysommidae, Nettodaridae, and Simenchelyidae
In some classifications the family Cyematidae of bobtail snipe eels is included in the Anguilliformes, but in the FishBase system that family is included in the order Saccopharyngiformes.
The electric eel of South America is not a true eel, but is more closely related to the Carp.
alt=Photo of thin-sliced fish in restaurant setting
alt=Drawing of man standing on pier, with the shore to the left and a nested series of cone-shaped nets extending along the water surface to the right
Freshwater eels (unagi) and marine eels (conger eel, anago) are commonly used in Japanese cuisine; foods such as Unadon and Unajuu are popular but expensive. Eels are also very popular in Chinese cuisine, and are prepared in many different ways. Hong Kong eel prices have often reached 1000 HKD per kilogram, and once exceeded 5000 HKD per kilogram. Eel is also popular in Korean cuisine and is seen as a source of stamina for men. The European eel and other freshwater eels are eaten in Europe, the United States, and other places. A traditional East London food is jellied eels, although their demand has significantly declined since World War II. The Basque delicacy angulas consists of deep-fried elver (young eels); elver eels usually reach prices of up to 1000 euro per kilogram. New Zealand longfin eel is a traditional MÄori food in New Zealand. In Italian cuisine eels from the Comacchio area (a swampy zone along the Adriatic coast) are specially prized along with freshwater eels of Bolsena Lake. In northern Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, smoked eel is considered a delicacy.
Fisherman consumed elvers as a cheap dish, but environmental changes have reduced eel populations. They are now considered a delicacy and are priced at up to £700 per kg in the United Kingdom.
Eels, particularly the Moray eel, are popular among marine aquarists.
Eel blood is toxic to humans , but cooking destroys the toxic protein. The toxin derived from eel blood serum was used by Charles Richet in his Nobel winning research which discovered anaphylaxis (by injecting it into dogs and observing the effect).
alt=Photo of eight eels on white sheet
The English name eel descends from Old English ǽl, Common Germanic * laz. Also from the common Germanic are Middle Dutch ael, Old High German âl, Old Norse áll. Katz (1998) J. Katz, 'How to be a Dragon in Indo-European: Hittite illuyankas and its Linguistic and Cultural Congeners in Latin, Greek, and Germanic', in: MÃr Curad. Studies in Honor of Calvert Watkins, ed. Jasanoff, Melchert, Oliver, Innsbruck 1998, 317â334.
identifies a number of Indo-European cognates, among them the second part of the Latin name of the eels, anguilla, which is attested in its simplex form illa in a glossary only, and likewise the Greek word for "eel", egkhelys, the second part being attested in Hesychius as elyes. The first compound member, anguis "snake", is cognate to other Indo-European words for "snake", cf. Old Irish escung "eel", Old High German unc "snake", Lithuanian angìs, Greek ophis, okhis, Vedic Sanskrit áhi, Avestan aži, Armenian auj, iž, Old Church Slavonic * žÑ, all from Proto-Indo-European *og uh is, Äg uh is. The word also appears in Old English igil "hedgehog" (named as the "snake eater"), and perhaps in the egi- of Old High German egidehsa "wall lizard".
The name of Bellerophon (ÎελλεÏοÏÏνÏηÏ, attested in a variant á¼Î»Î»ÎµÏοÏÏνÏÎ·Ï in Eustathius of Thessalonica) according to this theory is also related, translating to "the slayer of the serpent" (ahihán), the ελλεÏο- being an adjective for a lost ελλÏ
- "snake", directly comparable to Hittite ellu-essar- "snake pit". This myth likely came to Greece via Anatolia, and in the Hittite version, the dragon is called Illuyanka, the illuy- part being cognate to the illa word, and the -anka part being cognate to the angu word for "snake". As designations for "snake" (and similar shaped animals) are often liable to taboo in many Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages, no unambiguous Proto-Indo-European form for the eel word can thus be reconstructed, it could have been *Äl(l)-u-, *Äl(l)-o- or similar.
A famous attraction on the French Polynesian island of Huahine (part of the Society Islands) is the bridge across a stream hosting long eels, deemed sacred by local culture.
* Eel life history
*
*
|
Finnish_language | Is Finnish an official language of the European Union? | Yes | data/set5/a5 | Finnish_language
Finnish ( , or suomen kieli) is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland (92% Tilastokeskus - Väestö ) and by ethnic Finns outside of Finland. It is one of the official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a Finnish dialect, are spoken. The Kven language, a Finnish dialect spoken in Northern Norway, is an official minority language in Norway.
Finnish is the eponymous member of the Finno-Ugric language family and is typologically between fusional and agglutinative languages. It modifies and inflects the forms of nouns, adjectives, pronouns, numerals and verbs, depending on their roles in the sentence.
Finnish is a member of the Baltic-Finnic subgroup of the Finno-Ugric group of languages which in turn is a member of the Uralic family of languages. The Baltic-Finnic subgroup also includes Estonian and other minority languages spoken around the Baltic Sea.
Finnish demonstrates an affiliation with the Uralic languages in several respects including:
*Shared morphology:
:*case suffixes such as genitive -n, partitive -(t)a / -(t)ä ( Virtual Finland: Where do Finns come from?.
According to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, Finnish is classified as a level III language in terms of learning difficulty for native English speakers. Defense Language Institute
Areas in Southern Sweden with a Finnish-speaking population (2005)
Finnish is spoken by about six million people who reside mainly in Finland. There are also notable Finnish-speaking minorities in Sweden, Norway, Russia, Estonia, Canada, and the United States. The majority of the population of Finland, 91.51% , speak Finnish as their first language. The remainder speak Swedish (5.5%), Sami (Northern, Inari, Skolt) and other languages. It has achieved some popularity as a second language in Estonia.
Finnish is one of two official languages of Finland (the other being Swedish, spoken by 5.49% of the population Statistikcentralen - Befolkning ) and an official language of the European Union. It enjoys the status of an official minority language in Sweden. It is also one of the working languages of the Nordic Council. Under the Nordic Language Convention, citizens of the Nordic countries speaking Finnish have the opportunity to use their native language when interacting with official bodies in other Nordic countries without being liable to any interpretation or translation costs. Konvention mellan Sverige, Danmark, Finland, Island och Norge om nordiska medborgares rätt att använda sitt eget språk i annat nordiskt land, Nordic Council website. Retrieved on April 25, 2007. 20th anniversary of the Nordic Language Convention, Nordic news, February 22, 2007. Retrieved on April 25, 2007.
According to recent estimations, Proto-Uralic language arrived in Finland around 1900 BCE, soon to be developed into Proto-Finnic. The Balto-Finnic languages evolved from the Proto-Finnic language after Sámi was separated from it around 1500-1000 BCE. Current research indicates there were three or more Proto-Finnic dialects. The Baltic Finnic languages separated around the 1st century, but continued to influence each other. Therefore, the Eastern Finnish dialects are genetically Eastern Proto-Finnic, with many Eastern features, and the Southwestern Finnish dialects have many genuine Estonian influences.
Finland was annexed to Catholic Sweden in the Middle Ages. Prior to this, Finnish was an oral language. Even after, the language of larger-scale business was Middle Low German, the language of administration Swedish, and religious activities were held in Latin, leaving few possibilities for Finnish-speakers to use their mother tongue in situations other than daily chores.
The first known written example of Finnish comes from this era and was found in a German travel journal dating back to c.1450: Mynna tachton gernast spuho somen gelen Emyna dayda (Modern Finnish: "Minä tahdon kernaasti puhua suomen kieltä, [mutta] en minä taida"; English: "I willingly want to speak Finnish, [but] I cannot"). According to the travel journal, a Finnish bishop, whose name is unknown, was behind the above quotation.
Mikael Agricola, a 19th century drawing by Albert Edelfelt
The first comprehensive writing system for Finnish was created by Mikael Agricola, a Finnish bishop, in the 16th century. He based his orthography on Swedish, German, and Latin. His ultimate plan was to translate the Bible, but first he had to define rules on which the Finnish standard language still relies, particularly with respect to spelling. He also invented single-handedly many words such as armo meaning both "mercy" and "grace" (as in "from grace alone, not out of good works...") and vanhurskas "righteous". More than fifty percent of these words are still in use.
Agricola's written language was based on western dialects of Finnish, and his intention was that each phoneme should correspond to one letter. Yet, Agricola was confronted with many problems in this endeavor and failed to achieve uniformity. This is why he might use different signs for the same phonemes depending on the situation. For example he used dh or d to represent the voiced dental fricative (English th in this) and tz or z to represent the geminate unvoiced dental fricative (the th in thin). Additionally, Agricola might use gh or g to represent the voiced velar fricative and either ch, c or h for /h/. For example he wrote techtin against modern spelling tehtiin.
Later others revised Agricola's work, striving for a more phonemic system. Along the way, Finnish lost some of its phonemes. The sounds and disappeared from the standard language, surviving only in a small rural region in Western Finland. Elsewhere, traces of these phonemes persist as their disappearance gave Finnish dialects their distinct qualities. For example, became ht or tt (e.g. meþþä â mehtä, mettä) in the eastern dialects and in some western dialects. In the standard language, however, the effect of the lost phonemes is thus:
* became
* became
* became but only if the voiced velar fricative appeared originally between high labial vowels, otherwise lost entirely.
Modern Finnish punctuation, along with that of Swedish, uses the colon character (:) to separate the stem of the word and its grammatical ending in some cases (such as after abbreviations), where some other alphabetic writing systems would use an apostrophe. Suffixes are required for correct grammar, so this is often applied, e.g. EU:ssa "in the EU".
Elias Lönnrot as depicted in a 19th century caricature Lönnrot made several journeys to Karelia and Eastern Finland to collect folklore, from which he compiled the Kalevala.
In the 19th century Johan Vilhelm Snellman and others began to stress the need to improve the status of Finnish. Ever since the days of Mikael Agricola written Finnish had been used almost exclusively in religious contexts, but now Snellman's Hegelian nationalistic ideas of Finnish as a full-fledged national language gained considerable support. Concerted efforts were made to improve the status of the language and to modernize it, and by the end of the century Finnish had become a language of administration, journalism, literature, and science in Finland, along with Swedish.
The most important contributions to improving the status of Finnish were made by Elias Lönnrot. His impact on the development of modern vocabulary in Finnish was particularly crucial. In addition to compiling the Kalevala, he acted as an arbitrator in disputes about the development of standard Finnish between the proponents of western and eastern dialects, ensuring that the western dialects Agricola had preferred preserved their preeminent role, while many originally dialectical words from Eastern Finland were introduced to the standard language enriching it considerably. The first novel written in Finnish (and by a Finnish-speaker) was Seven Brothers, published by Aleksis Kivi in 1870.
Map of Finnish dialects
The dialects of Finnish are divided into two distinct groups, the Western dialects and the Eastern dialects. The dialects are almost entirely mutually intelligible and distinguished from each other by only minor changes in vowels, diphthongs and rhythm. For the most part, the dialects operate on the same phonology, grammar and vocabulary. There are only marginal examples of sounds or grammatical constructions specific to some dialect and not found in standard Finnish. Two examples are the voiced dental fricative found in Rauma dialect and the Eastern exessive case.
The classification of closely related dialects spoken outside of Finland is a politically sensitive issue that has been controversial since Finland's independence in 1917. This concerns specifically the Karelian language in Russia and Meänkieli in Sweden, the speakers of which are often considered oppressed minorities. Karelian is different enough from standard Finnish to have its own orthography. Meänkieli is a northern dialect entirely intelligible to speakers of any other Finnish dialect, which achieved its status as an official minority language in Sweden for historical and political reasons regardless of the fact that Finnish is an official minority language in Sweden, too.
The South-West dialects (lounaismurteet) are spoken in Finland Proper and Satakunta. Their typical feature is abbreviation of word-final vowels, and in many respects they resemble Estonian. The Tavastian dialects (hämäläismurteet) are spoken in Tavastia. They are closest to the standard language, but feature some slight vowel changes, such as the opening of diphthong-final vowels (tie â tiä, miekka â miakka, kuolisi â kualis). The Southern Ostrobothnian dialects (eteläpohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Southern Ostrobothnia. Their most notable feature is the pronunciation of 'd' as a tapped or even fully trilled /r/. The Middle and North Ostrobothnia dialects (keski- ja pohjoispohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Central and Northern Ostrobothnia. The Far-Northern dialects (peräpohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Lapland. The dialects spoken in the western parts of Lapland are recognizable by retention of old 'h' sounds in positions where they have disappeared from other dialects.
One of the Far-Northern dialects, Meänkieli, which is spoken on the Swedish side of the border, is taught in some Swedish schools as a distinct standardized language. The speakers of Meänkieli became politically separated from the other Finns when Finland was annexed to Russia in 1809. The categorization of Meänkieli as a separate language is controversial among the Finns, who see no linguistic criteria, only political reasons, for treating Meänkieli differently than other dialects of Finnish.
The Kven language is spoken in Finnmark and Troms, in Norway. Its speakers are descendants of Finnish emigrants to the region in the 18th and 19th centuries. Kven is an official minority language in Norway.
The Eastern dialects consist of the widespread Savonian dialects (savolaismurteet) spoken in Savo and nearby areas, and the South-Eastern dialects spoken now only in Finnish South Karelia. The South-Eastern dialects (kaakkoismurteet) were previously spoken also on the Karelian Isthmus and in Ingria. The Karelian Isthmus was evacuated during World War II and refugees were resettled all over Finland. Most of Ingrian Finns were deported to various parts of Russia and Estonia.
Palatalization, a common feature of Uralic languages, had been lost in Baltic-Finnic languages, but it has been reacquired by most of these languages, including Eastern Finnish, but not Western Finnish. In Finnish orthography, this is denoted with a 'j', e.g. vesj, cf. standard vesi.
The language spoken in the parts of Karelia that have not historically been under Swedish or Finnish rule is usually called the Karelian language, and it is considered to be more distant from standard Finnish than the Eastern dialects. Whether this language of Russian Karelia is a dialect of Finnish or a separate language is a matter of interpretation. However, the term Karelian dialects is often used colloquially to the Finnish South-Eastern dialects.
* Western dialects
**Southern-Western dialects
***Proper Southern-Western dialects
**** Northern dialect group
**** Southern dialect group
***Southern-Western middle dialects
****Pori region dialects
****Ala-Satakunta dialects
****dialects of Turku highlands
****Somero region dialects
****Western Uusimaa dialects
**Tavastian dialects
***Ylä-Satakunta dialects
***Heart Tavastian dialects
***Southern Tavastian dialects
***Southern-Eastern Tavastian dialects
****Hollola dialect group
****Porvoo dialect group
****Iitti dialect group
**Southern Botnian dialects
**Middle and Northern Botnian dialects
***Middle Botnian dialects
***Northern Botnian dialects
**Peräpohjola dialects
***Tornio dialects ("Meänkieli" in Sweden)
***Kemi dialects
***Kemijärvi dialects
***Jällivaara dialects ("Meänkieli" in Sweden)
***Ruija dialects ("Kven language" in Northern Norway)
*Eastern dialects
**Savonian dialects
***Northern Savonian dialects
***Southern Savonian dialects
***Middle dialects of Savonlinna region
***Eastern Savonian dialects or the dialects of North Karelia
***Kainuu dialects
***Central Finland dialects
***Päijänne Tavastia dialects
***Keuruu-Evijärvi dialects
***Savonian dialects of Värmland (Sweden)
**Southern-Eastern dialects
***Proper Southern-Eastern dialects
***Middle dialects of Lemi region
***Middle dialects of Sortavala region (now in Russia)
***Dialects of Ingria (in Russia) /ref>
There are two main varieties of Finnish used throughout the country. One is the "standard language" (yleiskieli), and the other is the "spoken language" (puhekieli). The standard language is used in formal situations like political speeches and newscasts. Its written form, the "book language" (kirjakieli), is used in nearly all written texts, not always excluding even the dialogue of common people in popular prose. The spoken language, on the other hand, is the main variety of Finnish used in popular TV and radio shows and at workplaces, and may be preferred to a dialect in personal communication.
Standard Finnish is prescribed by the Language Office of the Research Institute for the Languages of Finland and is the language used in official communication. The Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish (Nykysuomen sanakirja 1951â61), with 201,000 entries, was a prescriptive dictionary that defined official language. An additional volume for words of foreign origin (Nykysuomen sivistyssanakirja, 30,000 entries) was published in 1991. An updated dictionary, the Language Office Dictionary (Kielitoimiston sanakirja) was published in an electronic form in 2004 and in print in 2006. A descriptive grammar (Iso suomen kielioppi, Hakulinen, Auli et al. (2004): Iso suomen kielioppi. SKS:n toimituksia 950. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura. ISBN 951-746-557-2. 1,600 pages 1,600 pages) was published in 2004. There is also an etymological dictionary, Suomen sanojen alkuperä, published in 1992â2000, and a handbook of contemporary language (Nykysuomen käsikirja), and a periodic publication, Kielikello. Standard Finnish is used in official texts and is the form of language taught in schools. Its spoken form is used in political speech, newscasts, in courts, and in other formal situations. Nearly all publishing and printed works are in standard Finnish.
The spoken language has mostly developed naturally from earlier forms of Finnish, and spread from main cultural and political centres. The standard language, however, has always been a consciously constructed medium for literature. It preserves grammatical patterns that have mostly vanished from the colloquial varieties and, as its main application is writing, it features complex syntactic patterns that are not easy to handle when used in speech. The spoken language develops significantly faster, and the grammatical and phonological simplifications include also the most common pronouns and suffixes, which sum up to frequent but modest differences. Some sound changes have been left out of the formal language, such as the irregularization of some common verbs by assimilation, e.g. tule- â tuu- (although tule can be used in spoken language as well).
Written language certainly still exerts a considerable influence upon the spoken word, due to the fact that illiteracy is nonexistent and many Finns are avid readers. In fact, it is still not entirely uncommon to meet people who "talk like a book" (puhuvat kirjakieltä), although this is seen as pedantic. More common is the intrusion of typically book-like constructions into a colloquial discourse, as a kind of quote from written Finnish. It should also be noted that it is quite common to hear book-like and polished speech on radio or TV, and the constant exposure to such language tends to lead to the adoption of such constructions even in everyday language.
A prominent example of the effect of the standard language is the development of the consonant gradation form /ts : ts/ as in metsä : metsän, as this pattern was originally (1940) found natively only in the dialects of southern Karelian isthmus and Ingria. In fact, it has arisen from the spelling 'ts' for the dental fricative [θË], which has disappeared. In spoken language, a fusion of Western /tt : tt/ (mettä : mettän) and Eastern /ht : t/ (mehtä : metän) has been created: /tt : t/ (mettä : metän). Yleiskielen ts:n murrevastineet It is notable that neither of these are forms are identifiable as or originate from a specific dialect.
The orthography of the informal language follows that of the formal language. However, sometimes sandhi may be transcribed, especially the internal ones, e.g. menenpä â menempä. This never takes place in formal language.
:
Note that there are noticeable differences between dialects. These examples are mostly from the language as spoken in the capital area (Helsinki dialect or even Stadin slangi). Also note that here the formal language does not mean a language spoken in formal occasions but the standard language which exist practically only in written form.
Characteristic features of Finnish (common to other Finno-Ugric languages) are vowel harmony and an agglutinative morphology; due to the extensive use of the latter, words can be quite long.
The main stress is always on the first syllable, and it is articulated by adding approximately 100 ms more length to the stressed vowel. Stress does not cause any measurable modifications in vowel quality (very much unlike English). However, stress is not strong and words appear evenly stressed. In some cases, stress is so weak that the highest points of volume, pitch and other indicators of "articulation intensity" are not on the first syllable, although native speakers recognize the first syllable as a stressed syllable.
There are eight vowels, whose lexical and grammatical role is highly important, and which are unusually strictly controlled, so that there is almost no allophony. Vowels shown in the table below, followed by the IPA symbol when not identical. These are always different phonemes in the initial syllable; for noninitial syllable, see morphophonology below.
: 1 Although conventionally and conveniently written with the close-mid symbols , and , they are more accurately described as mid vowels ( , and ).
The usual analysis is that Finnish has long and short vowels and consonants as distinct phonemes. However, long vowels may be analyzed as a vowel followed by a chroneme, or also, that sequences of identical vowels are pronounced as "diphthongs". The quality of long vowels mostly overlaps with the quality of short vowels, with the exception of u, which is centralized with respect to uu; long vowels do not morph into diphthongs. There are eighteen phonemic diphthongs; like vowels, diphthongs do not have significant allophony.
Finnish has a consonant inventory of small to moderate size, where voicing is mostly not distinctive, and fricatives are scarce. Finnish has relatively few non-coronal consonants. Consonants are as follows, where consonants in parenthesis are found only in a few recent loans.
# is the equivalent of under weakening consonant gradation, and thus occurs only medially, or in non-native words; it is actually more of an alveolar tap rather than a true voiced stop, and the dialectal realization varies wildly; see main article.
# The glottal stop can only appear at word boundaries as a result of certain sandhi phenomena, and it is not indicated in spelling: e.g. 'let it be', orthographically anna olla. Moreover, this sound is not used in all dialects.
# The short velar nasal is an allophone of in , and the long velar nasal , written ng, is the equivalent of under weakening consonant gradation (type of lenition) and thus occurs only medially.
Almost all consonants have phonemic geminated forms. These are independent, but occur only medially when phonemic.
Independent consonant clusters are not allowed in native words, except for a small set of two-consonant syllable codas, e.g. 'rs' in karsta. However, due to a number of recently adopted loanwords using them, e.g. strutsi "ostrich", Finnish speakers can pronounce them, even if it is somewhat awkward.
As a Finno-Ugric language, it is somewhat special in two respects: loss of fricatives and loss of palatalization.
An interesting feature of Finnic phonology is the development of labial vowels in non-initial syllables. Proto-Uralic had only 'a' and 'i' and their vowel harmonic allophones in non-initial syllables; modern Finnish allows other vowels in non-initial syllables (they are uncommon, however, compared to 'a', 'ä' and 'i').
Palatalization is characteristic of Finno-Ugric languages, but Finnish has lost it. However, the Eastern dialects and the Karelian language have redeveloped a system of palatalization. For example, the Karelian word d'uuri , with a palatalized , is reflected by juuri in Finnish and Savo dialect vesj is vesi in standard Finnish.
Finnish has only two fricatives, namely and . All other fricatives are recognized as foreign, of which Finnish speakers can usually reliably distinguish and .
Finnish has several morphophonological processes between grammar ("logic") and phonology ("sounds") that require modification of the forms of words for daily speech. The most important processes are vowel harmony and consonant gradation.
Vowel harmony is a redundancy feature, which means that the feature [±back] is uniform within a word, and so it is necessary to interpret it only once for a given word. It is meaning-distinguishing in the initial syllable, and suffixes follow; so, if the listener hears [±back] in any part of the word, they can derive [±back] for the initial syllable. For example, tuote ("product") agglutinates to tuotteeseensa ("into his product"), where the final vowel becomes the back vowel 'a' (rather than the front vowel 'ä') because the initial syllable contains the back vowels 'uo'. This is especially notable because vowels 'a' and 'ä' are different, meaning-distinguishing phonemes, not interchangeable or allophonic. Finnish front vowels are not umlauts.
Consonant gradation is a lenition process for P, T and K, with the oblique stem "weakened" from the nominative stem, or vice versa. For example, tarkka "precise" has the oblique root tarka-, as in tarkan "of the precise". There is also another gradation pattern, which is older, and causes simple elision of T and K. However, it is very common since it is found in the partitive case marker: if V is a single vowel, V+ta â Va, e.g. *vanha+ta â vanhaa. Another instance is the imperative, which changes into a glottal stop in the singular but is shown as an overt 'ka' in plural, e.g. mene vs. menkää.
The morphosyntactic alignment is nominative-accusative; but there are two object cases: accusative and partitive. The contrast between the two is telic, where the accusative case denotes actions completed as intended (Ammuin hirven "I shot (killed) the elk"), and the partitive case denotes incomplete actions (Ammuin hirveä "I shot (at) the elk"). Often this is confused with perfectivity, but the only element of perfectivity that exists in Finnish is that there are some perfective verbs. Transitivity is distinguished by different verbs for transitive and intransitive, e.g. ratkaista "to solve something" vs. ratketa "to solve by itself". There are several frequentative and momentane verb categories.
Verbs gain personal suffixes for each person; these suffixes are grammatically more important than pronouns, which are often not used at all in standard Finnish. The infinitive is not the uninflected form but has a suffix -ta or -da; the closest one to an uninflected form is the third person singular indicative. There are four persons, first ("I, we"), second ("you (singular), you (plural)"), third ("s/he, they"). Also, the passive voice (sometimes called impersonal or indefinite) resembles a "fourth person" similar to e.g. English "people say/do/â¦". There are four tenses, namely present, past, perfect and pluperfect; the system mirrors the Germanic system. The future tense is not needed due to context and the telic contrast. For example, luen kirjan "I read a book (completely)" indicates a future, when luen kirjaa "I read a book (not yet complete)" indicates present.
Nouns may be suffixed with the markers for the aforementioned accusative case and partitive case, the genitive case, eight different locatives, and a few other cases. The case marker must be added not only to the main noun, but also to its modifiers; e.g. suure+ssa talo+ssa, literally "big-in house-in". Possession is marked with a possessive suffix; separate possessive pronouns are unknown. Pronouns gain suffixes just as nouns do.
Suomalaisen Sana-Lugun Coetus (1745) by Daniel Juslenius was the first comprehensive dictionary of the Finnish language with 16,000 entries.
:See the lists of Finnish words and words of Finnish origin at Wiktionary, the free dictionary and Wikipedia's sibling project.
Finnish extensively employs regular agglutination. It has a smaller core vocabulary than, for example, English, and uses derivative suffixes to a greater extent. As an example, take the word kirja "a book", from which one can form derivatives kirjain "a letter" (of the alphabet), kirje "a piece of correspondence, a letter", kirjasto "a library", kirjailija "an author", kirjallisuus "literature", kirjoittaa "to write", kirjoittaja "a writer", kirjuri "a scribe, a clerk", kirjallinen "something in written form", kirjata "to write down, register, record", kirjasin "a font", and others.
Here are some of the more common such suffixes. Which of each pair is used depends on the word being suffixed in accordance with the rules of vowel harmony.
*-ja/jä : agent (one who does) (e.g. lukea "to read" â lukija "reader")
*-lainen/läinen: inhabitant of (either noun or adjective). Englanti "England" â englantilainen "English person or thing"; Venäjä â venäläinen "Russian person or thing".
*-sto/stö: collection of. For example: kirja "a book" â kirjasto "a library"; laiva "a ship" â laivasto "navy, fleet".
*-in: instrument or tool. For example: kirjata "to book, to file" â kirjain "a letter" (of the alphabet); vatkata "to whisk" â vatkain "a whisk, mixer".
*-uri/yri: an agent or instrument (kaivaa "to dig" â kaivuri "a digging machine"; laiva "a ship" â laivuri "shipper, shipmaster").
*-os/ös: result of some action (tulla "to come" â tulos "result, outcome"; tehdä "to do" â teos "a piece of work").
*-ton/tön: lack of something, "un-", "-less" (onni "happiness" â onneton "unhappy"; koti "home" â koditon "homeless").
*-llinen: having (the quality of) something (lapsi "a child" â lapsellinen "childish"; kauppa "a shop, commerce" â kaupallinen "commercial").
*-kas/käs: similar to -llinen (itse "self" â itsekäs "selfish"; neuvo "advice" â neuvokas "resourceful").
*-va/vä: doing or having something (taitaa "to be able" â taitava "skillful"; johtaa "to lead" â johtava "leading").
*-la/lä: a place related to the main word (kana "a hen" â kanala "a henhouse"; pappi "a priest" â pappila "a parsonage").
Verbal suffixes are extremely diverse; several frequentatives and momentanes differentiating causative, volitional-unpredictable and anticausative are found, often combined with each other, often denoting indirection. For example, hypätä "to jump", hyppiä "to be jumping", hypeksiä "to be jumping wantonly", hypäyttää "to make someone jump once", hyppyyttää "to make someone jump repeatedly" (or "to boss someone around"), hyppyytyttää "to make someone to cause a third person to jump repeatedly", hyppyytellä "to, without aim, make someone jump repeatedly", hypähtää "to jump suddenly" (in anticausative meaning), hypellä "to jump around repeatedly", hypiskellä "to be jumping repeatedly and wantonly", hyppimättä "without jumping", hyppelemättä "without jumping around". Often the diversity and compactness of this agglutination is illustrated with istahtaisinkohan "I wonder if I should sit down for a while" (from istua, "to sit, to be seated"):
*istua "to sit down"
*istun "I sit down" / istahtaa "to sit down for a while"
*istahdan "I sit down for a while"
*istahtaisin "I should sit down for a while"
*istahtaisinko "should I sit down for a while?"
*istahtaisinkohan "I wonder if I should sit down for a while"
Over the course of many centuries, the Finnish language has borrowed a great many words from a wide variety of languages, most from neighboring Indo-European languages. Indeed, some estimates put the core Proto-Uralic vocabulary surviving in Finnish at only around 300 word roots. Due to the different grammatical, phonological and phonotactic structure of the Finnish language, loanwords from Indo-European have been assimilated.
In general, the first loan words into Finno-Ugric languages seem to come from very early Indo-European languages, and later mainly from Iranian, Turkic, Baltic, Germanic, and Slavic languages. Furthermore, a certain group of very basic and neutral words exists in Finnish and other Finnic languages that are absent from other Finno-Ugric languages, but without a recognizable etymology from any known language. These words are usually regarded as the last remnant of the Nordic language spoken in Fennoscandia before the arrival of the proto-Finnic language. Words included in this group are e.g. jänis (hare), musta (black), mäki (hill), saari (island), suo (swamp) and niemi (cape). Also some place names, like Päijänne and Imatra, are probably before the proto-Finnic era. Häkkinen, Kaisa. Suomalaisten esihistoria kielitieteen valossa (ISBN 951-717-855-7). Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura 1996. See pages 166 and 173.
Often quoted loan examples are kuningas "king" and ruhtinas "prince, high ranking nobleman" from Germanic *kuningaz and *druhtinaz, but another example is äiti "mother", from Gothic aiþei, which is interesting because borrowing of close-kinship vocabulary is a rare phenomenon. The original Finnish emo occurs only in restricted contexts. There are other close-kinship words that are loaned from Baltic and Germanic languages (morsian "bride", armas "dear"). Examples of the ancient Iranian loans are vasara "hammer" from Avestan vadžra, vajra and orja "slave" from arya, airya "man" (the latter probably via similar circumstances as slave from Slav in many European languages).
More recently, Swedish has been a prolific source of borrowings, and also, the Swedish language acted as a proxy for European words, especially those relating to government. Present-day Finland belonged to the kingdom of Sweden from the 12th century and was ceded to Russia in 1809, becoming an autonomous Grand Duchy. Swedish was retained as the official language and language of the upper class even after this. When Finnish was accepted as an official language, it gained only legal "equal status" with Swedish, which persists even today. It is still the case today, though only about 5.5% of Finnish nationals, the Swedish-speaking Finns, have Swedish as their mother tongue. During the period of autonomy, Russian did not gain much ground as a language of the people or the government. Nevertheless, quite a few words were subsequently acquired from Russian (especially in older Helsinki slang) but not to the same extent as with Swedish. In all these cases, borrowing has been partly a result of geographical proximity.
Especially words dealing with administrative or modern culture came to Finnish from Swedish, sometimes reflecting the oldest Swedish form of the word (lag - laki, 'law'; län - lääni, 'province'; bisp - piispa, 'bishop'; jordpäron - peruna, 'potato'), and many more survive as informal synonyms in spoken or dialectal Finnish (e.g. likka, from Swedish flicka, 'girl', usually tyttö in Finnish).
Typical Russian loanwords are old or very old, thus hard to recognize as such, and concern everyday concepts, e.g. papu "bean", sini "(n.) blue" and pappi "priest". Notably, a few religious words such as Raamattu ("Bible") are borrowed from Russian, which indicates language contact preceding the Swedish era. This is mainly believed to be result of trade with Novgorod from the 9th century on and the Orthodox converting in the 13th century.
Most recently, and with increasing impact, English has been the source of new loanwords in Finnish. Unlike previous "geographical" borrowing, the influence of English is largely "cultural" and reaches Finland by many routes including: international business; music; film and TV (foreign films and programmes, excluding ones intended for a very young audience, are shown subtitled); literature; and, of course, the Web this is now probably the most important source of all non-face-to-face exposure to English.
The importance of English as the language of global commerce has led many non-English companies, including Finland's Nokia, to adopt English as their official operating language. Recently, it has been observed that English borrowings are also ousting previous borrowings, for example the switch from treffailla "to date" (from Swedish, träffa) to deittailla from English "to go for a date". Calques from English are also found, e.g. kovalevy (hard disk). Grammatical calques are also found, for example, the replacement of the impersonal (passiivi) with the English-style generic you, e. g. sä et voi "you cannot", instead of ei voi "one cannot".
However, this does not mean that Finnish is threatened by English. Borrowing is normal language evolution, and neologisms are coined actively not only by the government, but also by the media. Moreover, Finnish and English have a considerably different grammar, phonology and phonotactics, discouraging direct borrowing. English loan words in Finnish slang include for example pleikkari "PlayStation", hodari "hot dog", and hedari "headache", "headshot" or "headbutt". Often these loanwords are distinctly identified as slang or jargon, rarely being used in a negative mood or in formal language. Since English and Finnish grammar, pronunciation and phonetics differ considerably, most loan words are inevitably sooner or later calqued â translated into native Finnish â retaining the semantic meaning.
Some modern terms have been synthesised rather than borrowed, for example:
:puhelin "telephone" (literally: "chatter" + instrument suffix "-in" to make "an instrument for chattering")
:tietokone "computer" (literally: "knowledge machine")
:levyke "diskette" (from levy "disc" + a diminutive -ke)
:sähköposti "email" (literally: "electrical mail")
:linja-auto "bus" (literally: route-car)
Neologisms are actively generated by the Language Planning Office and the media. They are widely adopted. One would actually give an old-fashioned or rustic impression using forms such as telefooni or kompuutteri when the neologism is widely adopted.
The first page of Abckiria (1543), the first book written in the Finnish language. The spelling of Finnish in the book had many inconsistencies: for example, the k sound could be represented by c, k or even g; the long u and the long i were represented by w and ij respectively, and ä was represented by e.
Finnish is written with the Swedish variant of the Latin alphabet that includes the distinct characters à and Ã, and also several characters not used in Finnish (including for example C, Q, Ã
). The Finnish orthography built upon the phoneme principle: each phoneme (meaningful sound) of the language is represented by exactly one grapheme (independent letter), and each grapheme represents almost exactly one phoneme. This makes the language easy for its speakers to spell, and facilitates learning to read and write. The rule of thumb for Finnish orthography is: write as you read, read as you write. However, morphemes retain their spelling despite sandhi.
Some orthographical notes:
*Long vowels and consonants are represented by double occurrences of the relevant graphemes. This causes no confusion, and permits these sounds to be written without having to nearly double the size of the alphabet to accommodate separate graphemes for long sounds.
*The grapheme h occurring before a consonant sounds slightly harder (initially breathy voiced, then voiceless) than when occurring before a vowel.
*Sandhi is not transcribed; the spelling of morphemes is immutable, e.g. tulen+pa .
*Some consonants (v, j, d) and all consonants occurring in (always medial) clusters do not have distinctive length, and consequently, their allophonic variation is not indicated in spelling, e.g. rajaan /rajaan/ (I limit) vs. raijaan /raijjaan/ (I haul).
*Pre-1900s texts and personal names use w for v. Both correspond to the same phoneme, the labiodental approximant , a v without the fricative ("hissing") quality of the English v.
*The letters ä [æ] and ö [ø], although written as umlauted a and o, do not represent phonological umlauts, and they are considered independent graphemes; the letter shapes have been copied from Swedish. An appropriate parallel from the Latin alphabet are the characters C and G (uppercase), which historically have a closer kinship than many other characters (G is a derivation of C) but are considered distinct letters, and changing one for the other will change meanings.
Although Finnish is almost completely written as it is spoken, there are a few differences:
* The n in nk is a velar nasal, as in English. As an exception to the phonetic principle, there is no g in ng, which is a long velar nasal as in English singalong.
* The gemination between words is not marked in writing.
* The double consonant in clitic is marked as a single consonant.
* Only comparative and superlative adjectives the letter m is used like in speech in word like parempi, but in other similar cases the letter n is used, like in onpa
* The /j/ after the letter i is very weak or there is no /j/ at all, but in writing it is used, example: urheilija. Indeed the j is not used in writing words with consonant gradation (like aion and some other (like läksiäiset))
* In speech there is no difference between the use of /i/ in words (like ajoittaa, but ehdottaa, but in writing there are quite simple rules: The i is written in words that consist two syllables and end in a or ä (sanoittaa), and in words that are old-stylish (innoittaa). The i is not written in words that consist two syllables and end in o or ö like (erottaa), words which do not have clear proto-word (hajottaa), and in words that are descriptive (häämöttää) or workaday by their style (rehottaa)
Graphemes ä and ö are sometimes converted in two ways, a and o, respectively and, ae and oe respectively. Finnish graphemes ä and ö are not umlauts like in German; conversion to ae and oe in Finnish language is less correct than in German language. Conversion to a and o is more common and almost universally used in email-addresses. Conversion ae and oe is rare but formally used in passports and equivalent situations. both conversion rules have minimal pairs.
The sounds š and ž are not a part of Finnish language itself and have been introduced somewhat artificially by a government regulation. Although they occur in some rare loanwords, their principal use is in the transcription of foreign names. For technical reasons or convenience, the graphemes sh and zh are often used in quickly or less carefully written texts instead of š and ž. This is a deviation from the phonetic principle, and as such is liable to cause confusion, but the damage is minimal as the transcribed words are foreign in any case. Finnish does not use the sounds z, š or ž, but for the sake of exactitude, they can be included in spelling. (The recommendation cites the Russian play Hovanshtshina as an example.) Many speakers pronounce all of them s, or distinguish only between s and š, because Finnish has no voiced sibilants.
The language may be identified by its distinctive lack of the letters b, c, f, q, w, x, z and å.
Väinö Linna: The Unknown Soldier; these words were also inscribed in the 20 mk note.
(Translation: "The benevolent sun watched them. By no means was it angry at them. Perhaps it even felt a kind of compassion towards them. Jolly good brothers.")
Sample sound of "Hyvää huomenta"
*(Hyvää) huomenta â Good morning
*(Hyvää) päivää â Good afternoon (literally "Good day")
*(Hyvää) iltapäivää â Good afternoon
*(Hyvää) iltaa â Good evening
*(Hyvää) yötä / Ãitä â Good night
*Terve! / Moro! â Hello!
*Hei! / Moi! â Hi!
*Heippa! / Moikka! / Hei hei! / Moi moi! â Bye!
*Nähdään â See you later (literally "will be seen")
*Näkemi(si)in / Hyvästi â Goodbye
*Hauska tutustua! â Nice to meet you
*Kiitos â Thank you
*Kiitos, samoin â Likewise
*Mitä kuuluu? â How are you / How you doing? (Not used among strangers.) (literally "What is heard?")
*Kiitos hyvää â I'm fine, thank you
*Tervetuloa! â Welcome!
Tietosanakirja, 11 volumes, 1909-1922, Finnish encyclopedia.
* kyllä â yes
* joo â yes (informal)
* ei â no
* en â I will not / I do not
* minä, sinä, hän(se) â I, you, he/she(it)
* me, te, he(ne) â we, you (two or more), they
* (minä) olen â I am
* (sinä) olet â you are
* (minä) en ole - I am not
* (sinä) et ole - You are not
* yksi, kaksi, kolme â one, two, three
* neljä, viisi, kuusi â four, five, six
* seitsemän, kahdeksan â seven, eight
* yhdeksän, kymmenen â nine, ten
* yksitoista, kaksitoista, kolmetoista â eleven, twelve, thirteen
* sata, tuhat, miljoona â hundred, thousand, million
* (minä) rakastan sinua â I love you
* anteeksi â forgive me, excuse me, sorry
* voitko auttaa â can you help
* apua! - help!
* voisit(te)ko auttaa â could you help
* missä on ... ? â where is ...?
* olen pahoillani â I'm sorry (apology)
* otan osaa â My condolences
* onnea â good luck
* totta kai/tietysti/toki â of course
* pieni hetki, pikku hetki, hetkinen â one moment please!
* odota â wait
* Suomi â Finland
* suomi/suomen kieli â Finnish language
* suomalainen â (noun) Finn; (adjective) Finnish
* En ymmärrä â I don't understand
* (Minä) ymmärrän â I understand
* ¹Ymmärrät(te)kö suomea? â Do you understand Finnish?
* ¹Puhut(te)ko englantia? â Do you speak English?
* Olen englantilainen / amerikkalainen / kanadalainen / australialainen / uusiseelantilainen / irlantilainen / skotlantilainen / walesilainen / ranskalainen / saksalainen / kiinalainen / japanilainen â I am English / American / Canadian / Australian / New Zealander / Irish / Scottish / Welsh / French / German / Chinese / Japanese
* ¹Olet(te)ko englantilainen? â Are you English?
* Missä (sinä) asut/¹Missä (te) asutte? â Where do you live?
¹ -te is added to make the sentence formal (T-V distinction). Otherwise, without the added "-te", it is informal. It is also added when talking to more than one person. The transition from second-person singular to second-person plural (teitittely) is a politeness pattern, advised by many "good manners guides". Elderly people, especially, expect it from strangers, whereas the younger might feel it to be too formal to the point of coldness. However, a learner of the language should not be excessively concerned about it. Omitting it is never offensive, but one should keep in mind that on formal occasions this custom may make a good impression.
* Finnish alphabet
* Finnish grammar
* Spoken Finnish
* Finland's language strife
* Karelian language
* Estonian language
* Finnish name
* Finnish cultural and academic institutes
* Finnish language on Ethnologue
* The Finnish language --- a list of resources
* Lexicon of Early Indo-European Loanwords Preserved in Finnish
* Proto-Uralic to Finnish (in IPA mostly migrated from X-SAMPA)
* English-Finnish-English Dictionary
* Collection of Finnish bilingual dictionaries
* Finnish Etymological Dictionary by Andras Rajki
* English-Finnish and Russian-Finnish Dictionary
* English-Finnish vocabulary quizzes
* The 2 253 possible forms of the Finnish noun kauppa 'shop'
* Discussion about the Finnish Language
To Do
This section lists the topics which need to be written or expanded (there are headings for all of these):
* This page:
** History: The history of the language, especially its written form and its official status
** Derivative suffixes
** External links
* Grammar page:
** Illative formation
** Noun plurals
** Noun stem types
** Adjectives, including comparison
** Postpositions and prepositions
** 5th infinitive
** Imperfect indicative for typeV and VI verbs
** Present participles, active and passive
** Past participle, passive
** Agent participle
** Passive, 2nd person imperatives
** 3rd person imperatives
** 1st person plural imperatives
** Ordinal numbers
** Names of numbers
* Spoken language page:
**important regional variations
-->
|
Finnish_language | Is Finnish an official language of the European Union? | Yes, Finnish is an official language of the European Union. | data/set5/a5 | Finnish_language
Finnish ( , or suomen kieli) is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland (92% Tilastokeskus - Väestö ) and by ethnic Finns outside of Finland. It is one of the official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a Finnish dialect, are spoken. The Kven language, a Finnish dialect spoken in Northern Norway, is an official minority language in Norway.
Finnish is the eponymous member of the Finno-Ugric language family and is typologically between fusional and agglutinative languages. It modifies and inflects the forms of nouns, adjectives, pronouns, numerals and verbs, depending on their roles in the sentence.
Finnish is a member of the Baltic-Finnic subgroup of the Finno-Ugric group of languages which in turn is a member of the Uralic family of languages. The Baltic-Finnic subgroup also includes Estonian and other minority languages spoken around the Baltic Sea.
Finnish demonstrates an affiliation with the Uralic languages in several respects including:
*Shared morphology:
:*case suffixes such as genitive -n, partitive -(t)a / -(t)ä ( Virtual Finland: Where do Finns come from?.
According to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, Finnish is classified as a level III language in terms of learning difficulty for native English speakers. Defense Language Institute
Areas in Southern Sweden with a Finnish-speaking population (2005)
Finnish is spoken by about six million people who reside mainly in Finland. There are also notable Finnish-speaking minorities in Sweden, Norway, Russia, Estonia, Canada, and the United States. The majority of the population of Finland, 91.51% , speak Finnish as their first language. The remainder speak Swedish (5.5%), Sami (Northern, Inari, Skolt) and other languages. It has achieved some popularity as a second language in Estonia.
Finnish is one of two official languages of Finland (the other being Swedish, spoken by 5.49% of the population Statistikcentralen - Befolkning ) and an official language of the European Union. It enjoys the status of an official minority language in Sweden. It is also one of the working languages of the Nordic Council. Under the Nordic Language Convention, citizens of the Nordic countries speaking Finnish have the opportunity to use their native language when interacting with official bodies in other Nordic countries without being liable to any interpretation or translation costs. Konvention mellan Sverige, Danmark, Finland, Island och Norge om nordiska medborgares rätt att använda sitt eget språk i annat nordiskt land, Nordic Council website. Retrieved on April 25, 2007. 20th anniversary of the Nordic Language Convention, Nordic news, February 22, 2007. Retrieved on April 25, 2007.
According to recent estimations, Proto-Uralic language arrived in Finland around 1900 BCE, soon to be developed into Proto-Finnic. The Balto-Finnic languages evolved from the Proto-Finnic language after Sámi was separated from it around 1500-1000 BCE. Current research indicates there were three or more Proto-Finnic dialects. The Baltic Finnic languages separated around the 1st century, but continued to influence each other. Therefore, the Eastern Finnish dialects are genetically Eastern Proto-Finnic, with many Eastern features, and the Southwestern Finnish dialects have many genuine Estonian influences.
Finland was annexed to Catholic Sweden in the Middle Ages. Prior to this, Finnish was an oral language. Even after, the language of larger-scale business was Middle Low German, the language of administration Swedish, and religious activities were held in Latin, leaving few possibilities for Finnish-speakers to use their mother tongue in situations other than daily chores.
The first known written example of Finnish comes from this era and was found in a German travel journal dating back to c.1450: Mynna tachton gernast spuho somen gelen Emyna dayda (Modern Finnish: "Minä tahdon kernaasti puhua suomen kieltä, [mutta] en minä taida"; English: "I willingly want to speak Finnish, [but] I cannot"). According to the travel journal, a Finnish bishop, whose name is unknown, was behind the above quotation.
Mikael Agricola, a 19th century drawing by Albert Edelfelt
The first comprehensive writing system for Finnish was created by Mikael Agricola, a Finnish bishop, in the 16th century. He based his orthography on Swedish, German, and Latin. His ultimate plan was to translate the Bible, but first he had to define rules on which the Finnish standard language still relies, particularly with respect to spelling. He also invented single-handedly many words such as armo meaning both "mercy" and "grace" (as in "from grace alone, not out of good works...") and vanhurskas "righteous". More than fifty percent of these words are still in use.
Agricola's written language was based on western dialects of Finnish, and his intention was that each phoneme should correspond to one letter. Yet, Agricola was confronted with many problems in this endeavor and failed to achieve uniformity. This is why he might use different signs for the same phonemes depending on the situation. For example he used dh or d to represent the voiced dental fricative (English th in this) and tz or z to represent the geminate unvoiced dental fricative (the th in thin). Additionally, Agricola might use gh or g to represent the voiced velar fricative and either ch, c or h for /h/. For example he wrote techtin against modern spelling tehtiin.
Later others revised Agricola's work, striving for a more phonemic system. Along the way, Finnish lost some of its phonemes. The sounds and disappeared from the standard language, surviving only in a small rural region in Western Finland. Elsewhere, traces of these phonemes persist as their disappearance gave Finnish dialects their distinct qualities. For example, became ht or tt (e.g. meþþä â mehtä, mettä) in the eastern dialects and in some western dialects. In the standard language, however, the effect of the lost phonemes is thus:
* became
* became
* became but only if the voiced velar fricative appeared originally between high labial vowels, otherwise lost entirely.
Modern Finnish punctuation, along with that of Swedish, uses the colon character (:) to separate the stem of the word and its grammatical ending in some cases (such as after abbreviations), where some other alphabetic writing systems would use an apostrophe. Suffixes are required for correct grammar, so this is often applied, e.g. EU:ssa "in the EU".
Elias Lönnrot as depicted in a 19th century caricature Lönnrot made several journeys to Karelia and Eastern Finland to collect folklore, from which he compiled the Kalevala.
In the 19th century Johan Vilhelm Snellman and others began to stress the need to improve the status of Finnish. Ever since the days of Mikael Agricola written Finnish had been used almost exclusively in religious contexts, but now Snellman's Hegelian nationalistic ideas of Finnish as a full-fledged national language gained considerable support. Concerted efforts were made to improve the status of the language and to modernize it, and by the end of the century Finnish had become a language of administration, journalism, literature, and science in Finland, along with Swedish.
The most important contributions to improving the status of Finnish were made by Elias Lönnrot. His impact on the development of modern vocabulary in Finnish was particularly crucial. In addition to compiling the Kalevala, he acted as an arbitrator in disputes about the development of standard Finnish between the proponents of western and eastern dialects, ensuring that the western dialects Agricola had preferred preserved their preeminent role, while many originally dialectical words from Eastern Finland were introduced to the standard language enriching it considerably. The first novel written in Finnish (and by a Finnish-speaker) was Seven Brothers, published by Aleksis Kivi in 1870.
Map of Finnish dialects
The dialects of Finnish are divided into two distinct groups, the Western dialects and the Eastern dialects. The dialects are almost entirely mutually intelligible and distinguished from each other by only minor changes in vowels, diphthongs and rhythm. For the most part, the dialects operate on the same phonology, grammar and vocabulary. There are only marginal examples of sounds or grammatical constructions specific to some dialect and not found in standard Finnish. Two examples are the voiced dental fricative found in Rauma dialect and the Eastern exessive case.
The classification of closely related dialects spoken outside of Finland is a politically sensitive issue that has been controversial since Finland's independence in 1917. This concerns specifically the Karelian language in Russia and Meänkieli in Sweden, the speakers of which are often considered oppressed minorities. Karelian is different enough from standard Finnish to have its own orthography. Meänkieli is a northern dialect entirely intelligible to speakers of any other Finnish dialect, which achieved its status as an official minority language in Sweden for historical and political reasons regardless of the fact that Finnish is an official minority language in Sweden, too.
The South-West dialects (lounaismurteet) are spoken in Finland Proper and Satakunta. Their typical feature is abbreviation of word-final vowels, and in many respects they resemble Estonian. The Tavastian dialects (hämäläismurteet) are spoken in Tavastia. They are closest to the standard language, but feature some slight vowel changes, such as the opening of diphthong-final vowels (tie â tiä, miekka â miakka, kuolisi â kualis). The Southern Ostrobothnian dialects (eteläpohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Southern Ostrobothnia. Their most notable feature is the pronunciation of 'd' as a tapped or even fully trilled /r/. The Middle and North Ostrobothnia dialects (keski- ja pohjoispohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Central and Northern Ostrobothnia. The Far-Northern dialects (peräpohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Lapland. The dialects spoken in the western parts of Lapland are recognizable by retention of old 'h' sounds in positions where they have disappeared from other dialects.
One of the Far-Northern dialects, Meänkieli, which is spoken on the Swedish side of the border, is taught in some Swedish schools as a distinct standardized language. The speakers of Meänkieli became politically separated from the other Finns when Finland was annexed to Russia in 1809. The categorization of Meänkieli as a separate language is controversial among the Finns, who see no linguistic criteria, only political reasons, for treating Meänkieli differently than other dialects of Finnish.
The Kven language is spoken in Finnmark and Troms, in Norway. Its speakers are descendants of Finnish emigrants to the region in the 18th and 19th centuries. Kven is an official minority language in Norway.
The Eastern dialects consist of the widespread Savonian dialects (savolaismurteet) spoken in Savo and nearby areas, and the South-Eastern dialects spoken now only in Finnish South Karelia. The South-Eastern dialects (kaakkoismurteet) were previously spoken also on the Karelian Isthmus and in Ingria. The Karelian Isthmus was evacuated during World War II and refugees were resettled all over Finland. Most of Ingrian Finns were deported to various parts of Russia and Estonia.
Palatalization, a common feature of Uralic languages, had been lost in Baltic-Finnic languages, but it has been reacquired by most of these languages, including Eastern Finnish, but not Western Finnish. In Finnish orthography, this is denoted with a 'j', e.g. vesj, cf. standard vesi.
The language spoken in the parts of Karelia that have not historically been under Swedish or Finnish rule is usually called the Karelian language, and it is considered to be more distant from standard Finnish than the Eastern dialects. Whether this language of Russian Karelia is a dialect of Finnish or a separate language is a matter of interpretation. However, the term Karelian dialects is often used colloquially to the Finnish South-Eastern dialects.
* Western dialects
**Southern-Western dialects
***Proper Southern-Western dialects
**** Northern dialect group
**** Southern dialect group
***Southern-Western middle dialects
****Pori region dialects
****Ala-Satakunta dialects
****dialects of Turku highlands
****Somero region dialects
****Western Uusimaa dialects
**Tavastian dialects
***Ylä-Satakunta dialects
***Heart Tavastian dialects
***Southern Tavastian dialects
***Southern-Eastern Tavastian dialects
****Hollola dialect group
****Porvoo dialect group
****Iitti dialect group
**Southern Botnian dialects
**Middle and Northern Botnian dialects
***Middle Botnian dialects
***Northern Botnian dialects
**Peräpohjola dialects
***Tornio dialects ("Meänkieli" in Sweden)
***Kemi dialects
***Kemijärvi dialects
***Jällivaara dialects ("Meänkieli" in Sweden)
***Ruija dialects ("Kven language" in Northern Norway)
*Eastern dialects
**Savonian dialects
***Northern Savonian dialects
***Southern Savonian dialects
***Middle dialects of Savonlinna region
***Eastern Savonian dialects or the dialects of North Karelia
***Kainuu dialects
***Central Finland dialects
***Päijänne Tavastia dialects
***Keuruu-Evijärvi dialects
***Savonian dialects of Värmland (Sweden)
**Southern-Eastern dialects
***Proper Southern-Eastern dialects
***Middle dialects of Lemi region
***Middle dialects of Sortavala region (now in Russia)
***Dialects of Ingria (in Russia) /ref>
There are two main varieties of Finnish used throughout the country. One is the "standard language" (yleiskieli), and the other is the "spoken language" (puhekieli). The standard language is used in formal situations like political speeches and newscasts. Its written form, the "book language" (kirjakieli), is used in nearly all written texts, not always excluding even the dialogue of common people in popular prose. The spoken language, on the other hand, is the main variety of Finnish used in popular TV and radio shows and at workplaces, and may be preferred to a dialect in personal communication.
Standard Finnish is prescribed by the Language Office of the Research Institute for the Languages of Finland and is the language used in official communication. The Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish (Nykysuomen sanakirja 1951â61), with 201,000 entries, was a prescriptive dictionary that defined official language. An additional volume for words of foreign origin (Nykysuomen sivistyssanakirja, 30,000 entries) was published in 1991. An updated dictionary, the Language Office Dictionary (Kielitoimiston sanakirja) was published in an electronic form in 2004 and in print in 2006. A descriptive grammar (Iso suomen kielioppi, Hakulinen, Auli et al. (2004): Iso suomen kielioppi. SKS:n toimituksia 950. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura. ISBN 951-746-557-2. 1,600 pages 1,600 pages) was published in 2004. There is also an etymological dictionary, Suomen sanojen alkuperä, published in 1992â2000, and a handbook of contemporary language (Nykysuomen käsikirja), and a periodic publication, Kielikello. Standard Finnish is used in official texts and is the form of language taught in schools. Its spoken form is used in political speech, newscasts, in courts, and in other formal situations. Nearly all publishing and printed works are in standard Finnish.
The spoken language has mostly developed naturally from earlier forms of Finnish, and spread from main cultural and political centres. The standard language, however, has always been a consciously constructed medium for literature. It preserves grammatical patterns that have mostly vanished from the colloquial varieties and, as its main application is writing, it features complex syntactic patterns that are not easy to handle when used in speech. The spoken language develops significantly faster, and the grammatical and phonological simplifications include also the most common pronouns and suffixes, which sum up to frequent but modest differences. Some sound changes have been left out of the formal language, such as the irregularization of some common verbs by assimilation, e.g. tule- â tuu- (although tule can be used in spoken language as well).
Written language certainly still exerts a considerable influence upon the spoken word, due to the fact that illiteracy is nonexistent and many Finns are avid readers. In fact, it is still not entirely uncommon to meet people who "talk like a book" (puhuvat kirjakieltä), although this is seen as pedantic. More common is the intrusion of typically book-like constructions into a colloquial discourse, as a kind of quote from written Finnish. It should also be noted that it is quite common to hear book-like and polished speech on radio or TV, and the constant exposure to such language tends to lead to the adoption of such constructions even in everyday language.
A prominent example of the effect of the standard language is the development of the consonant gradation form /ts : ts/ as in metsä : metsän, as this pattern was originally (1940) found natively only in the dialects of southern Karelian isthmus and Ingria. In fact, it has arisen from the spelling 'ts' for the dental fricative [θË], which has disappeared. In spoken language, a fusion of Western /tt : tt/ (mettä : mettän) and Eastern /ht : t/ (mehtä : metän) has been created: /tt : t/ (mettä : metän). Yleiskielen ts:n murrevastineet It is notable that neither of these are forms are identifiable as or originate from a specific dialect.
The orthography of the informal language follows that of the formal language. However, sometimes sandhi may be transcribed, especially the internal ones, e.g. menenpä â menempä. This never takes place in formal language.
:
Note that there are noticeable differences between dialects. These examples are mostly from the language as spoken in the capital area (Helsinki dialect or even Stadin slangi). Also note that here the formal language does not mean a language spoken in formal occasions but the standard language which exist practically only in written form.
Characteristic features of Finnish (common to other Finno-Ugric languages) are vowel harmony and an agglutinative morphology; due to the extensive use of the latter, words can be quite long.
The main stress is always on the first syllable, and it is articulated by adding approximately 100 ms more length to the stressed vowel. Stress does not cause any measurable modifications in vowel quality (very much unlike English). However, stress is not strong and words appear evenly stressed. In some cases, stress is so weak that the highest points of volume, pitch and other indicators of "articulation intensity" are not on the first syllable, although native speakers recognize the first syllable as a stressed syllable.
There are eight vowels, whose lexical and grammatical role is highly important, and which are unusually strictly controlled, so that there is almost no allophony. Vowels shown in the table below, followed by the IPA symbol when not identical. These are always different phonemes in the initial syllable; for noninitial syllable, see morphophonology below.
: 1 Although conventionally and conveniently written with the close-mid symbols , and , they are more accurately described as mid vowels ( , and ).
The usual analysis is that Finnish has long and short vowels and consonants as distinct phonemes. However, long vowels may be analyzed as a vowel followed by a chroneme, or also, that sequences of identical vowels are pronounced as "diphthongs". The quality of long vowels mostly overlaps with the quality of short vowels, with the exception of u, which is centralized with respect to uu; long vowels do not morph into diphthongs. There are eighteen phonemic diphthongs; like vowels, diphthongs do not have significant allophony.
Finnish has a consonant inventory of small to moderate size, where voicing is mostly not distinctive, and fricatives are scarce. Finnish has relatively few non-coronal consonants. Consonants are as follows, where consonants in parenthesis are found only in a few recent loans.
# is the equivalent of under weakening consonant gradation, and thus occurs only medially, or in non-native words; it is actually more of an alveolar tap rather than a true voiced stop, and the dialectal realization varies wildly; see main article.
# The glottal stop can only appear at word boundaries as a result of certain sandhi phenomena, and it is not indicated in spelling: e.g. 'let it be', orthographically anna olla. Moreover, this sound is not used in all dialects.
# The short velar nasal is an allophone of in , and the long velar nasal , written ng, is the equivalent of under weakening consonant gradation (type of lenition) and thus occurs only medially.
Almost all consonants have phonemic geminated forms. These are independent, but occur only medially when phonemic.
Independent consonant clusters are not allowed in native words, except for a small set of two-consonant syllable codas, e.g. 'rs' in karsta. However, due to a number of recently adopted loanwords using them, e.g. strutsi "ostrich", Finnish speakers can pronounce them, even if it is somewhat awkward.
As a Finno-Ugric language, it is somewhat special in two respects: loss of fricatives and loss of palatalization.
An interesting feature of Finnic phonology is the development of labial vowels in non-initial syllables. Proto-Uralic had only 'a' and 'i' and their vowel harmonic allophones in non-initial syllables; modern Finnish allows other vowels in non-initial syllables (they are uncommon, however, compared to 'a', 'ä' and 'i').
Palatalization is characteristic of Finno-Ugric languages, but Finnish has lost it. However, the Eastern dialects and the Karelian language have redeveloped a system of palatalization. For example, the Karelian word d'uuri , with a palatalized , is reflected by juuri in Finnish and Savo dialect vesj is vesi in standard Finnish.
Finnish has only two fricatives, namely and . All other fricatives are recognized as foreign, of which Finnish speakers can usually reliably distinguish and .
Finnish has several morphophonological processes between grammar ("logic") and phonology ("sounds") that require modification of the forms of words for daily speech. The most important processes are vowel harmony and consonant gradation.
Vowel harmony is a redundancy feature, which means that the feature [±back] is uniform within a word, and so it is necessary to interpret it only once for a given word. It is meaning-distinguishing in the initial syllable, and suffixes follow; so, if the listener hears [±back] in any part of the word, they can derive [±back] for the initial syllable. For example, tuote ("product") agglutinates to tuotteeseensa ("into his product"), where the final vowel becomes the back vowel 'a' (rather than the front vowel 'ä') because the initial syllable contains the back vowels 'uo'. This is especially notable because vowels 'a' and 'ä' are different, meaning-distinguishing phonemes, not interchangeable or allophonic. Finnish front vowels are not umlauts.
Consonant gradation is a lenition process for P, T and K, with the oblique stem "weakened" from the nominative stem, or vice versa. For example, tarkka "precise" has the oblique root tarka-, as in tarkan "of the precise". There is also another gradation pattern, which is older, and causes simple elision of T and K. However, it is very common since it is found in the partitive case marker: if V is a single vowel, V+ta â Va, e.g. *vanha+ta â vanhaa. Another instance is the imperative, which changes into a glottal stop in the singular but is shown as an overt 'ka' in plural, e.g. mene vs. menkää.
The morphosyntactic alignment is nominative-accusative; but there are two object cases: accusative and partitive. The contrast between the two is telic, where the accusative case denotes actions completed as intended (Ammuin hirven "I shot (killed) the elk"), and the partitive case denotes incomplete actions (Ammuin hirveä "I shot (at) the elk"). Often this is confused with perfectivity, but the only element of perfectivity that exists in Finnish is that there are some perfective verbs. Transitivity is distinguished by different verbs for transitive and intransitive, e.g. ratkaista "to solve something" vs. ratketa "to solve by itself". There are several frequentative and momentane verb categories.
Verbs gain personal suffixes for each person; these suffixes are grammatically more important than pronouns, which are often not used at all in standard Finnish. The infinitive is not the uninflected form but has a suffix -ta or -da; the closest one to an uninflected form is the third person singular indicative. There are four persons, first ("I, we"), second ("you (singular), you (plural)"), third ("s/he, they"). Also, the passive voice (sometimes called impersonal or indefinite) resembles a "fourth person" similar to e.g. English "people say/do/â¦". There are four tenses, namely present, past, perfect and pluperfect; the system mirrors the Germanic system. The future tense is not needed due to context and the telic contrast. For example, luen kirjan "I read a book (completely)" indicates a future, when luen kirjaa "I read a book (not yet complete)" indicates present.
Nouns may be suffixed with the markers for the aforementioned accusative case and partitive case, the genitive case, eight different locatives, and a few other cases. The case marker must be added not only to the main noun, but also to its modifiers; e.g. suure+ssa talo+ssa, literally "big-in house-in". Possession is marked with a possessive suffix; separate possessive pronouns are unknown. Pronouns gain suffixes just as nouns do.
Suomalaisen Sana-Lugun Coetus (1745) by Daniel Juslenius was the first comprehensive dictionary of the Finnish language with 16,000 entries.
:See the lists of Finnish words and words of Finnish origin at Wiktionary, the free dictionary and Wikipedia's sibling project.
Finnish extensively employs regular agglutination. It has a smaller core vocabulary than, for example, English, and uses derivative suffixes to a greater extent. As an example, take the word kirja "a book", from which one can form derivatives kirjain "a letter" (of the alphabet), kirje "a piece of correspondence, a letter", kirjasto "a library", kirjailija "an author", kirjallisuus "literature", kirjoittaa "to write", kirjoittaja "a writer", kirjuri "a scribe, a clerk", kirjallinen "something in written form", kirjata "to write down, register, record", kirjasin "a font", and others.
Here are some of the more common such suffixes. Which of each pair is used depends on the word being suffixed in accordance with the rules of vowel harmony.
*-ja/jä : agent (one who does) (e.g. lukea "to read" â lukija "reader")
*-lainen/läinen: inhabitant of (either noun or adjective). Englanti "England" â englantilainen "English person or thing"; Venäjä â venäläinen "Russian person or thing".
*-sto/stö: collection of. For example: kirja "a book" â kirjasto "a library"; laiva "a ship" â laivasto "navy, fleet".
*-in: instrument or tool. For example: kirjata "to book, to file" â kirjain "a letter" (of the alphabet); vatkata "to whisk" â vatkain "a whisk, mixer".
*-uri/yri: an agent or instrument (kaivaa "to dig" â kaivuri "a digging machine"; laiva "a ship" â laivuri "shipper, shipmaster").
*-os/ös: result of some action (tulla "to come" â tulos "result, outcome"; tehdä "to do" â teos "a piece of work").
*-ton/tön: lack of something, "un-", "-less" (onni "happiness" â onneton "unhappy"; koti "home" â koditon "homeless").
*-llinen: having (the quality of) something (lapsi "a child" â lapsellinen "childish"; kauppa "a shop, commerce" â kaupallinen "commercial").
*-kas/käs: similar to -llinen (itse "self" â itsekäs "selfish"; neuvo "advice" â neuvokas "resourceful").
*-va/vä: doing or having something (taitaa "to be able" â taitava "skillful"; johtaa "to lead" â johtava "leading").
*-la/lä: a place related to the main word (kana "a hen" â kanala "a henhouse"; pappi "a priest" â pappila "a parsonage").
Verbal suffixes are extremely diverse; several frequentatives and momentanes differentiating causative, volitional-unpredictable and anticausative are found, often combined with each other, often denoting indirection. For example, hypätä "to jump", hyppiä "to be jumping", hypeksiä "to be jumping wantonly", hypäyttää "to make someone jump once", hyppyyttää "to make someone jump repeatedly" (or "to boss someone around"), hyppyytyttää "to make someone to cause a third person to jump repeatedly", hyppyytellä "to, without aim, make someone jump repeatedly", hypähtää "to jump suddenly" (in anticausative meaning), hypellä "to jump around repeatedly", hypiskellä "to be jumping repeatedly and wantonly", hyppimättä "without jumping", hyppelemättä "without jumping around". Often the diversity and compactness of this agglutination is illustrated with istahtaisinkohan "I wonder if I should sit down for a while" (from istua, "to sit, to be seated"):
*istua "to sit down"
*istun "I sit down" / istahtaa "to sit down for a while"
*istahdan "I sit down for a while"
*istahtaisin "I should sit down for a while"
*istahtaisinko "should I sit down for a while?"
*istahtaisinkohan "I wonder if I should sit down for a while"
Over the course of many centuries, the Finnish language has borrowed a great many words from a wide variety of languages, most from neighboring Indo-European languages. Indeed, some estimates put the core Proto-Uralic vocabulary surviving in Finnish at only around 300 word roots. Due to the different grammatical, phonological and phonotactic structure of the Finnish language, loanwords from Indo-European have been assimilated.
In general, the first loan words into Finno-Ugric languages seem to come from very early Indo-European languages, and later mainly from Iranian, Turkic, Baltic, Germanic, and Slavic languages. Furthermore, a certain group of very basic and neutral words exists in Finnish and other Finnic languages that are absent from other Finno-Ugric languages, but without a recognizable etymology from any known language. These words are usually regarded as the last remnant of the Nordic language spoken in Fennoscandia before the arrival of the proto-Finnic language. Words included in this group are e.g. jänis (hare), musta (black), mäki (hill), saari (island), suo (swamp) and niemi (cape). Also some place names, like Päijänne and Imatra, are probably before the proto-Finnic era. Häkkinen, Kaisa. Suomalaisten esihistoria kielitieteen valossa (ISBN 951-717-855-7). Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura 1996. See pages 166 and 173.
Often quoted loan examples are kuningas "king" and ruhtinas "prince, high ranking nobleman" from Germanic *kuningaz and *druhtinaz, but another example is äiti "mother", from Gothic aiþei, which is interesting because borrowing of close-kinship vocabulary is a rare phenomenon. The original Finnish emo occurs only in restricted contexts. There are other close-kinship words that are loaned from Baltic and Germanic languages (morsian "bride", armas "dear"). Examples of the ancient Iranian loans are vasara "hammer" from Avestan vadžra, vajra and orja "slave" from arya, airya "man" (the latter probably via similar circumstances as slave from Slav in many European languages).
More recently, Swedish has been a prolific source of borrowings, and also, the Swedish language acted as a proxy for European words, especially those relating to government. Present-day Finland belonged to the kingdom of Sweden from the 12th century and was ceded to Russia in 1809, becoming an autonomous Grand Duchy. Swedish was retained as the official language and language of the upper class even after this. When Finnish was accepted as an official language, it gained only legal "equal status" with Swedish, which persists even today. It is still the case today, though only about 5.5% of Finnish nationals, the Swedish-speaking Finns, have Swedish as their mother tongue. During the period of autonomy, Russian did not gain much ground as a language of the people or the government. Nevertheless, quite a few words were subsequently acquired from Russian (especially in older Helsinki slang) but not to the same extent as with Swedish. In all these cases, borrowing has been partly a result of geographical proximity.
Especially words dealing with administrative or modern culture came to Finnish from Swedish, sometimes reflecting the oldest Swedish form of the word (lag - laki, 'law'; län - lääni, 'province'; bisp - piispa, 'bishop'; jordpäron - peruna, 'potato'), and many more survive as informal synonyms in spoken or dialectal Finnish (e.g. likka, from Swedish flicka, 'girl', usually tyttö in Finnish).
Typical Russian loanwords are old or very old, thus hard to recognize as such, and concern everyday concepts, e.g. papu "bean", sini "(n.) blue" and pappi "priest". Notably, a few religious words such as Raamattu ("Bible") are borrowed from Russian, which indicates language contact preceding the Swedish era. This is mainly believed to be result of trade with Novgorod from the 9th century on and the Orthodox converting in the 13th century.
Most recently, and with increasing impact, English has been the source of new loanwords in Finnish. Unlike previous "geographical" borrowing, the influence of English is largely "cultural" and reaches Finland by many routes including: international business; music; film and TV (foreign films and programmes, excluding ones intended for a very young audience, are shown subtitled); literature; and, of course, the Web this is now probably the most important source of all non-face-to-face exposure to English.
The importance of English as the language of global commerce has led many non-English companies, including Finland's Nokia, to adopt English as their official operating language. Recently, it has been observed that English borrowings are also ousting previous borrowings, for example the switch from treffailla "to date" (from Swedish, träffa) to deittailla from English "to go for a date". Calques from English are also found, e.g. kovalevy (hard disk). Grammatical calques are also found, for example, the replacement of the impersonal (passiivi) with the English-style generic you, e. g. sä et voi "you cannot", instead of ei voi "one cannot".
However, this does not mean that Finnish is threatened by English. Borrowing is normal language evolution, and neologisms are coined actively not only by the government, but also by the media. Moreover, Finnish and English have a considerably different grammar, phonology and phonotactics, discouraging direct borrowing. English loan words in Finnish slang include for example pleikkari "PlayStation", hodari "hot dog", and hedari "headache", "headshot" or "headbutt". Often these loanwords are distinctly identified as slang or jargon, rarely being used in a negative mood or in formal language. Since English and Finnish grammar, pronunciation and phonetics differ considerably, most loan words are inevitably sooner or later calqued â translated into native Finnish â retaining the semantic meaning.
Some modern terms have been synthesised rather than borrowed, for example:
:puhelin "telephone" (literally: "chatter" + instrument suffix "-in" to make "an instrument for chattering")
:tietokone "computer" (literally: "knowledge machine")
:levyke "diskette" (from levy "disc" + a diminutive -ke)
:sähköposti "email" (literally: "electrical mail")
:linja-auto "bus" (literally: route-car)
Neologisms are actively generated by the Language Planning Office and the media. They are widely adopted. One would actually give an old-fashioned or rustic impression using forms such as telefooni or kompuutteri when the neologism is widely adopted.
The first page of Abckiria (1543), the first book written in the Finnish language. The spelling of Finnish in the book had many inconsistencies: for example, the k sound could be represented by c, k or even g; the long u and the long i were represented by w and ij respectively, and ä was represented by e.
Finnish is written with the Swedish variant of the Latin alphabet that includes the distinct characters à and Ã, and also several characters not used in Finnish (including for example C, Q, Ã
). The Finnish orthography built upon the phoneme principle: each phoneme (meaningful sound) of the language is represented by exactly one grapheme (independent letter), and each grapheme represents almost exactly one phoneme. This makes the language easy for its speakers to spell, and facilitates learning to read and write. The rule of thumb for Finnish orthography is: write as you read, read as you write. However, morphemes retain their spelling despite sandhi.
Some orthographical notes:
*Long vowels and consonants are represented by double occurrences of the relevant graphemes. This causes no confusion, and permits these sounds to be written without having to nearly double the size of the alphabet to accommodate separate graphemes for long sounds.
*The grapheme h occurring before a consonant sounds slightly harder (initially breathy voiced, then voiceless) than when occurring before a vowel.
*Sandhi is not transcribed; the spelling of morphemes is immutable, e.g. tulen+pa .
*Some consonants (v, j, d) and all consonants occurring in (always medial) clusters do not have distinctive length, and consequently, their allophonic variation is not indicated in spelling, e.g. rajaan /rajaan/ (I limit) vs. raijaan /raijjaan/ (I haul).
*Pre-1900s texts and personal names use w for v. Both correspond to the same phoneme, the labiodental approximant , a v without the fricative ("hissing") quality of the English v.
*The letters ä [æ] and ö [ø], although written as umlauted a and o, do not represent phonological umlauts, and they are considered independent graphemes; the letter shapes have been copied from Swedish. An appropriate parallel from the Latin alphabet are the characters C and G (uppercase), which historically have a closer kinship than many other characters (G is a derivation of C) but are considered distinct letters, and changing one for the other will change meanings.
Although Finnish is almost completely written as it is spoken, there are a few differences:
* The n in nk is a velar nasal, as in English. As an exception to the phonetic principle, there is no g in ng, which is a long velar nasal as in English singalong.
* The gemination between words is not marked in writing.
* The double consonant in clitic is marked as a single consonant.
* Only comparative and superlative adjectives the letter m is used like in speech in word like parempi, but in other similar cases the letter n is used, like in onpa
* The /j/ after the letter i is very weak or there is no /j/ at all, but in writing it is used, example: urheilija. Indeed the j is not used in writing words with consonant gradation (like aion and some other (like läksiäiset))
* In speech there is no difference between the use of /i/ in words (like ajoittaa, but ehdottaa, but in writing there are quite simple rules: The i is written in words that consist two syllables and end in a or ä (sanoittaa), and in words that are old-stylish (innoittaa). The i is not written in words that consist two syllables and end in o or ö like (erottaa), words which do not have clear proto-word (hajottaa), and in words that are descriptive (häämöttää) or workaday by their style (rehottaa)
Graphemes ä and ö are sometimes converted in two ways, a and o, respectively and, ae and oe respectively. Finnish graphemes ä and ö are not umlauts like in German; conversion to ae and oe in Finnish language is less correct than in German language. Conversion to a and o is more common and almost universally used in email-addresses. Conversion ae and oe is rare but formally used in passports and equivalent situations. both conversion rules have minimal pairs.
The sounds š and ž are not a part of Finnish language itself and have been introduced somewhat artificially by a government regulation. Although they occur in some rare loanwords, their principal use is in the transcription of foreign names. For technical reasons or convenience, the graphemes sh and zh are often used in quickly or less carefully written texts instead of š and ž. This is a deviation from the phonetic principle, and as such is liable to cause confusion, but the damage is minimal as the transcribed words are foreign in any case. Finnish does not use the sounds z, š or ž, but for the sake of exactitude, they can be included in spelling. (The recommendation cites the Russian play Hovanshtshina as an example.) Many speakers pronounce all of them s, or distinguish only between s and š, because Finnish has no voiced sibilants.
The language may be identified by its distinctive lack of the letters b, c, f, q, w, x, z and å.
Väinö Linna: The Unknown Soldier; these words were also inscribed in the 20 mk note.
(Translation: "The benevolent sun watched them. By no means was it angry at them. Perhaps it even felt a kind of compassion towards them. Jolly good brothers.")
Sample sound of "Hyvää huomenta"
*(Hyvää) huomenta â Good morning
*(Hyvää) päivää â Good afternoon (literally "Good day")
*(Hyvää) iltapäivää â Good afternoon
*(Hyvää) iltaa â Good evening
*(Hyvää) yötä / Ãitä â Good night
*Terve! / Moro! â Hello!
*Hei! / Moi! â Hi!
*Heippa! / Moikka! / Hei hei! / Moi moi! â Bye!
*Nähdään â See you later (literally "will be seen")
*Näkemi(si)in / Hyvästi â Goodbye
*Hauska tutustua! â Nice to meet you
*Kiitos â Thank you
*Kiitos, samoin â Likewise
*Mitä kuuluu? â How are you / How you doing? (Not used among strangers.) (literally "What is heard?")
*Kiitos hyvää â I'm fine, thank you
*Tervetuloa! â Welcome!
Tietosanakirja, 11 volumes, 1909-1922, Finnish encyclopedia.
* kyllä â yes
* joo â yes (informal)
* ei â no
* en â I will not / I do not
* minä, sinä, hän(se) â I, you, he/she(it)
* me, te, he(ne) â we, you (two or more), they
* (minä) olen â I am
* (sinä) olet â you are
* (minä) en ole - I am not
* (sinä) et ole - You are not
* yksi, kaksi, kolme â one, two, three
* neljä, viisi, kuusi â four, five, six
* seitsemän, kahdeksan â seven, eight
* yhdeksän, kymmenen â nine, ten
* yksitoista, kaksitoista, kolmetoista â eleven, twelve, thirteen
* sata, tuhat, miljoona â hundred, thousand, million
* (minä) rakastan sinua â I love you
* anteeksi â forgive me, excuse me, sorry
* voitko auttaa â can you help
* apua! - help!
* voisit(te)ko auttaa â could you help
* missä on ... ? â where is ...?
* olen pahoillani â I'm sorry (apology)
* otan osaa â My condolences
* onnea â good luck
* totta kai/tietysti/toki â of course
* pieni hetki, pikku hetki, hetkinen â one moment please!
* odota â wait
* Suomi â Finland
* suomi/suomen kieli â Finnish language
* suomalainen â (noun) Finn; (adjective) Finnish
* En ymmärrä â I don't understand
* (Minä) ymmärrän â I understand
* ¹Ymmärrät(te)kö suomea? â Do you understand Finnish?
* ¹Puhut(te)ko englantia? â Do you speak English?
* Olen englantilainen / amerikkalainen / kanadalainen / australialainen / uusiseelantilainen / irlantilainen / skotlantilainen / walesilainen / ranskalainen / saksalainen / kiinalainen / japanilainen â I am English / American / Canadian / Australian / New Zealander / Irish / Scottish / Welsh / French / German / Chinese / Japanese
* ¹Olet(te)ko englantilainen? â Are you English?
* Missä (sinä) asut/¹Missä (te) asutte? â Where do you live?
¹ -te is added to make the sentence formal (T-V distinction). Otherwise, without the added "-te", it is informal. It is also added when talking to more than one person. The transition from second-person singular to second-person plural (teitittely) is a politeness pattern, advised by many "good manners guides". Elderly people, especially, expect it from strangers, whereas the younger might feel it to be too formal to the point of coldness. However, a learner of the language should not be excessively concerned about it. Omitting it is never offensive, but one should keep in mind that on formal occasions this custom may make a good impression.
* Finnish alphabet
* Finnish grammar
* Spoken Finnish
* Finland's language strife
* Karelian language
* Estonian language
* Finnish name
* Finnish cultural and academic institutes
* Finnish language on Ethnologue
* The Finnish language --- a list of resources
* Lexicon of Early Indo-European Loanwords Preserved in Finnish
* Proto-Uralic to Finnish (in IPA mostly migrated from X-SAMPA)
* English-Finnish-English Dictionary
* Collection of Finnish bilingual dictionaries
* Finnish Etymological Dictionary by Andras Rajki
* English-Finnish and Russian-Finnish Dictionary
* English-Finnish vocabulary quizzes
* The 2 253 possible forms of the Finnish noun kauppa 'shop'
* Discussion about the Finnish Language
To Do
This section lists the topics which need to be written or expanded (there are headings for all of these):
* This page:
** History: The history of the language, especially its written form and its official status
** Derivative suffixes
** External links
* Grammar page:
** Illative formation
** Noun plurals
** Noun stem types
** Adjectives, including comparison
** Postpositions and prepositions
** 5th infinitive
** Imperfect indicative for typeV and VI verbs
** Present participles, active and passive
** Past participle, passive
** Agent participle
** Passive, 2nd person imperatives
** 3rd person imperatives
** 1st person plural imperatives
** Ordinal numbers
** Names of numbers
* Spoken language page:
**important regional variations
-->
|
Finnish_language | Are the dialects of Finnish divided into two groups? | Yes | data/set5/a5 | Finnish_language
Finnish ( , or suomen kieli) is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland (92% Tilastokeskus - Väestö ) and by ethnic Finns outside of Finland. It is one of the official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a Finnish dialect, are spoken. The Kven language, a Finnish dialect spoken in Northern Norway, is an official minority language in Norway.
Finnish is the eponymous member of the Finno-Ugric language family and is typologically between fusional and agglutinative languages. It modifies and inflects the forms of nouns, adjectives, pronouns, numerals and verbs, depending on their roles in the sentence.
Finnish is a member of the Baltic-Finnic subgroup of the Finno-Ugric group of languages which in turn is a member of the Uralic family of languages. The Baltic-Finnic subgroup also includes Estonian and other minority languages spoken around the Baltic Sea.
Finnish demonstrates an affiliation with the Uralic languages in several respects including:
*Shared morphology:
:*case suffixes such as genitive -n, partitive -(t)a / -(t)ä ( Virtual Finland: Where do Finns come from?.
According to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, Finnish is classified as a level III language in terms of learning difficulty for native English speakers. Defense Language Institute
Areas in Southern Sweden with a Finnish-speaking population (2005)
Finnish is spoken by about six million people who reside mainly in Finland. There are also notable Finnish-speaking minorities in Sweden, Norway, Russia, Estonia, Canada, and the United States. The majority of the population of Finland, 91.51% , speak Finnish as their first language. The remainder speak Swedish (5.5%), Sami (Northern, Inari, Skolt) and other languages. It has achieved some popularity as a second language in Estonia.
Finnish is one of two official languages of Finland (the other being Swedish, spoken by 5.49% of the population Statistikcentralen - Befolkning ) and an official language of the European Union. It enjoys the status of an official minority language in Sweden. It is also one of the working languages of the Nordic Council. Under the Nordic Language Convention, citizens of the Nordic countries speaking Finnish have the opportunity to use their native language when interacting with official bodies in other Nordic countries without being liable to any interpretation or translation costs. Konvention mellan Sverige, Danmark, Finland, Island och Norge om nordiska medborgares rätt att använda sitt eget språk i annat nordiskt land, Nordic Council website. Retrieved on April 25, 2007. 20th anniversary of the Nordic Language Convention, Nordic news, February 22, 2007. Retrieved on April 25, 2007.
According to recent estimations, Proto-Uralic language arrived in Finland around 1900 BCE, soon to be developed into Proto-Finnic. The Balto-Finnic languages evolved from the Proto-Finnic language after Sámi was separated from it around 1500-1000 BCE. Current research indicates there were three or more Proto-Finnic dialects. The Baltic Finnic languages separated around the 1st century, but continued to influence each other. Therefore, the Eastern Finnish dialects are genetically Eastern Proto-Finnic, with many Eastern features, and the Southwestern Finnish dialects have many genuine Estonian influences.
Finland was annexed to Catholic Sweden in the Middle Ages. Prior to this, Finnish was an oral language. Even after, the language of larger-scale business was Middle Low German, the language of administration Swedish, and religious activities were held in Latin, leaving few possibilities for Finnish-speakers to use their mother tongue in situations other than daily chores.
The first known written example of Finnish comes from this era and was found in a German travel journal dating back to c.1450: Mynna tachton gernast spuho somen gelen Emyna dayda (Modern Finnish: "Minä tahdon kernaasti puhua suomen kieltä, [mutta] en minä taida"; English: "I willingly want to speak Finnish, [but] I cannot"). According to the travel journal, a Finnish bishop, whose name is unknown, was behind the above quotation.
Mikael Agricola, a 19th century drawing by Albert Edelfelt
The first comprehensive writing system for Finnish was created by Mikael Agricola, a Finnish bishop, in the 16th century. He based his orthography on Swedish, German, and Latin. His ultimate plan was to translate the Bible, but first he had to define rules on which the Finnish standard language still relies, particularly with respect to spelling. He also invented single-handedly many words such as armo meaning both "mercy" and "grace" (as in "from grace alone, not out of good works...") and vanhurskas "righteous". More than fifty percent of these words are still in use.
Agricola's written language was based on western dialects of Finnish, and his intention was that each phoneme should correspond to one letter. Yet, Agricola was confronted with many problems in this endeavor and failed to achieve uniformity. This is why he might use different signs for the same phonemes depending on the situation. For example he used dh or d to represent the voiced dental fricative (English th in this) and tz or z to represent the geminate unvoiced dental fricative (the th in thin). Additionally, Agricola might use gh or g to represent the voiced velar fricative and either ch, c or h for /h/. For example he wrote techtin against modern spelling tehtiin.
Later others revised Agricola's work, striving for a more phonemic system. Along the way, Finnish lost some of its phonemes. The sounds and disappeared from the standard language, surviving only in a small rural region in Western Finland. Elsewhere, traces of these phonemes persist as their disappearance gave Finnish dialects their distinct qualities. For example, became ht or tt (e.g. meþþä â mehtä, mettä) in the eastern dialects and in some western dialects. In the standard language, however, the effect of the lost phonemes is thus:
* became
* became
* became but only if the voiced velar fricative appeared originally between high labial vowels, otherwise lost entirely.
Modern Finnish punctuation, along with that of Swedish, uses the colon character (:) to separate the stem of the word and its grammatical ending in some cases (such as after abbreviations), where some other alphabetic writing systems would use an apostrophe. Suffixes are required for correct grammar, so this is often applied, e.g. EU:ssa "in the EU".
Elias Lönnrot as depicted in a 19th century caricature Lönnrot made several journeys to Karelia and Eastern Finland to collect folklore, from which he compiled the Kalevala.
In the 19th century Johan Vilhelm Snellman and others began to stress the need to improve the status of Finnish. Ever since the days of Mikael Agricola written Finnish had been used almost exclusively in religious contexts, but now Snellman's Hegelian nationalistic ideas of Finnish as a full-fledged national language gained considerable support. Concerted efforts were made to improve the status of the language and to modernize it, and by the end of the century Finnish had become a language of administration, journalism, literature, and science in Finland, along with Swedish.
The most important contributions to improving the status of Finnish were made by Elias Lönnrot. His impact on the development of modern vocabulary in Finnish was particularly crucial. In addition to compiling the Kalevala, he acted as an arbitrator in disputes about the development of standard Finnish between the proponents of western and eastern dialects, ensuring that the western dialects Agricola had preferred preserved their preeminent role, while many originally dialectical words from Eastern Finland were introduced to the standard language enriching it considerably. The first novel written in Finnish (and by a Finnish-speaker) was Seven Brothers, published by Aleksis Kivi in 1870.
Map of Finnish dialects
The dialects of Finnish are divided into two distinct groups, the Western dialects and the Eastern dialects. The dialects are almost entirely mutually intelligible and distinguished from each other by only minor changes in vowels, diphthongs and rhythm. For the most part, the dialects operate on the same phonology, grammar and vocabulary. There are only marginal examples of sounds or grammatical constructions specific to some dialect and not found in standard Finnish. Two examples are the voiced dental fricative found in Rauma dialect and the Eastern exessive case.
The classification of closely related dialects spoken outside of Finland is a politically sensitive issue that has been controversial since Finland's independence in 1917. This concerns specifically the Karelian language in Russia and Meänkieli in Sweden, the speakers of which are often considered oppressed minorities. Karelian is different enough from standard Finnish to have its own orthography. Meänkieli is a northern dialect entirely intelligible to speakers of any other Finnish dialect, which achieved its status as an official minority language in Sweden for historical and political reasons regardless of the fact that Finnish is an official minority language in Sweden, too.
The South-West dialects (lounaismurteet) are spoken in Finland Proper and Satakunta. Their typical feature is abbreviation of word-final vowels, and in many respects they resemble Estonian. The Tavastian dialects (hämäläismurteet) are spoken in Tavastia. They are closest to the standard language, but feature some slight vowel changes, such as the opening of diphthong-final vowels (tie â tiä, miekka â miakka, kuolisi â kualis). The Southern Ostrobothnian dialects (eteläpohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Southern Ostrobothnia. Their most notable feature is the pronunciation of 'd' as a tapped or even fully trilled /r/. The Middle and North Ostrobothnia dialects (keski- ja pohjoispohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Central and Northern Ostrobothnia. The Far-Northern dialects (peräpohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Lapland. The dialects spoken in the western parts of Lapland are recognizable by retention of old 'h' sounds in positions where they have disappeared from other dialects.
One of the Far-Northern dialects, Meänkieli, which is spoken on the Swedish side of the border, is taught in some Swedish schools as a distinct standardized language. The speakers of Meänkieli became politically separated from the other Finns when Finland was annexed to Russia in 1809. The categorization of Meänkieli as a separate language is controversial among the Finns, who see no linguistic criteria, only political reasons, for treating Meänkieli differently than other dialects of Finnish.
The Kven language is spoken in Finnmark and Troms, in Norway. Its speakers are descendants of Finnish emigrants to the region in the 18th and 19th centuries. Kven is an official minority language in Norway.
The Eastern dialects consist of the widespread Savonian dialects (savolaismurteet) spoken in Savo and nearby areas, and the South-Eastern dialects spoken now only in Finnish South Karelia. The South-Eastern dialects (kaakkoismurteet) were previously spoken also on the Karelian Isthmus and in Ingria. The Karelian Isthmus was evacuated during World War II and refugees were resettled all over Finland. Most of Ingrian Finns were deported to various parts of Russia and Estonia.
Palatalization, a common feature of Uralic languages, had been lost in Baltic-Finnic languages, but it has been reacquired by most of these languages, including Eastern Finnish, but not Western Finnish. In Finnish orthography, this is denoted with a 'j', e.g. vesj, cf. standard vesi.
The language spoken in the parts of Karelia that have not historically been under Swedish or Finnish rule is usually called the Karelian language, and it is considered to be more distant from standard Finnish than the Eastern dialects. Whether this language of Russian Karelia is a dialect of Finnish or a separate language is a matter of interpretation. However, the term Karelian dialects is often used colloquially to the Finnish South-Eastern dialects.
* Western dialects
**Southern-Western dialects
***Proper Southern-Western dialects
**** Northern dialect group
**** Southern dialect group
***Southern-Western middle dialects
****Pori region dialects
****Ala-Satakunta dialects
****dialects of Turku highlands
****Somero region dialects
****Western Uusimaa dialects
**Tavastian dialects
***Ylä-Satakunta dialects
***Heart Tavastian dialects
***Southern Tavastian dialects
***Southern-Eastern Tavastian dialects
****Hollola dialect group
****Porvoo dialect group
****Iitti dialect group
**Southern Botnian dialects
**Middle and Northern Botnian dialects
***Middle Botnian dialects
***Northern Botnian dialects
**Peräpohjola dialects
***Tornio dialects ("Meänkieli" in Sweden)
***Kemi dialects
***Kemijärvi dialects
***Jällivaara dialects ("Meänkieli" in Sweden)
***Ruija dialects ("Kven language" in Northern Norway)
*Eastern dialects
**Savonian dialects
***Northern Savonian dialects
***Southern Savonian dialects
***Middle dialects of Savonlinna region
***Eastern Savonian dialects or the dialects of North Karelia
***Kainuu dialects
***Central Finland dialects
***Päijänne Tavastia dialects
***Keuruu-Evijärvi dialects
***Savonian dialects of Värmland (Sweden)
**Southern-Eastern dialects
***Proper Southern-Eastern dialects
***Middle dialects of Lemi region
***Middle dialects of Sortavala region (now in Russia)
***Dialects of Ingria (in Russia) /ref>
There are two main varieties of Finnish used throughout the country. One is the "standard language" (yleiskieli), and the other is the "spoken language" (puhekieli). The standard language is used in formal situations like political speeches and newscasts. Its written form, the "book language" (kirjakieli), is used in nearly all written texts, not always excluding even the dialogue of common people in popular prose. The spoken language, on the other hand, is the main variety of Finnish used in popular TV and radio shows and at workplaces, and may be preferred to a dialect in personal communication.
Standard Finnish is prescribed by the Language Office of the Research Institute for the Languages of Finland and is the language used in official communication. The Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish (Nykysuomen sanakirja 1951â61), with 201,000 entries, was a prescriptive dictionary that defined official language. An additional volume for words of foreign origin (Nykysuomen sivistyssanakirja, 30,000 entries) was published in 1991. An updated dictionary, the Language Office Dictionary (Kielitoimiston sanakirja) was published in an electronic form in 2004 and in print in 2006. A descriptive grammar (Iso suomen kielioppi, Hakulinen, Auli et al. (2004): Iso suomen kielioppi. SKS:n toimituksia 950. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura. ISBN 951-746-557-2. 1,600 pages 1,600 pages) was published in 2004. There is also an etymological dictionary, Suomen sanojen alkuperä, published in 1992â2000, and a handbook of contemporary language (Nykysuomen käsikirja), and a periodic publication, Kielikello. Standard Finnish is used in official texts and is the form of language taught in schools. Its spoken form is used in political speech, newscasts, in courts, and in other formal situations. Nearly all publishing and printed works are in standard Finnish.
The spoken language has mostly developed naturally from earlier forms of Finnish, and spread from main cultural and political centres. The standard language, however, has always been a consciously constructed medium for literature. It preserves grammatical patterns that have mostly vanished from the colloquial varieties and, as its main application is writing, it features complex syntactic patterns that are not easy to handle when used in speech. The spoken language develops significantly faster, and the grammatical and phonological simplifications include also the most common pronouns and suffixes, which sum up to frequent but modest differences. Some sound changes have been left out of the formal language, such as the irregularization of some common verbs by assimilation, e.g. tule- â tuu- (although tule can be used in spoken language as well).
Written language certainly still exerts a considerable influence upon the spoken word, due to the fact that illiteracy is nonexistent and many Finns are avid readers. In fact, it is still not entirely uncommon to meet people who "talk like a book" (puhuvat kirjakieltä), although this is seen as pedantic. More common is the intrusion of typically book-like constructions into a colloquial discourse, as a kind of quote from written Finnish. It should also be noted that it is quite common to hear book-like and polished speech on radio or TV, and the constant exposure to such language tends to lead to the adoption of such constructions even in everyday language.
A prominent example of the effect of the standard language is the development of the consonant gradation form /ts : ts/ as in metsä : metsän, as this pattern was originally (1940) found natively only in the dialects of southern Karelian isthmus and Ingria. In fact, it has arisen from the spelling 'ts' for the dental fricative [θË], which has disappeared. In spoken language, a fusion of Western /tt : tt/ (mettä : mettän) and Eastern /ht : t/ (mehtä : metän) has been created: /tt : t/ (mettä : metän). Yleiskielen ts:n murrevastineet It is notable that neither of these are forms are identifiable as or originate from a specific dialect.
The orthography of the informal language follows that of the formal language. However, sometimes sandhi may be transcribed, especially the internal ones, e.g. menenpä â menempä. This never takes place in formal language.
:
Note that there are noticeable differences between dialects. These examples are mostly from the language as spoken in the capital area (Helsinki dialect or even Stadin slangi). Also note that here the formal language does not mean a language spoken in formal occasions but the standard language which exist practically only in written form.
Characteristic features of Finnish (common to other Finno-Ugric languages) are vowel harmony and an agglutinative morphology; due to the extensive use of the latter, words can be quite long.
The main stress is always on the first syllable, and it is articulated by adding approximately 100 ms more length to the stressed vowel. Stress does not cause any measurable modifications in vowel quality (very much unlike English). However, stress is not strong and words appear evenly stressed. In some cases, stress is so weak that the highest points of volume, pitch and other indicators of "articulation intensity" are not on the first syllable, although native speakers recognize the first syllable as a stressed syllable.
There are eight vowels, whose lexical and grammatical role is highly important, and which are unusually strictly controlled, so that there is almost no allophony. Vowels shown in the table below, followed by the IPA symbol when not identical. These are always different phonemes in the initial syllable; for noninitial syllable, see morphophonology below.
: 1 Although conventionally and conveniently written with the close-mid symbols , and , they are more accurately described as mid vowels ( , and ).
The usual analysis is that Finnish has long and short vowels and consonants as distinct phonemes. However, long vowels may be analyzed as a vowel followed by a chroneme, or also, that sequences of identical vowels are pronounced as "diphthongs". The quality of long vowels mostly overlaps with the quality of short vowels, with the exception of u, which is centralized with respect to uu; long vowels do not morph into diphthongs. There are eighteen phonemic diphthongs; like vowels, diphthongs do not have significant allophony.
Finnish has a consonant inventory of small to moderate size, where voicing is mostly not distinctive, and fricatives are scarce. Finnish has relatively few non-coronal consonants. Consonants are as follows, where consonants in parenthesis are found only in a few recent loans.
# is the equivalent of under weakening consonant gradation, and thus occurs only medially, or in non-native words; it is actually more of an alveolar tap rather than a true voiced stop, and the dialectal realization varies wildly; see main article.
# The glottal stop can only appear at word boundaries as a result of certain sandhi phenomena, and it is not indicated in spelling: e.g. 'let it be', orthographically anna olla. Moreover, this sound is not used in all dialects.
# The short velar nasal is an allophone of in , and the long velar nasal , written ng, is the equivalent of under weakening consonant gradation (type of lenition) and thus occurs only medially.
Almost all consonants have phonemic geminated forms. These are independent, but occur only medially when phonemic.
Independent consonant clusters are not allowed in native words, except for a small set of two-consonant syllable codas, e.g. 'rs' in karsta. However, due to a number of recently adopted loanwords using them, e.g. strutsi "ostrich", Finnish speakers can pronounce them, even if it is somewhat awkward.
As a Finno-Ugric language, it is somewhat special in two respects: loss of fricatives and loss of palatalization.
An interesting feature of Finnic phonology is the development of labial vowels in non-initial syllables. Proto-Uralic had only 'a' and 'i' and their vowel harmonic allophones in non-initial syllables; modern Finnish allows other vowels in non-initial syllables (they are uncommon, however, compared to 'a', 'ä' and 'i').
Palatalization is characteristic of Finno-Ugric languages, but Finnish has lost it. However, the Eastern dialects and the Karelian language have redeveloped a system of palatalization. For example, the Karelian word d'uuri , with a palatalized , is reflected by juuri in Finnish and Savo dialect vesj is vesi in standard Finnish.
Finnish has only two fricatives, namely and . All other fricatives are recognized as foreign, of which Finnish speakers can usually reliably distinguish and .
Finnish has several morphophonological processes between grammar ("logic") and phonology ("sounds") that require modification of the forms of words for daily speech. The most important processes are vowel harmony and consonant gradation.
Vowel harmony is a redundancy feature, which means that the feature [±back] is uniform within a word, and so it is necessary to interpret it only once for a given word. It is meaning-distinguishing in the initial syllable, and suffixes follow; so, if the listener hears [±back] in any part of the word, they can derive [±back] for the initial syllable. For example, tuote ("product") agglutinates to tuotteeseensa ("into his product"), where the final vowel becomes the back vowel 'a' (rather than the front vowel 'ä') because the initial syllable contains the back vowels 'uo'. This is especially notable because vowels 'a' and 'ä' are different, meaning-distinguishing phonemes, not interchangeable or allophonic. Finnish front vowels are not umlauts.
Consonant gradation is a lenition process for P, T and K, with the oblique stem "weakened" from the nominative stem, or vice versa. For example, tarkka "precise" has the oblique root tarka-, as in tarkan "of the precise". There is also another gradation pattern, which is older, and causes simple elision of T and K. However, it is very common since it is found in the partitive case marker: if V is a single vowel, V+ta â Va, e.g. *vanha+ta â vanhaa. Another instance is the imperative, which changes into a glottal stop in the singular but is shown as an overt 'ka' in plural, e.g. mene vs. menkää.
The morphosyntactic alignment is nominative-accusative; but there are two object cases: accusative and partitive. The contrast between the two is telic, where the accusative case denotes actions completed as intended (Ammuin hirven "I shot (killed) the elk"), and the partitive case denotes incomplete actions (Ammuin hirveä "I shot (at) the elk"). Often this is confused with perfectivity, but the only element of perfectivity that exists in Finnish is that there are some perfective verbs. Transitivity is distinguished by different verbs for transitive and intransitive, e.g. ratkaista "to solve something" vs. ratketa "to solve by itself". There are several frequentative and momentane verb categories.
Verbs gain personal suffixes for each person; these suffixes are grammatically more important than pronouns, which are often not used at all in standard Finnish. The infinitive is not the uninflected form but has a suffix -ta or -da; the closest one to an uninflected form is the third person singular indicative. There are four persons, first ("I, we"), second ("you (singular), you (plural)"), third ("s/he, they"). Also, the passive voice (sometimes called impersonal or indefinite) resembles a "fourth person" similar to e.g. English "people say/do/â¦". There are four tenses, namely present, past, perfect and pluperfect; the system mirrors the Germanic system. The future tense is not needed due to context and the telic contrast. For example, luen kirjan "I read a book (completely)" indicates a future, when luen kirjaa "I read a book (not yet complete)" indicates present.
Nouns may be suffixed with the markers for the aforementioned accusative case and partitive case, the genitive case, eight different locatives, and a few other cases. The case marker must be added not only to the main noun, but also to its modifiers; e.g. suure+ssa talo+ssa, literally "big-in house-in". Possession is marked with a possessive suffix; separate possessive pronouns are unknown. Pronouns gain suffixes just as nouns do.
Suomalaisen Sana-Lugun Coetus (1745) by Daniel Juslenius was the first comprehensive dictionary of the Finnish language with 16,000 entries.
:See the lists of Finnish words and words of Finnish origin at Wiktionary, the free dictionary and Wikipedia's sibling project.
Finnish extensively employs regular agglutination. It has a smaller core vocabulary than, for example, English, and uses derivative suffixes to a greater extent. As an example, take the word kirja "a book", from which one can form derivatives kirjain "a letter" (of the alphabet), kirje "a piece of correspondence, a letter", kirjasto "a library", kirjailija "an author", kirjallisuus "literature", kirjoittaa "to write", kirjoittaja "a writer", kirjuri "a scribe, a clerk", kirjallinen "something in written form", kirjata "to write down, register, record", kirjasin "a font", and others.
Here are some of the more common such suffixes. Which of each pair is used depends on the word being suffixed in accordance with the rules of vowel harmony.
*-ja/jä : agent (one who does) (e.g. lukea "to read" â lukija "reader")
*-lainen/läinen: inhabitant of (either noun or adjective). Englanti "England" â englantilainen "English person or thing"; Venäjä â venäläinen "Russian person or thing".
*-sto/stö: collection of. For example: kirja "a book" â kirjasto "a library"; laiva "a ship" â laivasto "navy, fleet".
*-in: instrument or tool. For example: kirjata "to book, to file" â kirjain "a letter" (of the alphabet); vatkata "to whisk" â vatkain "a whisk, mixer".
*-uri/yri: an agent or instrument (kaivaa "to dig" â kaivuri "a digging machine"; laiva "a ship" â laivuri "shipper, shipmaster").
*-os/ös: result of some action (tulla "to come" â tulos "result, outcome"; tehdä "to do" â teos "a piece of work").
*-ton/tön: lack of something, "un-", "-less" (onni "happiness" â onneton "unhappy"; koti "home" â koditon "homeless").
*-llinen: having (the quality of) something (lapsi "a child" â lapsellinen "childish"; kauppa "a shop, commerce" â kaupallinen "commercial").
*-kas/käs: similar to -llinen (itse "self" â itsekäs "selfish"; neuvo "advice" â neuvokas "resourceful").
*-va/vä: doing or having something (taitaa "to be able" â taitava "skillful"; johtaa "to lead" â johtava "leading").
*-la/lä: a place related to the main word (kana "a hen" â kanala "a henhouse"; pappi "a priest" â pappila "a parsonage").
Verbal suffixes are extremely diverse; several frequentatives and momentanes differentiating causative, volitional-unpredictable and anticausative are found, often combined with each other, often denoting indirection. For example, hypätä "to jump", hyppiä "to be jumping", hypeksiä "to be jumping wantonly", hypäyttää "to make someone jump once", hyppyyttää "to make someone jump repeatedly" (or "to boss someone around"), hyppyytyttää "to make someone to cause a third person to jump repeatedly", hyppyytellä "to, without aim, make someone jump repeatedly", hypähtää "to jump suddenly" (in anticausative meaning), hypellä "to jump around repeatedly", hypiskellä "to be jumping repeatedly and wantonly", hyppimättä "without jumping", hyppelemättä "without jumping around". Often the diversity and compactness of this agglutination is illustrated with istahtaisinkohan "I wonder if I should sit down for a while" (from istua, "to sit, to be seated"):
*istua "to sit down"
*istun "I sit down" / istahtaa "to sit down for a while"
*istahdan "I sit down for a while"
*istahtaisin "I should sit down for a while"
*istahtaisinko "should I sit down for a while?"
*istahtaisinkohan "I wonder if I should sit down for a while"
Over the course of many centuries, the Finnish language has borrowed a great many words from a wide variety of languages, most from neighboring Indo-European languages. Indeed, some estimates put the core Proto-Uralic vocabulary surviving in Finnish at only around 300 word roots. Due to the different grammatical, phonological and phonotactic structure of the Finnish language, loanwords from Indo-European have been assimilated.
In general, the first loan words into Finno-Ugric languages seem to come from very early Indo-European languages, and later mainly from Iranian, Turkic, Baltic, Germanic, and Slavic languages. Furthermore, a certain group of very basic and neutral words exists in Finnish and other Finnic languages that are absent from other Finno-Ugric languages, but without a recognizable etymology from any known language. These words are usually regarded as the last remnant of the Nordic language spoken in Fennoscandia before the arrival of the proto-Finnic language. Words included in this group are e.g. jänis (hare), musta (black), mäki (hill), saari (island), suo (swamp) and niemi (cape). Also some place names, like Päijänne and Imatra, are probably before the proto-Finnic era. Häkkinen, Kaisa. Suomalaisten esihistoria kielitieteen valossa (ISBN 951-717-855-7). Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura 1996. See pages 166 and 173.
Often quoted loan examples are kuningas "king" and ruhtinas "prince, high ranking nobleman" from Germanic *kuningaz and *druhtinaz, but another example is äiti "mother", from Gothic aiþei, which is interesting because borrowing of close-kinship vocabulary is a rare phenomenon. The original Finnish emo occurs only in restricted contexts. There are other close-kinship words that are loaned from Baltic and Germanic languages (morsian "bride", armas "dear"). Examples of the ancient Iranian loans are vasara "hammer" from Avestan vadžra, vajra and orja "slave" from arya, airya "man" (the latter probably via similar circumstances as slave from Slav in many European languages).
More recently, Swedish has been a prolific source of borrowings, and also, the Swedish language acted as a proxy for European words, especially those relating to government. Present-day Finland belonged to the kingdom of Sweden from the 12th century and was ceded to Russia in 1809, becoming an autonomous Grand Duchy. Swedish was retained as the official language and language of the upper class even after this. When Finnish was accepted as an official language, it gained only legal "equal status" with Swedish, which persists even today. It is still the case today, though only about 5.5% of Finnish nationals, the Swedish-speaking Finns, have Swedish as their mother tongue. During the period of autonomy, Russian did not gain much ground as a language of the people or the government. Nevertheless, quite a few words were subsequently acquired from Russian (especially in older Helsinki slang) but not to the same extent as with Swedish. In all these cases, borrowing has been partly a result of geographical proximity.
Especially words dealing with administrative or modern culture came to Finnish from Swedish, sometimes reflecting the oldest Swedish form of the word (lag - laki, 'law'; län - lääni, 'province'; bisp - piispa, 'bishop'; jordpäron - peruna, 'potato'), and many more survive as informal synonyms in spoken or dialectal Finnish (e.g. likka, from Swedish flicka, 'girl', usually tyttö in Finnish).
Typical Russian loanwords are old or very old, thus hard to recognize as such, and concern everyday concepts, e.g. papu "bean", sini "(n.) blue" and pappi "priest". Notably, a few religious words such as Raamattu ("Bible") are borrowed from Russian, which indicates language contact preceding the Swedish era. This is mainly believed to be result of trade with Novgorod from the 9th century on and the Orthodox converting in the 13th century.
Most recently, and with increasing impact, English has been the source of new loanwords in Finnish. Unlike previous "geographical" borrowing, the influence of English is largely "cultural" and reaches Finland by many routes including: international business; music; film and TV (foreign films and programmes, excluding ones intended for a very young audience, are shown subtitled); literature; and, of course, the Web this is now probably the most important source of all non-face-to-face exposure to English.
The importance of English as the language of global commerce has led many non-English companies, including Finland's Nokia, to adopt English as their official operating language. Recently, it has been observed that English borrowings are also ousting previous borrowings, for example the switch from treffailla "to date" (from Swedish, träffa) to deittailla from English "to go for a date". Calques from English are also found, e.g. kovalevy (hard disk). Grammatical calques are also found, for example, the replacement of the impersonal (passiivi) with the English-style generic you, e. g. sä et voi "you cannot", instead of ei voi "one cannot".
However, this does not mean that Finnish is threatened by English. Borrowing is normal language evolution, and neologisms are coined actively not only by the government, but also by the media. Moreover, Finnish and English have a considerably different grammar, phonology and phonotactics, discouraging direct borrowing. English loan words in Finnish slang include for example pleikkari "PlayStation", hodari "hot dog", and hedari "headache", "headshot" or "headbutt". Often these loanwords are distinctly identified as slang or jargon, rarely being used in a negative mood or in formal language. Since English and Finnish grammar, pronunciation and phonetics differ considerably, most loan words are inevitably sooner or later calqued â translated into native Finnish â retaining the semantic meaning.
Some modern terms have been synthesised rather than borrowed, for example:
:puhelin "telephone" (literally: "chatter" + instrument suffix "-in" to make "an instrument for chattering")
:tietokone "computer" (literally: "knowledge machine")
:levyke "diskette" (from levy "disc" + a diminutive -ke)
:sähköposti "email" (literally: "electrical mail")
:linja-auto "bus" (literally: route-car)
Neologisms are actively generated by the Language Planning Office and the media. They are widely adopted. One would actually give an old-fashioned or rustic impression using forms such as telefooni or kompuutteri when the neologism is widely adopted.
The first page of Abckiria (1543), the first book written in the Finnish language. The spelling of Finnish in the book had many inconsistencies: for example, the k sound could be represented by c, k or even g; the long u and the long i were represented by w and ij respectively, and ä was represented by e.
Finnish is written with the Swedish variant of the Latin alphabet that includes the distinct characters à and Ã, and also several characters not used in Finnish (including for example C, Q, Ã
). The Finnish orthography built upon the phoneme principle: each phoneme (meaningful sound) of the language is represented by exactly one grapheme (independent letter), and each grapheme represents almost exactly one phoneme. This makes the language easy for its speakers to spell, and facilitates learning to read and write. The rule of thumb for Finnish orthography is: write as you read, read as you write. However, morphemes retain their spelling despite sandhi.
Some orthographical notes:
*Long vowels and consonants are represented by double occurrences of the relevant graphemes. This causes no confusion, and permits these sounds to be written without having to nearly double the size of the alphabet to accommodate separate graphemes for long sounds.
*The grapheme h occurring before a consonant sounds slightly harder (initially breathy voiced, then voiceless) than when occurring before a vowel.
*Sandhi is not transcribed; the spelling of morphemes is immutable, e.g. tulen+pa .
*Some consonants (v, j, d) and all consonants occurring in (always medial) clusters do not have distinctive length, and consequently, their allophonic variation is not indicated in spelling, e.g. rajaan /rajaan/ (I limit) vs. raijaan /raijjaan/ (I haul).
*Pre-1900s texts and personal names use w for v. Both correspond to the same phoneme, the labiodental approximant , a v without the fricative ("hissing") quality of the English v.
*The letters ä [æ] and ö [ø], although written as umlauted a and o, do not represent phonological umlauts, and they are considered independent graphemes; the letter shapes have been copied from Swedish. An appropriate parallel from the Latin alphabet are the characters C and G (uppercase), which historically have a closer kinship than many other characters (G is a derivation of C) but are considered distinct letters, and changing one for the other will change meanings.
Although Finnish is almost completely written as it is spoken, there are a few differences:
* The n in nk is a velar nasal, as in English. As an exception to the phonetic principle, there is no g in ng, which is a long velar nasal as in English singalong.
* The gemination between words is not marked in writing.
* The double consonant in clitic is marked as a single consonant.
* Only comparative and superlative adjectives the letter m is used like in speech in word like parempi, but in other similar cases the letter n is used, like in onpa
* The /j/ after the letter i is very weak or there is no /j/ at all, but in writing it is used, example: urheilija. Indeed the j is not used in writing words with consonant gradation (like aion and some other (like läksiäiset))
* In speech there is no difference between the use of /i/ in words (like ajoittaa, but ehdottaa, but in writing there are quite simple rules: The i is written in words that consist two syllables and end in a or ä (sanoittaa), and in words that are old-stylish (innoittaa). The i is not written in words that consist two syllables and end in o or ö like (erottaa), words which do not have clear proto-word (hajottaa), and in words that are descriptive (häämöttää) or workaday by their style (rehottaa)
Graphemes ä and ö are sometimes converted in two ways, a and o, respectively and, ae and oe respectively. Finnish graphemes ä and ö are not umlauts like in German; conversion to ae and oe in Finnish language is less correct than in German language. Conversion to a and o is more common and almost universally used in email-addresses. Conversion ae and oe is rare but formally used in passports and equivalent situations. both conversion rules have minimal pairs.
The sounds š and ž are not a part of Finnish language itself and have been introduced somewhat artificially by a government regulation. Although they occur in some rare loanwords, their principal use is in the transcription of foreign names. For technical reasons or convenience, the graphemes sh and zh are often used in quickly or less carefully written texts instead of š and ž. This is a deviation from the phonetic principle, and as such is liable to cause confusion, but the damage is minimal as the transcribed words are foreign in any case. Finnish does not use the sounds z, š or ž, but for the sake of exactitude, they can be included in spelling. (The recommendation cites the Russian play Hovanshtshina as an example.) Many speakers pronounce all of them s, or distinguish only between s and š, because Finnish has no voiced sibilants.
The language may be identified by its distinctive lack of the letters b, c, f, q, w, x, z and å.
Väinö Linna: The Unknown Soldier; these words were also inscribed in the 20 mk note.
(Translation: "The benevolent sun watched them. By no means was it angry at them. Perhaps it even felt a kind of compassion towards them. Jolly good brothers.")
Sample sound of "Hyvää huomenta"
*(Hyvää) huomenta â Good morning
*(Hyvää) päivää â Good afternoon (literally "Good day")
*(Hyvää) iltapäivää â Good afternoon
*(Hyvää) iltaa â Good evening
*(Hyvää) yötä / Ãitä â Good night
*Terve! / Moro! â Hello!
*Hei! / Moi! â Hi!
*Heippa! / Moikka! / Hei hei! / Moi moi! â Bye!
*Nähdään â See you later (literally "will be seen")
*Näkemi(si)in / Hyvästi â Goodbye
*Hauska tutustua! â Nice to meet you
*Kiitos â Thank you
*Kiitos, samoin â Likewise
*Mitä kuuluu? â How are you / How you doing? (Not used among strangers.) (literally "What is heard?")
*Kiitos hyvää â I'm fine, thank you
*Tervetuloa! â Welcome!
Tietosanakirja, 11 volumes, 1909-1922, Finnish encyclopedia.
* kyllä â yes
* joo â yes (informal)
* ei â no
* en â I will not / I do not
* minä, sinä, hän(se) â I, you, he/she(it)
* me, te, he(ne) â we, you (two or more), they
* (minä) olen â I am
* (sinä) olet â you are
* (minä) en ole - I am not
* (sinä) et ole - You are not
* yksi, kaksi, kolme â one, two, three
* neljä, viisi, kuusi â four, five, six
* seitsemän, kahdeksan â seven, eight
* yhdeksän, kymmenen â nine, ten
* yksitoista, kaksitoista, kolmetoista â eleven, twelve, thirteen
* sata, tuhat, miljoona â hundred, thousand, million
* (minä) rakastan sinua â I love you
* anteeksi â forgive me, excuse me, sorry
* voitko auttaa â can you help
* apua! - help!
* voisit(te)ko auttaa â could you help
* missä on ... ? â where is ...?
* olen pahoillani â I'm sorry (apology)
* otan osaa â My condolences
* onnea â good luck
* totta kai/tietysti/toki â of course
* pieni hetki, pikku hetki, hetkinen â one moment please!
* odota â wait
* Suomi â Finland
* suomi/suomen kieli â Finnish language
* suomalainen â (noun) Finn; (adjective) Finnish
* En ymmärrä â I don't understand
* (Minä) ymmärrän â I understand
* ¹Ymmärrät(te)kö suomea? â Do you understand Finnish?
* ¹Puhut(te)ko englantia? â Do you speak English?
* Olen englantilainen / amerikkalainen / kanadalainen / australialainen / uusiseelantilainen / irlantilainen / skotlantilainen / walesilainen / ranskalainen / saksalainen / kiinalainen / japanilainen â I am English / American / Canadian / Australian / New Zealander / Irish / Scottish / Welsh / French / German / Chinese / Japanese
* ¹Olet(te)ko englantilainen? â Are you English?
* Missä (sinä) asut/¹Missä (te) asutte? â Where do you live?
¹ -te is added to make the sentence formal (T-V distinction). Otherwise, without the added "-te", it is informal. It is also added when talking to more than one person. The transition from second-person singular to second-person plural (teitittely) is a politeness pattern, advised by many "good manners guides". Elderly people, especially, expect it from strangers, whereas the younger might feel it to be too formal to the point of coldness. However, a learner of the language should not be excessively concerned about it. Omitting it is never offensive, but one should keep in mind that on formal occasions this custom may make a good impression.
* Finnish alphabet
* Finnish grammar
* Spoken Finnish
* Finland's language strife
* Karelian language
* Estonian language
* Finnish name
* Finnish cultural and academic institutes
* Finnish language on Ethnologue
* The Finnish language --- a list of resources
* Lexicon of Early Indo-European Loanwords Preserved in Finnish
* Proto-Uralic to Finnish (in IPA mostly migrated from X-SAMPA)
* English-Finnish-English Dictionary
* Collection of Finnish bilingual dictionaries
* Finnish Etymological Dictionary by Andras Rajki
* English-Finnish and Russian-Finnish Dictionary
* English-Finnish vocabulary quizzes
* The 2 253 possible forms of the Finnish noun kauppa 'shop'
* Discussion about the Finnish Language
To Do
This section lists the topics which need to be written or expanded (there are headings for all of these):
* This page:
** History: The history of the language, especially its written form and its official status
** Derivative suffixes
** External links
* Grammar page:
** Illative formation
** Noun plurals
** Noun stem types
** Adjectives, including comparison
** Postpositions and prepositions
** 5th infinitive
** Imperfect indicative for typeV and VI verbs
** Present participles, active and passive
** Past participle, passive
** Agent participle
** Passive, 2nd person imperatives
** 3rd person imperatives
** 1st person plural imperatives
** Ordinal numbers
** Names of numbers
* Spoken language page:
**important regional variations
-->
|
Finnish_language | Are the dialects of Finnish divided into two groups? | Yes, the dialects of Finnish are divided into two groups. | data/set5/a5 | Finnish_language
Finnish ( , or suomen kieli) is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland (92% Tilastokeskus - Väestö ) and by ethnic Finns outside of Finland. It is one of the official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a Finnish dialect, are spoken. The Kven language, a Finnish dialect spoken in Northern Norway, is an official minority language in Norway.
Finnish is the eponymous member of the Finno-Ugric language family and is typologically between fusional and agglutinative languages. It modifies and inflects the forms of nouns, adjectives, pronouns, numerals and verbs, depending on their roles in the sentence.
Finnish is a member of the Baltic-Finnic subgroup of the Finno-Ugric group of languages which in turn is a member of the Uralic family of languages. The Baltic-Finnic subgroup also includes Estonian and other minority languages spoken around the Baltic Sea.
Finnish demonstrates an affiliation with the Uralic languages in several respects including:
*Shared morphology:
:*case suffixes such as genitive -n, partitive -(t)a / -(t)ä ( Virtual Finland: Where do Finns come from?.
According to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, Finnish is classified as a level III language in terms of learning difficulty for native English speakers. Defense Language Institute
Areas in Southern Sweden with a Finnish-speaking population (2005)
Finnish is spoken by about six million people who reside mainly in Finland. There are also notable Finnish-speaking minorities in Sweden, Norway, Russia, Estonia, Canada, and the United States. The majority of the population of Finland, 91.51% , speak Finnish as their first language. The remainder speak Swedish (5.5%), Sami (Northern, Inari, Skolt) and other languages. It has achieved some popularity as a second language in Estonia.
Finnish is one of two official languages of Finland (the other being Swedish, spoken by 5.49% of the population Statistikcentralen - Befolkning ) and an official language of the European Union. It enjoys the status of an official minority language in Sweden. It is also one of the working languages of the Nordic Council. Under the Nordic Language Convention, citizens of the Nordic countries speaking Finnish have the opportunity to use their native language when interacting with official bodies in other Nordic countries without being liable to any interpretation or translation costs. Konvention mellan Sverige, Danmark, Finland, Island och Norge om nordiska medborgares rätt att använda sitt eget språk i annat nordiskt land, Nordic Council website. Retrieved on April 25, 2007. 20th anniversary of the Nordic Language Convention, Nordic news, February 22, 2007. Retrieved on April 25, 2007.
According to recent estimations, Proto-Uralic language arrived in Finland around 1900 BCE, soon to be developed into Proto-Finnic. The Balto-Finnic languages evolved from the Proto-Finnic language after Sámi was separated from it around 1500-1000 BCE. Current research indicates there were three or more Proto-Finnic dialects. The Baltic Finnic languages separated around the 1st century, but continued to influence each other. Therefore, the Eastern Finnish dialects are genetically Eastern Proto-Finnic, with many Eastern features, and the Southwestern Finnish dialects have many genuine Estonian influences.
Finland was annexed to Catholic Sweden in the Middle Ages. Prior to this, Finnish was an oral language. Even after, the language of larger-scale business was Middle Low German, the language of administration Swedish, and religious activities were held in Latin, leaving few possibilities for Finnish-speakers to use their mother tongue in situations other than daily chores.
The first known written example of Finnish comes from this era and was found in a German travel journal dating back to c.1450: Mynna tachton gernast spuho somen gelen Emyna dayda (Modern Finnish: "Minä tahdon kernaasti puhua suomen kieltä, [mutta] en minä taida"; English: "I willingly want to speak Finnish, [but] I cannot"). According to the travel journal, a Finnish bishop, whose name is unknown, was behind the above quotation.
Mikael Agricola, a 19th century drawing by Albert Edelfelt
The first comprehensive writing system for Finnish was created by Mikael Agricola, a Finnish bishop, in the 16th century. He based his orthography on Swedish, German, and Latin. His ultimate plan was to translate the Bible, but first he had to define rules on which the Finnish standard language still relies, particularly with respect to spelling. He also invented single-handedly many words such as armo meaning both "mercy" and "grace" (as in "from grace alone, not out of good works...") and vanhurskas "righteous". More than fifty percent of these words are still in use.
Agricola's written language was based on western dialects of Finnish, and his intention was that each phoneme should correspond to one letter. Yet, Agricola was confronted with many problems in this endeavor and failed to achieve uniformity. This is why he might use different signs for the same phonemes depending on the situation. For example he used dh or d to represent the voiced dental fricative (English th in this) and tz or z to represent the geminate unvoiced dental fricative (the th in thin). Additionally, Agricola might use gh or g to represent the voiced velar fricative and either ch, c or h for /h/. For example he wrote techtin against modern spelling tehtiin.
Later others revised Agricola's work, striving for a more phonemic system. Along the way, Finnish lost some of its phonemes. The sounds and disappeared from the standard language, surviving only in a small rural region in Western Finland. Elsewhere, traces of these phonemes persist as their disappearance gave Finnish dialects their distinct qualities. For example, became ht or tt (e.g. meþþä â mehtä, mettä) in the eastern dialects and in some western dialects. In the standard language, however, the effect of the lost phonemes is thus:
* became
* became
* became but only if the voiced velar fricative appeared originally between high labial vowels, otherwise lost entirely.
Modern Finnish punctuation, along with that of Swedish, uses the colon character (:) to separate the stem of the word and its grammatical ending in some cases (such as after abbreviations), where some other alphabetic writing systems would use an apostrophe. Suffixes are required for correct grammar, so this is often applied, e.g. EU:ssa "in the EU".
Elias Lönnrot as depicted in a 19th century caricature Lönnrot made several journeys to Karelia and Eastern Finland to collect folklore, from which he compiled the Kalevala.
In the 19th century Johan Vilhelm Snellman and others began to stress the need to improve the status of Finnish. Ever since the days of Mikael Agricola written Finnish had been used almost exclusively in religious contexts, but now Snellman's Hegelian nationalistic ideas of Finnish as a full-fledged national language gained considerable support. Concerted efforts were made to improve the status of the language and to modernize it, and by the end of the century Finnish had become a language of administration, journalism, literature, and science in Finland, along with Swedish.
The most important contributions to improving the status of Finnish were made by Elias Lönnrot. His impact on the development of modern vocabulary in Finnish was particularly crucial. In addition to compiling the Kalevala, he acted as an arbitrator in disputes about the development of standard Finnish between the proponents of western and eastern dialects, ensuring that the western dialects Agricola had preferred preserved their preeminent role, while many originally dialectical words from Eastern Finland were introduced to the standard language enriching it considerably. The first novel written in Finnish (and by a Finnish-speaker) was Seven Brothers, published by Aleksis Kivi in 1870.
Map of Finnish dialects
The dialects of Finnish are divided into two distinct groups, the Western dialects and the Eastern dialects. The dialects are almost entirely mutually intelligible and distinguished from each other by only minor changes in vowels, diphthongs and rhythm. For the most part, the dialects operate on the same phonology, grammar and vocabulary. There are only marginal examples of sounds or grammatical constructions specific to some dialect and not found in standard Finnish. Two examples are the voiced dental fricative found in Rauma dialect and the Eastern exessive case.
The classification of closely related dialects spoken outside of Finland is a politically sensitive issue that has been controversial since Finland's independence in 1917. This concerns specifically the Karelian language in Russia and Meänkieli in Sweden, the speakers of which are often considered oppressed minorities. Karelian is different enough from standard Finnish to have its own orthography. Meänkieli is a northern dialect entirely intelligible to speakers of any other Finnish dialect, which achieved its status as an official minority language in Sweden for historical and political reasons regardless of the fact that Finnish is an official minority language in Sweden, too.
The South-West dialects (lounaismurteet) are spoken in Finland Proper and Satakunta. Their typical feature is abbreviation of word-final vowels, and in many respects they resemble Estonian. The Tavastian dialects (hämäläismurteet) are spoken in Tavastia. They are closest to the standard language, but feature some slight vowel changes, such as the opening of diphthong-final vowels (tie â tiä, miekka â miakka, kuolisi â kualis). The Southern Ostrobothnian dialects (eteläpohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Southern Ostrobothnia. Their most notable feature is the pronunciation of 'd' as a tapped or even fully trilled /r/. The Middle and North Ostrobothnia dialects (keski- ja pohjoispohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Central and Northern Ostrobothnia. The Far-Northern dialects (peräpohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Lapland. The dialects spoken in the western parts of Lapland are recognizable by retention of old 'h' sounds in positions where they have disappeared from other dialects.
One of the Far-Northern dialects, Meänkieli, which is spoken on the Swedish side of the border, is taught in some Swedish schools as a distinct standardized language. The speakers of Meänkieli became politically separated from the other Finns when Finland was annexed to Russia in 1809. The categorization of Meänkieli as a separate language is controversial among the Finns, who see no linguistic criteria, only political reasons, for treating Meänkieli differently than other dialects of Finnish.
The Kven language is spoken in Finnmark and Troms, in Norway. Its speakers are descendants of Finnish emigrants to the region in the 18th and 19th centuries. Kven is an official minority language in Norway.
The Eastern dialects consist of the widespread Savonian dialects (savolaismurteet) spoken in Savo and nearby areas, and the South-Eastern dialects spoken now only in Finnish South Karelia. The South-Eastern dialects (kaakkoismurteet) were previously spoken also on the Karelian Isthmus and in Ingria. The Karelian Isthmus was evacuated during World War II and refugees were resettled all over Finland. Most of Ingrian Finns were deported to various parts of Russia and Estonia.
Palatalization, a common feature of Uralic languages, had been lost in Baltic-Finnic languages, but it has been reacquired by most of these languages, including Eastern Finnish, but not Western Finnish. In Finnish orthography, this is denoted with a 'j', e.g. vesj, cf. standard vesi.
The language spoken in the parts of Karelia that have not historically been under Swedish or Finnish rule is usually called the Karelian language, and it is considered to be more distant from standard Finnish than the Eastern dialects. Whether this language of Russian Karelia is a dialect of Finnish or a separate language is a matter of interpretation. However, the term Karelian dialects is often used colloquially to the Finnish South-Eastern dialects.
* Western dialects
**Southern-Western dialects
***Proper Southern-Western dialects
**** Northern dialect group
**** Southern dialect group
***Southern-Western middle dialects
****Pori region dialects
****Ala-Satakunta dialects
****dialects of Turku highlands
****Somero region dialects
****Western Uusimaa dialects
**Tavastian dialects
***Ylä-Satakunta dialects
***Heart Tavastian dialects
***Southern Tavastian dialects
***Southern-Eastern Tavastian dialects
****Hollola dialect group
****Porvoo dialect group
****Iitti dialect group
**Southern Botnian dialects
**Middle and Northern Botnian dialects
***Middle Botnian dialects
***Northern Botnian dialects
**Peräpohjola dialects
***Tornio dialects ("Meänkieli" in Sweden)
***Kemi dialects
***Kemijärvi dialects
***Jällivaara dialects ("Meänkieli" in Sweden)
***Ruija dialects ("Kven language" in Northern Norway)
*Eastern dialects
**Savonian dialects
***Northern Savonian dialects
***Southern Savonian dialects
***Middle dialects of Savonlinna region
***Eastern Savonian dialects or the dialects of North Karelia
***Kainuu dialects
***Central Finland dialects
***Päijänne Tavastia dialects
***Keuruu-Evijärvi dialects
***Savonian dialects of Värmland (Sweden)
**Southern-Eastern dialects
***Proper Southern-Eastern dialects
***Middle dialects of Lemi region
***Middle dialects of Sortavala region (now in Russia)
***Dialects of Ingria (in Russia) /ref>
There are two main varieties of Finnish used throughout the country. One is the "standard language" (yleiskieli), and the other is the "spoken language" (puhekieli). The standard language is used in formal situations like political speeches and newscasts. Its written form, the "book language" (kirjakieli), is used in nearly all written texts, not always excluding even the dialogue of common people in popular prose. The spoken language, on the other hand, is the main variety of Finnish used in popular TV and radio shows and at workplaces, and may be preferred to a dialect in personal communication.
Standard Finnish is prescribed by the Language Office of the Research Institute for the Languages of Finland and is the language used in official communication. The Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish (Nykysuomen sanakirja 1951â61), with 201,000 entries, was a prescriptive dictionary that defined official language. An additional volume for words of foreign origin (Nykysuomen sivistyssanakirja, 30,000 entries) was published in 1991. An updated dictionary, the Language Office Dictionary (Kielitoimiston sanakirja) was published in an electronic form in 2004 and in print in 2006. A descriptive grammar (Iso suomen kielioppi, Hakulinen, Auli et al. (2004): Iso suomen kielioppi. SKS:n toimituksia 950. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura. ISBN 951-746-557-2. 1,600 pages 1,600 pages) was published in 2004. There is also an etymological dictionary, Suomen sanojen alkuperä, published in 1992â2000, and a handbook of contemporary language (Nykysuomen käsikirja), and a periodic publication, Kielikello. Standard Finnish is used in official texts and is the form of language taught in schools. Its spoken form is used in political speech, newscasts, in courts, and in other formal situations. Nearly all publishing and printed works are in standard Finnish.
The spoken language has mostly developed naturally from earlier forms of Finnish, and spread from main cultural and political centres. The standard language, however, has always been a consciously constructed medium for literature. It preserves grammatical patterns that have mostly vanished from the colloquial varieties and, as its main application is writing, it features complex syntactic patterns that are not easy to handle when used in speech. The spoken language develops significantly faster, and the grammatical and phonological simplifications include also the most common pronouns and suffixes, which sum up to frequent but modest differences. Some sound changes have been left out of the formal language, such as the irregularization of some common verbs by assimilation, e.g. tule- â tuu- (although tule can be used in spoken language as well).
Written language certainly still exerts a considerable influence upon the spoken word, due to the fact that illiteracy is nonexistent and many Finns are avid readers. In fact, it is still not entirely uncommon to meet people who "talk like a book" (puhuvat kirjakieltä), although this is seen as pedantic. More common is the intrusion of typically book-like constructions into a colloquial discourse, as a kind of quote from written Finnish. It should also be noted that it is quite common to hear book-like and polished speech on radio or TV, and the constant exposure to such language tends to lead to the adoption of such constructions even in everyday language.
A prominent example of the effect of the standard language is the development of the consonant gradation form /ts : ts/ as in metsä : metsän, as this pattern was originally (1940) found natively only in the dialects of southern Karelian isthmus and Ingria. In fact, it has arisen from the spelling 'ts' for the dental fricative [θË], which has disappeared. In spoken language, a fusion of Western /tt : tt/ (mettä : mettän) and Eastern /ht : t/ (mehtä : metän) has been created: /tt : t/ (mettä : metän). Yleiskielen ts:n murrevastineet It is notable that neither of these are forms are identifiable as or originate from a specific dialect.
The orthography of the informal language follows that of the formal language. However, sometimes sandhi may be transcribed, especially the internal ones, e.g. menenpä â menempä. This never takes place in formal language.
:
Note that there are noticeable differences between dialects. These examples are mostly from the language as spoken in the capital area (Helsinki dialect or even Stadin slangi). Also note that here the formal language does not mean a language spoken in formal occasions but the standard language which exist practically only in written form.
Characteristic features of Finnish (common to other Finno-Ugric languages) are vowel harmony and an agglutinative morphology; due to the extensive use of the latter, words can be quite long.
The main stress is always on the first syllable, and it is articulated by adding approximately 100 ms more length to the stressed vowel. Stress does not cause any measurable modifications in vowel quality (very much unlike English). However, stress is not strong and words appear evenly stressed. In some cases, stress is so weak that the highest points of volume, pitch and other indicators of "articulation intensity" are not on the first syllable, although native speakers recognize the first syllable as a stressed syllable.
There are eight vowels, whose lexical and grammatical role is highly important, and which are unusually strictly controlled, so that there is almost no allophony. Vowels shown in the table below, followed by the IPA symbol when not identical. These are always different phonemes in the initial syllable; for noninitial syllable, see morphophonology below.
: 1 Although conventionally and conveniently written with the close-mid symbols , and , they are more accurately described as mid vowels ( , and ).
The usual analysis is that Finnish has long and short vowels and consonants as distinct phonemes. However, long vowels may be analyzed as a vowel followed by a chroneme, or also, that sequences of identical vowels are pronounced as "diphthongs". The quality of long vowels mostly overlaps with the quality of short vowels, with the exception of u, which is centralized with respect to uu; long vowels do not morph into diphthongs. There are eighteen phonemic diphthongs; like vowels, diphthongs do not have significant allophony.
Finnish has a consonant inventory of small to moderate size, where voicing is mostly not distinctive, and fricatives are scarce. Finnish has relatively few non-coronal consonants. Consonants are as follows, where consonants in parenthesis are found only in a few recent loans.
# is the equivalent of under weakening consonant gradation, and thus occurs only medially, or in non-native words; it is actually more of an alveolar tap rather than a true voiced stop, and the dialectal realization varies wildly; see main article.
# The glottal stop can only appear at word boundaries as a result of certain sandhi phenomena, and it is not indicated in spelling: e.g. 'let it be', orthographically anna olla. Moreover, this sound is not used in all dialects.
# The short velar nasal is an allophone of in , and the long velar nasal , written ng, is the equivalent of under weakening consonant gradation (type of lenition) and thus occurs only medially.
Almost all consonants have phonemic geminated forms. These are independent, but occur only medially when phonemic.
Independent consonant clusters are not allowed in native words, except for a small set of two-consonant syllable codas, e.g. 'rs' in karsta. However, due to a number of recently adopted loanwords using them, e.g. strutsi "ostrich", Finnish speakers can pronounce them, even if it is somewhat awkward.
As a Finno-Ugric language, it is somewhat special in two respects: loss of fricatives and loss of palatalization.
An interesting feature of Finnic phonology is the development of labial vowels in non-initial syllables. Proto-Uralic had only 'a' and 'i' and their vowel harmonic allophones in non-initial syllables; modern Finnish allows other vowels in non-initial syllables (they are uncommon, however, compared to 'a', 'ä' and 'i').
Palatalization is characteristic of Finno-Ugric languages, but Finnish has lost it. However, the Eastern dialects and the Karelian language have redeveloped a system of palatalization. For example, the Karelian word d'uuri , with a palatalized , is reflected by juuri in Finnish and Savo dialect vesj is vesi in standard Finnish.
Finnish has only two fricatives, namely and . All other fricatives are recognized as foreign, of which Finnish speakers can usually reliably distinguish and .
Finnish has several morphophonological processes between grammar ("logic") and phonology ("sounds") that require modification of the forms of words for daily speech. The most important processes are vowel harmony and consonant gradation.
Vowel harmony is a redundancy feature, which means that the feature [±back] is uniform within a word, and so it is necessary to interpret it only once for a given word. It is meaning-distinguishing in the initial syllable, and suffixes follow; so, if the listener hears [±back] in any part of the word, they can derive [±back] for the initial syllable. For example, tuote ("product") agglutinates to tuotteeseensa ("into his product"), where the final vowel becomes the back vowel 'a' (rather than the front vowel 'ä') because the initial syllable contains the back vowels 'uo'. This is especially notable because vowels 'a' and 'ä' are different, meaning-distinguishing phonemes, not interchangeable or allophonic. Finnish front vowels are not umlauts.
Consonant gradation is a lenition process for P, T and K, with the oblique stem "weakened" from the nominative stem, or vice versa. For example, tarkka "precise" has the oblique root tarka-, as in tarkan "of the precise". There is also another gradation pattern, which is older, and causes simple elision of T and K. However, it is very common since it is found in the partitive case marker: if V is a single vowel, V+ta â Va, e.g. *vanha+ta â vanhaa. Another instance is the imperative, which changes into a glottal stop in the singular but is shown as an overt 'ka' in plural, e.g. mene vs. menkää.
The morphosyntactic alignment is nominative-accusative; but there are two object cases: accusative and partitive. The contrast between the two is telic, where the accusative case denotes actions completed as intended (Ammuin hirven "I shot (killed) the elk"), and the partitive case denotes incomplete actions (Ammuin hirveä "I shot (at) the elk"). Often this is confused with perfectivity, but the only element of perfectivity that exists in Finnish is that there are some perfective verbs. Transitivity is distinguished by different verbs for transitive and intransitive, e.g. ratkaista "to solve something" vs. ratketa "to solve by itself". There are several frequentative and momentane verb categories.
Verbs gain personal suffixes for each person; these suffixes are grammatically more important than pronouns, which are often not used at all in standard Finnish. The infinitive is not the uninflected form but has a suffix -ta or -da; the closest one to an uninflected form is the third person singular indicative. There are four persons, first ("I, we"), second ("you (singular), you (plural)"), third ("s/he, they"). Also, the passive voice (sometimes called impersonal or indefinite) resembles a "fourth person" similar to e.g. English "people say/do/â¦". There are four tenses, namely present, past, perfect and pluperfect; the system mirrors the Germanic system. The future tense is not needed due to context and the telic contrast. For example, luen kirjan "I read a book (completely)" indicates a future, when luen kirjaa "I read a book (not yet complete)" indicates present.
Nouns may be suffixed with the markers for the aforementioned accusative case and partitive case, the genitive case, eight different locatives, and a few other cases. The case marker must be added not only to the main noun, but also to its modifiers; e.g. suure+ssa talo+ssa, literally "big-in house-in". Possession is marked with a possessive suffix; separate possessive pronouns are unknown. Pronouns gain suffixes just as nouns do.
Suomalaisen Sana-Lugun Coetus (1745) by Daniel Juslenius was the first comprehensive dictionary of the Finnish language with 16,000 entries.
:See the lists of Finnish words and words of Finnish origin at Wiktionary, the free dictionary and Wikipedia's sibling project.
Finnish extensively employs regular agglutination. It has a smaller core vocabulary than, for example, English, and uses derivative suffixes to a greater extent. As an example, take the word kirja "a book", from which one can form derivatives kirjain "a letter" (of the alphabet), kirje "a piece of correspondence, a letter", kirjasto "a library", kirjailija "an author", kirjallisuus "literature", kirjoittaa "to write", kirjoittaja "a writer", kirjuri "a scribe, a clerk", kirjallinen "something in written form", kirjata "to write down, register, record", kirjasin "a font", and others.
Here are some of the more common such suffixes. Which of each pair is used depends on the word being suffixed in accordance with the rules of vowel harmony.
*-ja/jä : agent (one who does) (e.g. lukea "to read" â lukija "reader")
*-lainen/läinen: inhabitant of (either noun or adjective). Englanti "England" â englantilainen "English person or thing"; Venäjä â venäläinen "Russian person or thing".
*-sto/stö: collection of. For example: kirja "a book" â kirjasto "a library"; laiva "a ship" â laivasto "navy, fleet".
*-in: instrument or tool. For example: kirjata "to book, to file" â kirjain "a letter" (of the alphabet); vatkata "to whisk" â vatkain "a whisk, mixer".
*-uri/yri: an agent or instrument (kaivaa "to dig" â kaivuri "a digging machine"; laiva "a ship" â laivuri "shipper, shipmaster").
*-os/ös: result of some action (tulla "to come" â tulos "result, outcome"; tehdä "to do" â teos "a piece of work").
*-ton/tön: lack of something, "un-", "-less" (onni "happiness" â onneton "unhappy"; koti "home" â koditon "homeless").
*-llinen: having (the quality of) something (lapsi "a child" â lapsellinen "childish"; kauppa "a shop, commerce" â kaupallinen "commercial").
*-kas/käs: similar to -llinen (itse "self" â itsekäs "selfish"; neuvo "advice" â neuvokas "resourceful").
*-va/vä: doing or having something (taitaa "to be able" â taitava "skillful"; johtaa "to lead" â johtava "leading").
*-la/lä: a place related to the main word (kana "a hen" â kanala "a henhouse"; pappi "a priest" â pappila "a parsonage").
Verbal suffixes are extremely diverse; several frequentatives and momentanes differentiating causative, volitional-unpredictable and anticausative are found, often combined with each other, often denoting indirection. For example, hypätä "to jump", hyppiä "to be jumping", hypeksiä "to be jumping wantonly", hypäyttää "to make someone jump once", hyppyyttää "to make someone jump repeatedly" (or "to boss someone around"), hyppyytyttää "to make someone to cause a third person to jump repeatedly", hyppyytellä "to, without aim, make someone jump repeatedly", hypähtää "to jump suddenly" (in anticausative meaning), hypellä "to jump around repeatedly", hypiskellä "to be jumping repeatedly and wantonly", hyppimättä "without jumping", hyppelemättä "without jumping around". Often the diversity and compactness of this agglutination is illustrated with istahtaisinkohan "I wonder if I should sit down for a while" (from istua, "to sit, to be seated"):
*istua "to sit down"
*istun "I sit down" / istahtaa "to sit down for a while"
*istahdan "I sit down for a while"
*istahtaisin "I should sit down for a while"
*istahtaisinko "should I sit down for a while?"
*istahtaisinkohan "I wonder if I should sit down for a while"
Over the course of many centuries, the Finnish language has borrowed a great many words from a wide variety of languages, most from neighboring Indo-European languages. Indeed, some estimates put the core Proto-Uralic vocabulary surviving in Finnish at only around 300 word roots. Due to the different grammatical, phonological and phonotactic structure of the Finnish language, loanwords from Indo-European have been assimilated.
In general, the first loan words into Finno-Ugric languages seem to come from very early Indo-European languages, and later mainly from Iranian, Turkic, Baltic, Germanic, and Slavic languages. Furthermore, a certain group of very basic and neutral words exists in Finnish and other Finnic languages that are absent from other Finno-Ugric languages, but without a recognizable etymology from any known language. These words are usually regarded as the last remnant of the Nordic language spoken in Fennoscandia before the arrival of the proto-Finnic language. Words included in this group are e.g. jänis (hare), musta (black), mäki (hill), saari (island), suo (swamp) and niemi (cape). Also some place names, like Päijänne and Imatra, are probably before the proto-Finnic era. Häkkinen, Kaisa. Suomalaisten esihistoria kielitieteen valossa (ISBN 951-717-855-7). Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura 1996. See pages 166 and 173.
Often quoted loan examples are kuningas "king" and ruhtinas "prince, high ranking nobleman" from Germanic *kuningaz and *druhtinaz, but another example is äiti "mother", from Gothic aiþei, which is interesting because borrowing of close-kinship vocabulary is a rare phenomenon. The original Finnish emo occurs only in restricted contexts. There are other close-kinship words that are loaned from Baltic and Germanic languages (morsian "bride", armas "dear"). Examples of the ancient Iranian loans are vasara "hammer" from Avestan vadžra, vajra and orja "slave" from arya, airya "man" (the latter probably via similar circumstances as slave from Slav in many European languages).
More recently, Swedish has been a prolific source of borrowings, and also, the Swedish language acted as a proxy for European words, especially those relating to government. Present-day Finland belonged to the kingdom of Sweden from the 12th century and was ceded to Russia in 1809, becoming an autonomous Grand Duchy. Swedish was retained as the official language and language of the upper class even after this. When Finnish was accepted as an official language, it gained only legal "equal status" with Swedish, which persists even today. It is still the case today, though only about 5.5% of Finnish nationals, the Swedish-speaking Finns, have Swedish as their mother tongue. During the period of autonomy, Russian did not gain much ground as a language of the people or the government. Nevertheless, quite a few words were subsequently acquired from Russian (especially in older Helsinki slang) but not to the same extent as with Swedish. In all these cases, borrowing has been partly a result of geographical proximity.
Especially words dealing with administrative or modern culture came to Finnish from Swedish, sometimes reflecting the oldest Swedish form of the word (lag - laki, 'law'; län - lääni, 'province'; bisp - piispa, 'bishop'; jordpäron - peruna, 'potato'), and many more survive as informal synonyms in spoken or dialectal Finnish (e.g. likka, from Swedish flicka, 'girl', usually tyttö in Finnish).
Typical Russian loanwords are old or very old, thus hard to recognize as such, and concern everyday concepts, e.g. papu "bean", sini "(n.) blue" and pappi "priest". Notably, a few religious words such as Raamattu ("Bible") are borrowed from Russian, which indicates language contact preceding the Swedish era. This is mainly believed to be result of trade with Novgorod from the 9th century on and the Orthodox converting in the 13th century.
Most recently, and with increasing impact, English has been the source of new loanwords in Finnish. Unlike previous "geographical" borrowing, the influence of English is largely "cultural" and reaches Finland by many routes including: international business; music; film and TV (foreign films and programmes, excluding ones intended for a very young audience, are shown subtitled); literature; and, of course, the Web this is now probably the most important source of all non-face-to-face exposure to English.
The importance of English as the language of global commerce has led many non-English companies, including Finland's Nokia, to adopt English as their official operating language. Recently, it has been observed that English borrowings are also ousting previous borrowings, for example the switch from treffailla "to date" (from Swedish, träffa) to deittailla from English "to go for a date". Calques from English are also found, e.g. kovalevy (hard disk). Grammatical calques are also found, for example, the replacement of the impersonal (passiivi) with the English-style generic you, e. g. sä et voi "you cannot", instead of ei voi "one cannot".
However, this does not mean that Finnish is threatened by English. Borrowing is normal language evolution, and neologisms are coined actively not only by the government, but also by the media. Moreover, Finnish and English have a considerably different grammar, phonology and phonotactics, discouraging direct borrowing. English loan words in Finnish slang include for example pleikkari "PlayStation", hodari "hot dog", and hedari "headache", "headshot" or "headbutt". Often these loanwords are distinctly identified as slang or jargon, rarely being used in a negative mood or in formal language. Since English and Finnish grammar, pronunciation and phonetics differ considerably, most loan words are inevitably sooner or later calqued â translated into native Finnish â retaining the semantic meaning.
Some modern terms have been synthesised rather than borrowed, for example:
:puhelin "telephone" (literally: "chatter" + instrument suffix "-in" to make "an instrument for chattering")
:tietokone "computer" (literally: "knowledge machine")
:levyke "diskette" (from levy "disc" + a diminutive -ke)
:sähköposti "email" (literally: "electrical mail")
:linja-auto "bus" (literally: route-car)
Neologisms are actively generated by the Language Planning Office and the media. They are widely adopted. One would actually give an old-fashioned or rustic impression using forms such as telefooni or kompuutteri when the neologism is widely adopted.
The first page of Abckiria (1543), the first book written in the Finnish language. The spelling of Finnish in the book had many inconsistencies: for example, the k sound could be represented by c, k or even g; the long u and the long i were represented by w and ij respectively, and ä was represented by e.
Finnish is written with the Swedish variant of the Latin alphabet that includes the distinct characters à and Ã, and also several characters not used in Finnish (including for example C, Q, Ã
). The Finnish orthography built upon the phoneme principle: each phoneme (meaningful sound) of the language is represented by exactly one grapheme (independent letter), and each grapheme represents almost exactly one phoneme. This makes the language easy for its speakers to spell, and facilitates learning to read and write. The rule of thumb for Finnish orthography is: write as you read, read as you write. However, morphemes retain their spelling despite sandhi.
Some orthographical notes:
*Long vowels and consonants are represented by double occurrences of the relevant graphemes. This causes no confusion, and permits these sounds to be written without having to nearly double the size of the alphabet to accommodate separate graphemes for long sounds.
*The grapheme h occurring before a consonant sounds slightly harder (initially breathy voiced, then voiceless) than when occurring before a vowel.
*Sandhi is not transcribed; the spelling of morphemes is immutable, e.g. tulen+pa .
*Some consonants (v, j, d) and all consonants occurring in (always medial) clusters do not have distinctive length, and consequently, their allophonic variation is not indicated in spelling, e.g. rajaan /rajaan/ (I limit) vs. raijaan /raijjaan/ (I haul).
*Pre-1900s texts and personal names use w for v. Both correspond to the same phoneme, the labiodental approximant , a v without the fricative ("hissing") quality of the English v.
*The letters ä [æ] and ö [ø], although written as umlauted a and o, do not represent phonological umlauts, and they are considered independent graphemes; the letter shapes have been copied from Swedish. An appropriate parallel from the Latin alphabet are the characters C and G (uppercase), which historically have a closer kinship than many other characters (G is a derivation of C) but are considered distinct letters, and changing one for the other will change meanings.
Although Finnish is almost completely written as it is spoken, there are a few differences:
* The n in nk is a velar nasal, as in English. As an exception to the phonetic principle, there is no g in ng, which is a long velar nasal as in English singalong.
* The gemination between words is not marked in writing.
* The double consonant in clitic is marked as a single consonant.
* Only comparative and superlative adjectives the letter m is used like in speech in word like parempi, but in other similar cases the letter n is used, like in onpa
* The /j/ after the letter i is very weak or there is no /j/ at all, but in writing it is used, example: urheilija. Indeed the j is not used in writing words with consonant gradation (like aion and some other (like läksiäiset))
* In speech there is no difference between the use of /i/ in words (like ajoittaa, but ehdottaa, but in writing there are quite simple rules: The i is written in words that consist two syllables and end in a or ä (sanoittaa), and in words that are old-stylish (innoittaa). The i is not written in words that consist two syllables and end in o or ö like (erottaa), words which do not have clear proto-word (hajottaa), and in words that are descriptive (häämöttää) or workaday by their style (rehottaa)
Graphemes ä and ö are sometimes converted in two ways, a and o, respectively and, ae and oe respectively. Finnish graphemes ä and ö are not umlauts like in German; conversion to ae and oe in Finnish language is less correct than in German language. Conversion to a and o is more common and almost universally used in email-addresses. Conversion ae and oe is rare but formally used in passports and equivalent situations. both conversion rules have minimal pairs.
The sounds š and ž are not a part of Finnish language itself and have been introduced somewhat artificially by a government regulation. Although they occur in some rare loanwords, their principal use is in the transcription of foreign names. For technical reasons or convenience, the graphemes sh and zh are often used in quickly or less carefully written texts instead of š and ž. This is a deviation from the phonetic principle, and as such is liable to cause confusion, but the damage is minimal as the transcribed words are foreign in any case. Finnish does not use the sounds z, š or ž, but for the sake of exactitude, they can be included in spelling. (The recommendation cites the Russian play Hovanshtshina as an example.) Many speakers pronounce all of them s, or distinguish only between s and š, because Finnish has no voiced sibilants.
The language may be identified by its distinctive lack of the letters b, c, f, q, w, x, z and å.
Väinö Linna: The Unknown Soldier; these words were also inscribed in the 20 mk note.
(Translation: "The benevolent sun watched them. By no means was it angry at them. Perhaps it even felt a kind of compassion towards them. Jolly good brothers.")
Sample sound of "Hyvää huomenta"
*(Hyvää) huomenta â Good morning
*(Hyvää) päivää â Good afternoon (literally "Good day")
*(Hyvää) iltapäivää â Good afternoon
*(Hyvää) iltaa â Good evening
*(Hyvää) yötä / Ãitä â Good night
*Terve! / Moro! â Hello!
*Hei! / Moi! â Hi!
*Heippa! / Moikka! / Hei hei! / Moi moi! â Bye!
*Nähdään â See you later (literally "will be seen")
*Näkemi(si)in / Hyvästi â Goodbye
*Hauska tutustua! â Nice to meet you
*Kiitos â Thank you
*Kiitos, samoin â Likewise
*Mitä kuuluu? â How are you / How you doing? (Not used among strangers.) (literally "What is heard?")
*Kiitos hyvää â I'm fine, thank you
*Tervetuloa! â Welcome!
Tietosanakirja, 11 volumes, 1909-1922, Finnish encyclopedia.
* kyllä â yes
* joo â yes (informal)
* ei â no
* en â I will not / I do not
* minä, sinä, hän(se) â I, you, he/she(it)
* me, te, he(ne) â we, you (two or more), they
* (minä) olen â I am
* (sinä) olet â you are
* (minä) en ole - I am not
* (sinä) et ole - You are not
* yksi, kaksi, kolme â one, two, three
* neljä, viisi, kuusi â four, five, six
* seitsemän, kahdeksan â seven, eight
* yhdeksän, kymmenen â nine, ten
* yksitoista, kaksitoista, kolmetoista â eleven, twelve, thirteen
* sata, tuhat, miljoona â hundred, thousand, million
* (minä) rakastan sinua â I love you
* anteeksi â forgive me, excuse me, sorry
* voitko auttaa â can you help
* apua! - help!
* voisit(te)ko auttaa â could you help
* missä on ... ? â where is ...?
* olen pahoillani â I'm sorry (apology)
* otan osaa â My condolences
* onnea â good luck
* totta kai/tietysti/toki â of course
* pieni hetki, pikku hetki, hetkinen â one moment please!
* odota â wait
* Suomi â Finland
* suomi/suomen kieli â Finnish language
* suomalainen â (noun) Finn; (adjective) Finnish
* En ymmärrä â I don't understand
* (Minä) ymmärrän â I understand
* ¹Ymmärrät(te)kö suomea? â Do you understand Finnish?
* ¹Puhut(te)ko englantia? â Do you speak English?
* Olen englantilainen / amerikkalainen / kanadalainen / australialainen / uusiseelantilainen / irlantilainen / skotlantilainen / walesilainen / ranskalainen / saksalainen / kiinalainen / japanilainen â I am English / American / Canadian / Australian / New Zealander / Irish / Scottish / Welsh / French / German / Chinese / Japanese
* ¹Olet(te)ko englantilainen? â Are you English?
* Missä (sinä) asut/¹Missä (te) asutte? â Where do you live?
¹ -te is added to make the sentence formal (T-V distinction). Otherwise, without the added "-te", it is informal. It is also added when talking to more than one person. The transition from second-person singular to second-person plural (teitittely) is a politeness pattern, advised by many "good manners guides". Elderly people, especially, expect it from strangers, whereas the younger might feel it to be too formal to the point of coldness. However, a learner of the language should not be excessively concerned about it. Omitting it is never offensive, but one should keep in mind that on formal occasions this custom may make a good impression.
* Finnish alphabet
* Finnish grammar
* Spoken Finnish
* Finland's language strife
* Karelian language
* Estonian language
* Finnish name
* Finnish cultural and academic institutes
* Finnish language on Ethnologue
* The Finnish language --- a list of resources
* Lexicon of Early Indo-European Loanwords Preserved in Finnish
* Proto-Uralic to Finnish (in IPA mostly migrated from X-SAMPA)
* English-Finnish-English Dictionary
* Collection of Finnish bilingual dictionaries
* Finnish Etymological Dictionary by Andras Rajki
* English-Finnish and Russian-Finnish Dictionary
* English-Finnish vocabulary quizzes
* The 2 253 possible forms of the Finnish noun kauppa 'shop'
* Discussion about the Finnish Language
To Do
This section lists the topics which need to be written or expanded (there are headings for all of these):
* This page:
** History: The history of the language, especially its written form and its official status
** Derivative suffixes
** External links
* Grammar page:
** Illative formation
** Noun plurals
** Noun stem types
** Adjectives, including comparison
** Postpositions and prepositions
** 5th infinitive
** Imperfect indicative for typeV and VI verbs
** Present participles, active and passive
** Past participle, passive
** Agent participle
** Passive, 2nd person imperatives
** 3rd person imperatives
** 1st person plural imperatives
** Ordinal numbers
** Names of numbers
* Spoken language page:
**important regional variations
-->
|
Finnish_language | Is Finnish threatened by English? | No | data/set5/a5 | Finnish_language
Finnish ( , or suomen kieli) is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland (92% Tilastokeskus - Väestö ) and by ethnic Finns outside of Finland. It is one of the official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a Finnish dialect, are spoken. The Kven language, a Finnish dialect spoken in Northern Norway, is an official minority language in Norway.
Finnish is the eponymous member of the Finno-Ugric language family and is typologically between fusional and agglutinative languages. It modifies and inflects the forms of nouns, adjectives, pronouns, numerals and verbs, depending on their roles in the sentence.
Finnish is a member of the Baltic-Finnic subgroup of the Finno-Ugric group of languages which in turn is a member of the Uralic family of languages. The Baltic-Finnic subgroup also includes Estonian and other minority languages spoken around the Baltic Sea.
Finnish demonstrates an affiliation with the Uralic languages in several respects including:
*Shared morphology:
:*case suffixes such as genitive -n, partitive -(t)a / -(t)ä ( Virtual Finland: Where do Finns come from?.
According to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, Finnish is classified as a level III language in terms of learning difficulty for native English speakers. Defense Language Institute
Areas in Southern Sweden with a Finnish-speaking population (2005)
Finnish is spoken by about six million people who reside mainly in Finland. There are also notable Finnish-speaking minorities in Sweden, Norway, Russia, Estonia, Canada, and the United States. The majority of the population of Finland, 91.51% , speak Finnish as their first language. The remainder speak Swedish (5.5%), Sami (Northern, Inari, Skolt) and other languages. It has achieved some popularity as a second language in Estonia.
Finnish is one of two official languages of Finland (the other being Swedish, spoken by 5.49% of the population Statistikcentralen - Befolkning ) and an official language of the European Union. It enjoys the status of an official minority language in Sweden. It is also one of the working languages of the Nordic Council. Under the Nordic Language Convention, citizens of the Nordic countries speaking Finnish have the opportunity to use their native language when interacting with official bodies in other Nordic countries without being liable to any interpretation or translation costs. Konvention mellan Sverige, Danmark, Finland, Island och Norge om nordiska medborgares rätt att använda sitt eget språk i annat nordiskt land, Nordic Council website. Retrieved on April 25, 2007. 20th anniversary of the Nordic Language Convention, Nordic news, February 22, 2007. Retrieved on April 25, 2007.
According to recent estimations, Proto-Uralic language arrived in Finland around 1900 BCE, soon to be developed into Proto-Finnic. The Balto-Finnic languages evolved from the Proto-Finnic language after Sámi was separated from it around 1500-1000 BCE. Current research indicates there were three or more Proto-Finnic dialects. The Baltic Finnic languages separated around the 1st century, but continued to influence each other. Therefore, the Eastern Finnish dialects are genetically Eastern Proto-Finnic, with many Eastern features, and the Southwestern Finnish dialects have many genuine Estonian influences.
Finland was annexed to Catholic Sweden in the Middle Ages. Prior to this, Finnish was an oral language. Even after, the language of larger-scale business was Middle Low German, the language of administration Swedish, and religious activities were held in Latin, leaving few possibilities for Finnish-speakers to use their mother tongue in situations other than daily chores.
The first known written example of Finnish comes from this era and was found in a German travel journal dating back to c.1450: Mynna tachton gernast spuho somen gelen Emyna dayda (Modern Finnish: "Minä tahdon kernaasti puhua suomen kieltä, [mutta] en minä taida"; English: "I willingly want to speak Finnish, [but] I cannot"). According to the travel journal, a Finnish bishop, whose name is unknown, was behind the above quotation.
Mikael Agricola, a 19th century drawing by Albert Edelfelt
The first comprehensive writing system for Finnish was created by Mikael Agricola, a Finnish bishop, in the 16th century. He based his orthography on Swedish, German, and Latin. His ultimate plan was to translate the Bible, but first he had to define rules on which the Finnish standard language still relies, particularly with respect to spelling. He also invented single-handedly many words such as armo meaning both "mercy" and "grace" (as in "from grace alone, not out of good works...") and vanhurskas "righteous". More than fifty percent of these words are still in use.
Agricola's written language was based on western dialects of Finnish, and his intention was that each phoneme should correspond to one letter. Yet, Agricola was confronted with many problems in this endeavor and failed to achieve uniformity. This is why he might use different signs for the same phonemes depending on the situation. For example he used dh or d to represent the voiced dental fricative (English th in this) and tz or z to represent the geminate unvoiced dental fricative (the th in thin). Additionally, Agricola might use gh or g to represent the voiced velar fricative and either ch, c or h for /h/. For example he wrote techtin against modern spelling tehtiin.
Later others revised Agricola's work, striving for a more phonemic system. Along the way, Finnish lost some of its phonemes. The sounds and disappeared from the standard language, surviving only in a small rural region in Western Finland. Elsewhere, traces of these phonemes persist as their disappearance gave Finnish dialects their distinct qualities. For example, became ht or tt (e.g. meþþä â mehtä, mettä) in the eastern dialects and in some western dialects. In the standard language, however, the effect of the lost phonemes is thus:
* became
* became
* became but only if the voiced velar fricative appeared originally between high labial vowels, otherwise lost entirely.
Modern Finnish punctuation, along with that of Swedish, uses the colon character (:) to separate the stem of the word and its grammatical ending in some cases (such as after abbreviations), where some other alphabetic writing systems would use an apostrophe. Suffixes are required for correct grammar, so this is often applied, e.g. EU:ssa "in the EU".
Elias Lönnrot as depicted in a 19th century caricature Lönnrot made several journeys to Karelia and Eastern Finland to collect folklore, from which he compiled the Kalevala.
In the 19th century Johan Vilhelm Snellman and others began to stress the need to improve the status of Finnish. Ever since the days of Mikael Agricola written Finnish had been used almost exclusively in religious contexts, but now Snellman's Hegelian nationalistic ideas of Finnish as a full-fledged national language gained considerable support. Concerted efforts were made to improve the status of the language and to modernize it, and by the end of the century Finnish had become a language of administration, journalism, literature, and science in Finland, along with Swedish.
The most important contributions to improving the status of Finnish were made by Elias Lönnrot. His impact on the development of modern vocabulary in Finnish was particularly crucial. In addition to compiling the Kalevala, he acted as an arbitrator in disputes about the development of standard Finnish between the proponents of western and eastern dialects, ensuring that the western dialects Agricola had preferred preserved their preeminent role, while many originally dialectical words from Eastern Finland were introduced to the standard language enriching it considerably. The first novel written in Finnish (and by a Finnish-speaker) was Seven Brothers, published by Aleksis Kivi in 1870.
Map of Finnish dialects
The dialects of Finnish are divided into two distinct groups, the Western dialects and the Eastern dialects. The dialects are almost entirely mutually intelligible and distinguished from each other by only minor changes in vowels, diphthongs and rhythm. For the most part, the dialects operate on the same phonology, grammar and vocabulary. There are only marginal examples of sounds or grammatical constructions specific to some dialect and not found in standard Finnish. Two examples are the voiced dental fricative found in Rauma dialect and the Eastern exessive case.
The classification of closely related dialects spoken outside of Finland is a politically sensitive issue that has been controversial since Finland's independence in 1917. This concerns specifically the Karelian language in Russia and Meänkieli in Sweden, the speakers of which are often considered oppressed minorities. Karelian is different enough from standard Finnish to have its own orthography. Meänkieli is a northern dialect entirely intelligible to speakers of any other Finnish dialect, which achieved its status as an official minority language in Sweden for historical and political reasons regardless of the fact that Finnish is an official minority language in Sweden, too.
The South-West dialects (lounaismurteet) are spoken in Finland Proper and Satakunta. Their typical feature is abbreviation of word-final vowels, and in many respects they resemble Estonian. The Tavastian dialects (hämäläismurteet) are spoken in Tavastia. They are closest to the standard language, but feature some slight vowel changes, such as the opening of diphthong-final vowels (tie â tiä, miekka â miakka, kuolisi â kualis). The Southern Ostrobothnian dialects (eteläpohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Southern Ostrobothnia. Their most notable feature is the pronunciation of 'd' as a tapped or even fully trilled /r/. The Middle and North Ostrobothnia dialects (keski- ja pohjoispohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Central and Northern Ostrobothnia. The Far-Northern dialects (peräpohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Lapland. The dialects spoken in the western parts of Lapland are recognizable by retention of old 'h' sounds in positions where they have disappeared from other dialects.
One of the Far-Northern dialects, Meänkieli, which is spoken on the Swedish side of the border, is taught in some Swedish schools as a distinct standardized language. The speakers of Meänkieli became politically separated from the other Finns when Finland was annexed to Russia in 1809. The categorization of Meänkieli as a separate language is controversial among the Finns, who see no linguistic criteria, only political reasons, for treating Meänkieli differently than other dialects of Finnish.
The Kven language is spoken in Finnmark and Troms, in Norway. Its speakers are descendants of Finnish emigrants to the region in the 18th and 19th centuries. Kven is an official minority language in Norway.
The Eastern dialects consist of the widespread Savonian dialects (savolaismurteet) spoken in Savo and nearby areas, and the South-Eastern dialects spoken now only in Finnish South Karelia. The South-Eastern dialects (kaakkoismurteet) were previously spoken also on the Karelian Isthmus and in Ingria. The Karelian Isthmus was evacuated during World War II and refugees were resettled all over Finland. Most of Ingrian Finns were deported to various parts of Russia and Estonia.
Palatalization, a common feature of Uralic languages, had been lost in Baltic-Finnic languages, but it has been reacquired by most of these languages, including Eastern Finnish, but not Western Finnish. In Finnish orthography, this is denoted with a 'j', e.g. vesj, cf. standard vesi.
The language spoken in the parts of Karelia that have not historically been under Swedish or Finnish rule is usually called the Karelian language, and it is considered to be more distant from standard Finnish than the Eastern dialects. Whether this language of Russian Karelia is a dialect of Finnish or a separate language is a matter of interpretation. However, the term Karelian dialects is often used colloquially to the Finnish South-Eastern dialects.
* Western dialects
**Southern-Western dialects
***Proper Southern-Western dialects
**** Northern dialect group
**** Southern dialect group
***Southern-Western middle dialects
****Pori region dialects
****Ala-Satakunta dialects
****dialects of Turku highlands
****Somero region dialects
****Western Uusimaa dialects
**Tavastian dialects
***Ylä-Satakunta dialects
***Heart Tavastian dialects
***Southern Tavastian dialects
***Southern-Eastern Tavastian dialects
****Hollola dialect group
****Porvoo dialect group
****Iitti dialect group
**Southern Botnian dialects
**Middle and Northern Botnian dialects
***Middle Botnian dialects
***Northern Botnian dialects
**Peräpohjola dialects
***Tornio dialects ("Meänkieli" in Sweden)
***Kemi dialects
***Kemijärvi dialects
***Jällivaara dialects ("Meänkieli" in Sweden)
***Ruija dialects ("Kven language" in Northern Norway)
*Eastern dialects
**Savonian dialects
***Northern Savonian dialects
***Southern Savonian dialects
***Middle dialects of Savonlinna region
***Eastern Savonian dialects or the dialects of North Karelia
***Kainuu dialects
***Central Finland dialects
***Päijänne Tavastia dialects
***Keuruu-Evijärvi dialects
***Savonian dialects of Värmland (Sweden)
**Southern-Eastern dialects
***Proper Southern-Eastern dialects
***Middle dialects of Lemi region
***Middle dialects of Sortavala region (now in Russia)
***Dialects of Ingria (in Russia) /ref>
There are two main varieties of Finnish used throughout the country. One is the "standard language" (yleiskieli), and the other is the "spoken language" (puhekieli). The standard language is used in formal situations like political speeches and newscasts. Its written form, the "book language" (kirjakieli), is used in nearly all written texts, not always excluding even the dialogue of common people in popular prose. The spoken language, on the other hand, is the main variety of Finnish used in popular TV and radio shows and at workplaces, and may be preferred to a dialect in personal communication.
Standard Finnish is prescribed by the Language Office of the Research Institute for the Languages of Finland and is the language used in official communication. The Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish (Nykysuomen sanakirja 1951â61), with 201,000 entries, was a prescriptive dictionary that defined official language. An additional volume for words of foreign origin (Nykysuomen sivistyssanakirja, 30,000 entries) was published in 1991. An updated dictionary, the Language Office Dictionary (Kielitoimiston sanakirja) was published in an electronic form in 2004 and in print in 2006. A descriptive grammar (Iso suomen kielioppi, Hakulinen, Auli et al. (2004): Iso suomen kielioppi. SKS:n toimituksia 950. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura. ISBN 951-746-557-2. 1,600 pages 1,600 pages) was published in 2004. There is also an etymological dictionary, Suomen sanojen alkuperä, published in 1992â2000, and a handbook of contemporary language (Nykysuomen käsikirja), and a periodic publication, Kielikello. Standard Finnish is used in official texts and is the form of language taught in schools. Its spoken form is used in political speech, newscasts, in courts, and in other formal situations. Nearly all publishing and printed works are in standard Finnish.
The spoken language has mostly developed naturally from earlier forms of Finnish, and spread from main cultural and political centres. The standard language, however, has always been a consciously constructed medium for literature. It preserves grammatical patterns that have mostly vanished from the colloquial varieties and, as its main application is writing, it features complex syntactic patterns that are not easy to handle when used in speech. The spoken language develops significantly faster, and the grammatical and phonological simplifications include also the most common pronouns and suffixes, which sum up to frequent but modest differences. Some sound changes have been left out of the formal language, such as the irregularization of some common verbs by assimilation, e.g. tule- â tuu- (although tule can be used in spoken language as well).
Written language certainly still exerts a considerable influence upon the spoken word, due to the fact that illiteracy is nonexistent and many Finns are avid readers. In fact, it is still not entirely uncommon to meet people who "talk like a book" (puhuvat kirjakieltä), although this is seen as pedantic. More common is the intrusion of typically book-like constructions into a colloquial discourse, as a kind of quote from written Finnish. It should also be noted that it is quite common to hear book-like and polished speech on radio or TV, and the constant exposure to such language tends to lead to the adoption of such constructions even in everyday language.
A prominent example of the effect of the standard language is the development of the consonant gradation form /ts : ts/ as in metsä : metsän, as this pattern was originally (1940) found natively only in the dialects of southern Karelian isthmus and Ingria. In fact, it has arisen from the spelling 'ts' for the dental fricative [θË], which has disappeared. In spoken language, a fusion of Western /tt : tt/ (mettä : mettän) and Eastern /ht : t/ (mehtä : metän) has been created: /tt : t/ (mettä : metän). Yleiskielen ts:n murrevastineet It is notable that neither of these are forms are identifiable as or originate from a specific dialect.
The orthography of the informal language follows that of the formal language. However, sometimes sandhi may be transcribed, especially the internal ones, e.g. menenpä â menempä. This never takes place in formal language.
:
Note that there are noticeable differences between dialects. These examples are mostly from the language as spoken in the capital area (Helsinki dialect or even Stadin slangi). Also note that here the formal language does not mean a language spoken in formal occasions but the standard language which exist practically only in written form.
Characteristic features of Finnish (common to other Finno-Ugric languages) are vowel harmony and an agglutinative morphology; due to the extensive use of the latter, words can be quite long.
The main stress is always on the first syllable, and it is articulated by adding approximately 100 ms more length to the stressed vowel. Stress does not cause any measurable modifications in vowel quality (very much unlike English). However, stress is not strong and words appear evenly stressed. In some cases, stress is so weak that the highest points of volume, pitch and other indicators of "articulation intensity" are not on the first syllable, although native speakers recognize the first syllable as a stressed syllable.
There are eight vowels, whose lexical and grammatical role is highly important, and which are unusually strictly controlled, so that there is almost no allophony. Vowels shown in the table below, followed by the IPA symbol when not identical. These are always different phonemes in the initial syllable; for noninitial syllable, see morphophonology below.
: 1 Although conventionally and conveniently written with the close-mid symbols , and , they are more accurately described as mid vowels ( , and ).
The usual analysis is that Finnish has long and short vowels and consonants as distinct phonemes. However, long vowels may be analyzed as a vowel followed by a chroneme, or also, that sequences of identical vowels are pronounced as "diphthongs". The quality of long vowels mostly overlaps with the quality of short vowels, with the exception of u, which is centralized with respect to uu; long vowels do not morph into diphthongs. There are eighteen phonemic diphthongs; like vowels, diphthongs do not have significant allophony.
Finnish has a consonant inventory of small to moderate size, where voicing is mostly not distinctive, and fricatives are scarce. Finnish has relatively few non-coronal consonants. Consonants are as follows, where consonants in parenthesis are found only in a few recent loans.
# is the equivalent of under weakening consonant gradation, and thus occurs only medially, or in non-native words; it is actually more of an alveolar tap rather than a true voiced stop, and the dialectal realization varies wildly; see main article.
# The glottal stop can only appear at word boundaries as a result of certain sandhi phenomena, and it is not indicated in spelling: e.g. 'let it be', orthographically anna olla. Moreover, this sound is not used in all dialects.
# The short velar nasal is an allophone of in , and the long velar nasal , written ng, is the equivalent of under weakening consonant gradation (type of lenition) and thus occurs only medially.
Almost all consonants have phonemic geminated forms. These are independent, but occur only medially when phonemic.
Independent consonant clusters are not allowed in native words, except for a small set of two-consonant syllable codas, e.g. 'rs' in karsta. However, due to a number of recently adopted loanwords using them, e.g. strutsi "ostrich", Finnish speakers can pronounce them, even if it is somewhat awkward.
As a Finno-Ugric language, it is somewhat special in two respects: loss of fricatives and loss of palatalization.
An interesting feature of Finnic phonology is the development of labial vowels in non-initial syllables. Proto-Uralic had only 'a' and 'i' and their vowel harmonic allophones in non-initial syllables; modern Finnish allows other vowels in non-initial syllables (they are uncommon, however, compared to 'a', 'ä' and 'i').
Palatalization is characteristic of Finno-Ugric languages, but Finnish has lost it. However, the Eastern dialects and the Karelian language have redeveloped a system of palatalization. For example, the Karelian word d'uuri , with a palatalized , is reflected by juuri in Finnish and Savo dialect vesj is vesi in standard Finnish.
Finnish has only two fricatives, namely and . All other fricatives are recognized as foreign, of which Finnish speakers can usually reliably distinguish and .
Finnish has several morphophonological processes between grammar ("logic") and phonology ("sounds") that require modification of the forms of words for daily speech. The most important processes are vowel harmony and consonant gradation.
Vowel harmony is a redundancy feature, which means that the feature [±back] is uniform within a word, and so it is necessary to interpret it only once for a given word. It is meaning-distinguishing in the initial syllable, and suffixes follow; so, if the listener hears [±back] in any part of the word, they can derive [±back] for the initial syllable. For example, tuote ("product") agglutinates to tuotteeseensa ("into his product"), where the final vowel becomes the back vowel 'a' (rather than the front vowel 'ä') because the initial syllable contains the back vowels 'uo'. This is especially notable because vowels 'a' and 'ä' are different, meaning-distinguishing phonemes, not interchangeable or allophonic. Finnish front vowels are not umlauts.
Consonant gradation is a lenition process for P, T and K, with the oblique stem "weakened" from the nominative stem, or vice versa. For example, tarkka "precise" has the oblique root tarka-, as in tarkan "of the precise". There is also another gradation pattern, which is older, and causes simple elision of T and K. However, it is very common since it is found in the partitive case marker: if V is a single vowel, V+ta â Va, e.g. *vanha+ta â vanhaa. Another instance is the imperative, which changes into a glottal stop in the singular but is shown as an overt 'ka' in plural, e.g. mene vs. menkää.
The morphosyntactic alignment is nominative-accusative; but there are two object cases: accusative and partitive. The contrast between the two is telic, where the accusative case denotes actions completed as intended (Ammuin hirven "I shot (killed) the elk"), and the partitive case denotes incomplete actions (Ammuin hirveä "I shot (at) the elk"). Often this is confused with perfectivity, but the only element of perfectivity that exists in Finnish is that there are some perfective verbs. Transitivity is distinguished by different verbs for transitive and intransitive, e.g. ratkaista "to solve something" vs. ratketa "to solve by itself". There are several frequentative and momentane verb categories.
Verbs gain personal suffixes for each person; these suffixes are grammatically more important than pronouns, which are often not used at all in standard Finnish. The infinitive is not the uninflected form but has a suffix -ta or -da; the closest one to an uninflected form is the third person singular indicative. There are four persons, first ("I, we"), second ("you (singular), you (plural)"), third ("s/he, they"). Also, the passive voice (sometimes called impersonal or indefinite) resembles a "fourth person" similar to e.g. English "people say/do/â¦". There are four tenses, namely present, past, perfect and pluperfect; the system mirrors the Germanic system. The future tense is not needed due to context and the telic contrast. For example, luen kirjan "I read a book (completely)" indicates a future, when luen kirjaa "I read a book (not yet complete)" indicates present.
Nouns may be suffixed with the markers for the aforementioned accusative case and partitive case, the genitive case, eight different locatives, and a few other cases. The case marker must be added not only to the main noun, but also to its modifiers; e.g. suure+ssa talo+ssa, literally "big-in house-in". Possession is marked with a possessive suffix; separate possessive pronouns are unknown. Pronouns gain suffixes just as nouns do.
Suomalaisen Sana-Lugun Coetus (1745) by Daniel Juslenius was the first comprehensive dictionary of the Finnish language with 16,000 entries.
:See the lists of Finnish words and words of Finnish origin at Wiktionary, the free dictionary and Wikipedia's sibling project.
Finnish extensively employs regular agglutination. It has a smaller core vocabulary than, for example, English, and uses derivative suffixes to a greater extent. As an example, take the word kirja "a book", from which one can form derivatives kirjain "a letter" (of the alphabet), kirje "a piece of correspondence, a letter", kirjasto "a library", kirjailija "an author", kirjallisuus "literature", kirjoittaa "to write", kirjoittaja "a writer", kirjuri "a scribe, a clerk", kirjallinen "something in written form", kirjata "to write down, register, record", kirjasin "a font", and others.
Here are some of the more common such suffixes. Which of each pair is used depends on the word being suffixed in accordance with the rules of vowel harmony.
*-ja/jä : agent (one who does) (e.g. lukea "to read" â lukija "reader")
*-lainen/läinen: inhabitant of (either noun or adjective). Englanti "England" â englantilainen "English person or thing"; Venäjä â venäläinen "Russian person or thing".
*-sto/stö: collection of. For example: kirja "a book" â kirjasto "a library"; laiva "a ship" â laivasto "navy, fleet".
*-in: instrument or tool. For example: kirjata "to book, to file" â kirjain "a letter" (of the alphabet); vatkata "to whisk" â vatkain "a whisk, mixer".
*-uri/yri: an agent or instrument (kaivaa "to dig" â kaivuri "a digging machine"; laiva "a ship" â laivuri "shipper, shipmaster").
*-os/ös: result of some action (tulla "to come" â tulos "result, outcome"; tehdä "to do" â teos "a piece of work").
*-ton/tön: lack of something, "un-", "-less" (onni "happiness" â onneton "unhappy"; koti "home" â koditon "homeless").
*-llinen: having (the quality of) something (lapsi "a child" â lapsellinen "childish"; kauppa "a shop, commerce" â kaupallinen "commercial").
*-kas/käs: similar to -llinen (itse "self" â itsekäs "selfish"; neuvo "advice" â neuvokas "resourceful").
*-va/vä: doing or having something (taitaa "to be able" â taitava "skillful"; johtaa "to lead" â johtava "leading").
*-la/lä: a place related to the main word (kana "a hen" â kanala "a henhouse"; pappi "a priest" â pappila "a parsonage").
Verbal suffixes are extremely diverse; several frequentatives and momentanes differentiating causative, volitional-unpredictable and anticausative are found, often combined with each other, often denoting indirection. For example, hypätä "to jump", hyppiä "to be jumping", hypeksiä "to be jumping wantonly", hypäyttää "to make someone jump once", hyppyyttää "to make someone jump repeatedly" (or "to boss someone around"), hyppyytyttää "to make someone to cause a third person to jump repeatedly", hyppyytellä "to, without aim, make someone jump repeatedly", hypähtää "to jump suddenly" (in anticausative meaning), hypellä "to jump around repeatedly", hypiskellä "to be jumping repeatedly and wantonly", hyppimättä "without jumping", hyppelemättä "without jumping around". Often the diversity and compactness of this agglutination is illustrated with istahtaisinkohan "I wonder if I should sit down for a while" (from istua, "to sit, to be seated"):
*istua "to sit down"
*istun "I sit down" / istahtaa "to sit down for a while"
*istahdan "I sit down for a while"
*istahtaisin "I should sit down for a while"
*istahtaisinko "should I sit down for a while?"
*istahtaisinkohan "I wonder if I should sit down for a while"
Over the course of many centuries, the Finnish language has borrowed a great many words from a wide variety of languages, most from neighboring Indo-European languages. Indeed, some estimates put the core Proto-Uralic vocabulary surviving in Finnish at only around 300 word roots. Due to the different grammatical, phonological and phonotactic structure of the Finnish language, loanwords from Indo-European have been assimilated.
In general, the first loan words into Finno-Ugric languages seem to come from very early Indo-European languages, and later mainly from Iranian, Turkic, Baltic, Germanic, and Slavic languages. Furthermore, a certain group of very basic and neutral words exists in Finnish and other Finnic languages that are absent from other Finno-Ugric languages, but without a recognizable etymology from any known language. These words are usually regarded as the last remnant of the Nordic language spoken in Fennoscandia before the arrival of the proto-Finnic language. Words included in this group are e.g. jänis (hare), musta (black), mäki (hill), saari (island), suo (swamp) and niemi (cape). Also some place names, like Päijänne and Imatra, are probably before the proto-Finnic era. Häkkinen, Kaisa. Suomalaisten esihistoria kielitieteen valossa (ISBN 951-717-855-7). Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura 1996. See pages 166 and 173.
Often quoted loan examples are kuningas "king" and ruhtinas "prince, high ranking nobleman" from Germanic *kuningaz and *druhtinaz, but another example is äiti "mother", from Gothic aiþei, which is interesting because borrowing of close-kinship vocabulary is a rare phenomenon. The original Finnish emo occurs only in restricted contexts. There are other close-kinship words that are loaned from Baltic and Germanic languages (morsian "bride", armas "dear"). Examples of the ancient Iranian loans are vasara "hammer" from Avestan vadžra, vajra and orja "slave" from arya, airya "man" (the latter probably via similar circumstances as slave from Slav in many European languages).
More recently, Swedish has been a prolific source of borrowings, and also, the Swedish language acted as a proxy for European words, especially those relating to government. Present-day Finland belonged to the kingdom of Sweden from the 12th century and was ceded to Russia in 1809, becoming an autonomous Grand Duchy. Swedish was retained as the official language and language of the upper class even after this. When Finnish was accepted as an official language, it gained only legal "equal status" with Swedish, which persists even today. It is still the case today, though only about 5.5% of Finnish nationals, the Swedish-speaking Finns, have Swedish as their mother tongue. During the period of autonomy, Russian did not gain much ground as a language of the people or the government. Nevertheless, quite a few words were subsequently acquired from Russian (especially in older Helsinki slang) but not to the same extent as with Swedish. In all these cases, borrowing has been partly a result of geographical proximity.
Especially words dealing with administrative or modern culture came to Finnish from Swedish, sometimes reflecting the oldest Swedish form of the word (lag - laki, 'law'; län - lääni, 'province'; bisp - piispa, 'bishop'; jordpäron - peruna, 'potato'), and many more survive as informal synonyms in spoken or dialectal Finnish (e.g. likka, from Swedish flicka, 'girl', usually tyttö in Finnish).
Typical Russian loanwords are old or very old, thus hard to recognize as such, and concern everyday concepts, e.g. papu "bean", sini "(n.) blue" and pappi "priest". Notably, a few religious words such as Raamattu ("Bible") are borrowed from Russian, which indicates language contact preceding the Swedish era. This is mainly believed to be result of trade with Novgorod from the 9th century on and the Orthodox converting in the 13th century.
Most recently, and with increasing impact, English has been the source of new loanwords in Finnish. Unlike previous "geographical" borrowing, the influence of English is largely "cultural" and reaches Finland by many routes including: international business; music; film and TV (foreign films and programmes, excluding ones intended for a very young audience, are shown subtitled); literature; and, of course, the Web this is now probably the most important source of all non-face-to-face exposure to English.
The importance of English as the language of global commerce has led many non-English companies, including Finland's Nokia, to adopt English as their official operating language. Recently, it has been observed that English borrowings are also ousting previous borrowings, for example the switch from treffailla "to date" (from Swedish, träffa) to deittailla from English "to go for a date". Calques from English are also found, e.g. kovalevy (hard disk). Grammatical calques are also found, for example, the replacement of the impersonal (passiivi) with the English-style generic you, e. g. sä et voi "you cannot", instead of ei voi "one cannot".
However, this does not mean that Finnish is threatened by English. Borrowing is normal language evolution, and neologisms are coined actively not only by the government, but also by the media. Moreover, Finnish and English have a considerably different grammar, phonology and phonotactics, discouraging direct borrowing. English loan words in Finnish slang include for example pleikkari "PlayStation", hodari "hot dog", and hedari "headache", "headshot" or "headbutt". Often these loanwords are distinctly identified as slang or jargon, rarely being used in a negative mood or in formal language. Since English and Finnish grammar, pronunciation and phonetics differ considerably, most loan words are inevitably sooner or later calqued â translated into native Finnish â retaining the semantic meaning.
Some modern terms have been synthesised rather than borrowed, for example:
:puhelin "telephone" (literally: "chatter" + instrument suffix "-in" to make "an instrument for chattering")
:tietokone "computer" (literally: "knowledge machine")
:levyke "diskette" (from levy "disc" + a diminutive -ke)
:sähköposti "email" (literally: "electrical mail")
:linja-auto "bus" (literally: route-car)
Neologisms are actively generated by the Language Planning Office and the media. They are widely adopted. One would actually give an old-fashioned or rustic impression using forms such as telefooni or kompuutteri when the neologism is widely adopted.
The first page of Abckiria (1543), the first book written in the Finnish language. The spelling of Finnish in the book had many inconsistencies: for example, the k sound could be represented by c, k or even g; the long u and the long i were represented by w and ij respectively, and ä was represented by e.
Finnish is written with the Swedish variant of the Latin alphabet that includes the distinct characters à and Ã, and also several characters not used in Finnish (including for example C, Q, Ã
). The Finnish orthography built upon the phoneme principle: each phoneme (meaningful sound) of the language is represented by exactly one grapheme (independent letter), and each grapheme represents almost exactly one phoneme. This makes the language easy for its speakers to spell, and facilitates learning to read and write. The rule of thumb for Finnish orthography is: write as you read, read as you write. However, morphemes retain their spelling despite sandhi.
Some orthographical notes:
*Long vowels and consonants are represented by double occurrences of the relevant graphemes. This causes no confusion, and permits these sounds to be written without having to nearly double the size of the alphabet to accommodate separate graphemes for long sounds.
*The grapheme h occurring before a consonant sounds slightly harder (initially breathy voiced, then voiceless) than when occurring before a vowel.
*Sandhi is not transcribed; the spelling of morphemes is immutable, e.g. tulen+pa .
*Some consonants (v, j, d) and all consonants occurring in (always medial) clusters do not have distinctive length, and consequently, their allophonic variation is not indicated in spelling, e.g. rajaan /rajaan/ (I limit) vs. raijaan /raijjaan/ (I haul).
*Pre-1900s texts and personal names use w for v. Both correspond to the same phoneme, the labiodental approximant , a v without the fricative ("hissing") quality of the English v.
*The letters ä [æ] and ö [ø], although written as umlauted a and o, do not represent phonological umlauts, and they are considered independent graphemes; the letter shapes have been copied from Swedish. An appropriate parallel from the Latin alphabet are the characters C and G (uppercase), which historically have a closer kinship than many other characters (G is a derivation of C) but are considered distinct letters, and changing one for the other will change meanings.
Although Finnish is almost completely written as it is spoken, there are a few differences:
* The n in nk is a velar nasal, as in English. As an exception to the phonetic principle, there is no g in ng, which is a long velar nasal as in English singalong.
* The gemination between words is not marked in writing.
* The double consonant in clitic is marked as a single consonant.
* Only comparative and superlative adjectives the letter m is used like in speech in word like parempi, but in other similar cases the letter n is used, like in onpa
* The /j/ after the letter i is very weak or there is no /j/ at all, but in writing it is used, example: urheilija. Indeed the j is not used in writing words with consonant gradation (like aion and some other (like läksiäiset))
* In speech there is no difference between the use of /i/ in words (like ajoittaa, but ehdottaa, but in writing there are quite simple rules: The i is written in words that consist two syllables and end in a or ä (sanoittaa), and in words that are old-stylish (innoittaa). The i is not written in words that consist two syllables and end in o or ö like (erottaa), words which do not have clear proto-word (hajottaa), and in words that are descriptive (häämöttää) or workaday by their style (rehottaa)
Graphemes ä and ö are sometimes converted in two ways, a and o, respectively and, ae and oe respectively. Finnish graphemes ä and ö are not umlauts like in German; conversion to ae and oe in Finnish language is less correct than in German language. Conversion to a and o is more common and almost universally used in email-addresses. Conversion ae and oe is rare but formally used in passports and equivalent situations. both conversion rules have minimal pairs.
The sounds š and ž are not a part of Finnish language itself and have been introduced somewhat artificially by a government regulation. Although they occur in some rare loanwords, their principal use is in the transcription of foreign names. For technical reasons or convenience, the graphemes sh and zh are often used in quickly or less carefully written texts instead of š and ž. This is a deviation from the phonetic principle, and as such is liable to cause confusion, but the damage is minimal as the transcribed words are foreign in any case. Finnish does not use the sounds z, š or ž, but for the sake of exactitude, they can be included in spelling. (The recommendation cites the Russian play Hovanshtshina as an example.) Many speakers pronounce all of them s, or distinguish only between s and š, because Finnish has no voiced sibilants.
The language may be identified by its distinctive lack of the letters b, c, f, q, w, x, z and å.
Väinö Linna: The Unknown Soldier; these words were also inscribed in the 20 mk note.
(Translation: "The benevolent sun watched them. By no means was it angry at them. Perhaps it even felt a kind of compassion towards them. Jolly good brothers.")
Sample sound of "Hyvää huomenta"
*(Hyvää) huomenta â Good morning
*(Hyvää) päivää â Good afternoon (literally "Good day")
*(Hyvää) iltapäivää â Good afternoon
*(Hyvää) iltaa â Good evening
*(Hyvää) yötä / Ãitä â Good night
*Terve! / Moro! â Hello!
*Hei! / Moi! â Hi!
*Heippa! / Moikka! / Hei hei! / Moi moi! â Bye!
*Nähdään â See you later (literally "will be seen")
*Näkemi(si)in / Hyvästi â Goodbye
*Hauska tutustua! â Nice to meet you
*Kiitos â Thank you
*Kiitos, samoin â Likewise
*Mitä kuuluu? â How are you / How you doing? (Not used among strangers.) (literally "What is heard?")
*Kiitos hyvää â I'm fine, thank you
*Tervetuloa! â Welcome!
Tietosanakirja, 11 volumes, 1909-1922, Finnish encyclopedia.
* kyllä â yes
* joo â yes (informal)
* ei â no
* en â I will not / I do not
* minä, sinä, hän(se) â I, you, he/she(it)
* me, te, he(ne) â we, you (two or more), they
* (minä) olen â I am
* (sinä) olet â you are
* (minä) en ole - I am not
* (sinä) et ole - You are not
* yksi, kaksi, kolme â one, two, three
* neljä, viisi, kuusi â four, five, six
* seitsemän, kahdeksan â seven, eight
* yhdeksän, kymmenen â nine, ten
* yksitoista, kaksitoista, kolmetoista â eleven, twelve, thirteen
* sata, tuhat, miljoona â hundred, thousand, million
* (minä) rakastan sinua â I love you
* anteeksi â forgive me, excuse me, sorry
* voitko auttaa â can you help
* apua! - help!
* voisit(te)ko auttaa â could you help
* missä on ... ? â where is ...?
* olen pahoillani â I'm sorry (apology)
* otan osaa â My condolences
* onnea â good luck
* totta kai/tietysti/toki â of course
* pieni hetki, pikku hetki, hetkinen â one moment please!
* odota â wait
* Suomi â Finland
* suomi/suomen kieli â Finnish language
* suomalainen â (noun) Finn; (adjective) Finnish
* En ymmärrä â I don't understand
* (Minä) ymmärrän â I understand
* ¹Ymmärrät(te)kö suomea? â Do you understand Finnish?
* ¹Puhut(te)ko englantia? â Do you speak English?
* Olen englantilainen / amerikkalainen / kanadalainen / australialainen / uusiseelantilainen / irlantilainen / skotlantilainen / walesilainen / ranskalainen / saksalainen / kiinalainen / japanilainen â I am English / American / Canadian / Australian / New Zealander / Irish / Scottish / Welsh / French / German / Chinese / Japanese
* ¹Olet(te)ko englantilainen? â Are you English?
* Missä (sinä) asut/¹Missä (te) asutte? â Where do you live?
¹ -te is added to make the sentence formal (T-V distinction). Otherwise, without the added "-te", it is informal. It is also added when talking to more than one person. The transition from second-person singular to second-person plural (teitittely) is a politeness pattern, advised by many "good manners guides". Elderly people, especially, expect it from strangers, whereas the younger might feel it to be too formal to the point of coldness. However, a learner of the language should not be excessively concerned about it. Omitting it is never offensive, but one should keep in mind that on formal occasions this custom may make a good impression.
* Finnish alphabet
* Finnish grammar
* Spoken Finnish
* Finland's language strife
* Karelian language
* Estonian language
* Finnish name
* Finnish cultural and academic institutes
* Finnish language on Ethnologue
* The Finnish language --- a list of resources
* Lexicon of Early Indo-European Loanwords Preserved in Finnish
* Proto-Uralic to Finnish (in IPA mostly migrated from X-SAMPA)
* English-Finnish-English Dictionary
* Collection of Finnish bilingual dictionaries
* Finnish Etymological Dictionary by Andras Rajki
* English-Finnish and Russian-Finnish Dictionary
* English-Finnish vocabulary quizzes
* The 2 253 possible forms of the Finnish noun kauppa 'shop'
* Discussion about the Finnish Language
To Do
This section lists the topics which need to be written or expanded (there are headings for all of these):
* This page:
** History: The history of the language, especially its written form and its official status
** Derivative suffixes
** External links
* Grammar page:
** Illative formation
** Noun plurals
** Noun stem types
** Adjectives, including comparison
** Postpositions and prepositions
** 5th infinitive
** Imperfect indicative for typeV and VI verbs
** Present participles, active and passive
** Past participle, passive
** Agent participle
** Passive, 2nd person imperatives
** 3rd person imperatives
** 1st person plural imperatives
** Ordinal numbers
** Names of numbers
* Spoken language page:
**important regional variations
-->
|
Finnish_language | Is Finnish threatened by English? | No, Finnish is not threatened by English. | data/set5/a5 | Finnish_language
Finnish ( , or suomen kieli) is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland (92% Tilastokeskus - Väestö ) and by ethnic Finns outside of Finland. It is one of the official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a Finnish dialect, are spoken. The Kven language, a Finnish dialect spoken in Northern Norway, is an official minority language in Norway.
Finnish is the eponymous member of the Finno-Ugric language family and is typologically between fusional and agglutinative languages. It modifies and inflects the forms of nouns, adjectives, pronouns, numerals and verbs, depending on their roles in the sentence.
Finnish is a member of the Baltic-Finnic subgroup of the Finno-Ugric group of languages which in turn is a member of the Uralic family of languages. The Baltic-Finnic subgroup also includes Estonian and other minority languages spoken around the Baltic Sea.
Finnish demonstrates an affiliation with the Uralic languages in several respects including:
*Shared morphology:
:*case suffixes such as genitive -n, partitive -(t)a / -(t)ä ( Virtual Finland: Where do Finns come from?.
According to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, Finnish is classified as a level III language in terms of learning difficulty for native English speakers. Defense Language Institute
Areas in Southern Sweden with a Finnish-speaking population (2005)
Finnish is spoken by about six million people who reside mainly in Finland. There are also notable Finnish-speaking minorities in Sweden, Norway, Russia, Estonia, Canada, and the United States. The majority of the population of Finland, 91.51% , speak Finnish as their first language. The remainder speak Swedish (5.5%), Sami (Northern, Inari, Skolt) and other languages. It has achieved some popularity as a second language in Estonia.
Finnish is one of two official languages of Finland (the other being Swedish, spoken by 5.49% of the population Statistikcentralen - Befolkning ) and an official language of the European Union. It enjoys the status of an official minority language in Sweden. It is also one of the working languages of the Nordic Council. Under the Nordic Language Convention, citizens of the Nordic countries speaking Finnish have the opportunity to use their native language when interacting with official bodies in other Nordic countries without being liable to any interpretation or translation costs. Konvention mellan Sverige, Danmark, Finland, Island och Norge om nordiska medborgares rätt att använda sitt eget språk i annat nordiskt land, Nordic Council website. Retrieved on April 25, 2007. 20th anniversary of the Nordic Language Convention, Nordic news, February 22, 2007. Retrieved on April 25, 2007.
According to recent estimations, Proto-Uralic language arrived in Finland around 1900 BCE, soon to be developed into Proto-Finnic. The Balto-Finnic languages evolved from the Proto-Finnic language after Sámi was separated from it around 1500-1000 BCE. Current research indicates there were three or more Proto-Finnic dialects. The Baltic Finnic languages separated around the 1st century, but continued to influence each other. Therefore, the Eastern Finnish dialects are genetically Eastern Proto-Finnic, with many Eastern features, and the Southwestern Finnish dialects have many genuine Estonian influences.
Finland was annexed to Catholic Sweden in the Middle Ages. Prior to this, Finnish was an oral language. Even after, the language of larger-scale business was Middle Low German, the language of administration Swedish, and religious activities were held in Latin, leaving few possibilities for Finnish-speakers to use their mother tongue in situations other than daily chores.
The first known written example of Finnish comes from this era and was found in a German travel journal dating back to c.1450: Mynna tachton gernast spuho somen gelen Emyna dayda (Modern Finnish: "Minä tahdon kernaasti puhua suomen kieltä, [mutta] en minä taida"; English: "I willingly want to speak Finnish, [but] I cannot"). According to the travel journal, a Finnish bishop, whose name is unknown, was behind the above quotation.
Mikael Agricola, a 19th century drawing by Albert Edelfelt
The first comprehensive writing system for Finnish was created by Mikael Agricola, a Finnish bishop, in the 16th century. He based his orthography on Swedish, German, and Latin. His ultimate plan was to translate the Bible, but first he had to define rules on which the Finnish standard language still relies, particularly with respect to spelling. He also invented single-handedly many words such as armo meaning both "mercy" and "grace" (as in "from grace alone, not out of good works...") and vanhurskas "righteous". More than fifty percent of these words are still in use.
Agricola's written language was based on western dialects of Finnish, and his intention was that each phoneme should correspond to one letter. Yet, Agricola was confronted with many problems in this endeavor and failed to achieve uniformity. This is why he might use different signs for the same phonemes depending on the situation. For example he used dh or d to represent the voiced dental fricative (English th in this) and tz or z to represent the geminate unvoiced dental fricative (the th in thin). Additionally, Agricola might use gh or g to represent the voiced velar fricative and either ch, c or h for /h/. For example he wrote techtin against modern spelling tehtiin.
Later others revised Agricola's work, striving for a more phonemic system. Along the way, Finnish lost some of its phonemes. The sounds and disappeared from the standard language, surviving only in a small rural region in Western Finland. Elsewhere, traces of these phonemes persist as their disappearance gave Finnish dialects their distinct qualities. For example, became ht or tt (e.g. meþþä â mehtä, mettä) in the eastern dialects and in some western dialects. In the standard language, however, the effect of the lost phonemes is thus:
* became
* became
* became but only if the voiced velar fricative appeared originally between high labial vowels, otherwise lost entirely.
Modern Finnish punctuation, along with that of Swedish, uses the colon character (:) to separate the stem of the word and its grammatical ending in some cases (such as after abbreviations), where some other alphabetic writing systems would use an apostrophe. Suffixes are required for correct grammar, so this is often applied, e.g. EU:ssa "in the EU".
Elias Lönnrot as depicted in a 19th century caricature Lönnrot made several journeys to Karelia and Eastern Finland to collect folklore, from which he compiled the Kalevala.
In the 19th century Johan Vilhelm Snellman and others began to stress the need to improve the status of Finnish. Ever since the days of Mikael Agricola written Finnish had been used almost exclusively in religious contexts, but now Snellman's Hegelian nationalistic ideas of Finnish as a full-fledged national language gained considerable support. Concerted efforts were made to improve the status of the language and to modernize it, and by the end of the century Finnish had become a language of administration, journalism, literature, and science in Finland, along with Swedish.
The most important contributions to improving the status of Finnish were made by Elias Lönnrot. His impact on the development of modern vocabulary in Finnish was particularly crucial. In addition to compiling the Kalevala, he acted as an arbitrator in disputes about the development of standard Finnish between the proponents of western and eastern dialects, ensuring that the western dialects Agricola had preferred preserved their preeminent role, while many originally dialectical words from Eastern Finland were introduced to the standard language enriching it considerably. The first novel written in Finnish (and by a Finnish-speaker) was Seven Brothers, published by Aleksis Kivi in 1870.
Map of Finnish dialects
The dialects of Finnish are divided into two distinct groups, the Western dialects and the Eastern dialects. The dialects are almost entirely mutually intelligible and distinguished from each other by only minor changes in vowels, diphthongs and rhythm. For the most part, the dialects operate on the same phonology, grammar and vocabulary. There are only marginal examples of sounds or grammatical constructions specific to some dialect and not found in standard Finnish. Two examples are the voiced dental fricative found in Rauma dialect and the Eastern exessive case.
The classification of closely related dialects spoken outside of Finland is a politically sensitive issue that has been controversial since Finland's independence in 1917. This concerns specifically the Karelian language in Russia and Meänkieli in Sweden, the speakers of which are often considered oppressed minorities. Karelian is different enough from standard Finnish to have its own orthography. Meänkieli is a northern dialect entirely intelligible to speakers of any other Finnish dialect, which achieved its status as an official minority language in Sweden for historical and political reasons regardless of the fact that Finnish is an official minority language in Sweden, too.
The South-West dialects (lounaismurteet) are spoken in Finland Proper and Satakunta. Their typical feature is abbreviation of word-final vowels, and in many respects they resemble Estonian. The Tavastian dialects (hämäläismurteet) are spoken in Tavastia. They are closest to the standard language, but feature some slight vowel changes, such as the opening of diphthong-final vowels (tie â tiä, miekka â miakka, kuolisi â kualis). The Southern Ostrobothnian dialects (eteläpohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Southern Ostrobothnia. Their most notable feature is the pronunciation of 'd' as a tapped or even fully trilled /r/. The Middle and North Ostrobothnia dialects (keski- ja pohjoispohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Central and Northern Ostrobothnia. The Far-Northern dialects (peräpohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Lapland. The dialects spoken in the western parts of Lapland are recognizable by retention of old 'h' sounds in positions where they have disappeared from other dialects.
One of the Far-Northern dialects, Meänkieli, which is spoken on the Swedish side of the border, is taught in some Swedish schools as a distinct standardized language. The speakers of Meänkieli became politically separated from the other Finns when Finland was annexed to Russia in 1809. The categorization of Meänkieli as a separate language is controversial among the Finns, who see no linguistic criteria, only political reasons, for treating Meänkieli differently than other dialects of Finnish.
The Kven language is spoken in Finnmark and Troms, in Norway. Its speakers are descendants of Finnish emigrants to the region in the 18th and 19th centuries. Kven is an official minority language in Norway.
The Eastern dialects consist of the widespread Savonian dialects (savolaismurteet) spoken in Savo and nearby areas, and the South-Eastern dialects spoken now only in Finnish South Karelia. The South-Eastern dialects (kaakkoismurteet) were previously spoken also on the Karelian Isthmus and in Ingria. The Karelian Isthmus was evacuated during World War II and refugees were resettled all over Finland. Most of Ingrian Finns were deported to various parts of Russia and Estonia.
Palatalization, a common feature of Uralic languages, had been lost in Baltic-Finnic languages, but it has been reacquired by most of these languages, including Eastern Finnish, but not Western Finnish. In Finnish orthography, this is denoted with a 'j', e.g. vesj, cf. standard vesi.
The language spoken in the parts of Karelia that have not historically been under Swedish or Finnish rule is usually called the Karelian language, and it is considered to be more distant from standard Finnish than the Eastern dialects. Whether this language of Russian Karelia is a dialect of Finnish or a separate language is a matter of interpretation. However, the term Karelian dialects is often used colloquially to the Finnish South-Eastern dialects.
* Western dialects
**Southern-Western dialects
***Proper Southern-Western dialects
**** Northern dialect group
**** Southern dialect group
***Southern-Western middle dialects
****Pori region dialects
****Ala-Satakunta dialects
****dialects of Turku highlands
****Somero region dialects
****Western Uusimaa dialects
**Tavastian dialects
***Ylä-Satakunta dialects
***Heart Tavastian dialects
***Southern Tavastian dialects
***Southern-Eastern Tavastian dialects
****Hollola dialect group
****Porvoo dialect group
****Iitti dialect group
**Southern Botnian dialects
**Middle and Northern Botnian dialects
***Middle Botnian dialects
***Northern Botnian dialects
**Peräpohjola dialects
***Tornio dialects ("Meänkieli" in Sweden)
***Kemi dialects
***Kemijärvi dialects
***Jällivaara dialects ("Meänkieli" in Sweden)
***Ruija dialects ("Kven language" in Northern Norway)
*Eastern dialects
**Savonian dialects
***Northern Savonian dialects
***Southern Savonian dialects
***Middle dialects of Savonlinna region
***Eastern Savonian dialects or the dialects of North Karelia
***Kainuu dialects
***Central Finland dialects
***Päijänne Tavastia dialects
***Keuruu-Evijärvi dialects
***Savonian dialects of Värmland (Sweden)
**Southern-Eastern dialects
***Proper Southern-Eastern dialects
***Middle dialects of Lemi region
***Middle dialects of Sortavala region (now in Russia)
***Dialects of Ingria (in Russia) /ref>
There are two main varieties of Finnish used throughout the country. One is the "standard language" (yleiskieli), and the other is the "spoken language" (puhekieli). The standard language is used in formal situations like political speeches and newscasts. Its written form, the "book language" (kirjakieli), is used in nearly all written texts, not always excluding even the dialogue of common people in popular prose. The spoken language, on the other hand, is the main variety of Finnish used in popular TV and radio shows and at workplaces, and may be preferred to a dialect in personal communication.
Standard Finnish is prescribed by the Language Office of the Research Institute for the Languages of Finland and is the language used in official communication. The Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish (Nykysuomen sanakirja 1951â61), with 201,000 entries, was a prescriptive dictionary that defined official language. An additional volume for words of foreign origin (Nykysuomen sivistyssanakirja, 30,000 entries) was published in 1991. An updated dictionary, the Language Office Dictionary (Kielitoimiston sanakirja) was published in an electronic form in 2004 and in print in 2006. A descriptive grammar (Iso suomen kielioppi, Hakulinen, Auli et al. (2004): Iso suomen kielioppi. SKS:n toimituksia 950. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura. ISBN 951-746-557-2. 1,600 pages 1,600 pages) was published in 2004. There is also an etymological dictionary, Suomen sanojen alkuperä, published in 1992â2000, and a handbook of contemporary language (Nykysuomen käsikirja), and a periodic publication, Kielikello. Standard Finnish is used in official texts and is the form of language taught in schools. Its spoken form is used in political speech, newscasts, in courts, and in other formal situations. Nearly all publishing and printed works are in standard Finnish.
The spoken language has mostly developed naturally from earlier forms of Finnish, and spread from main cultural and political centres. The standard language, however, has always been a consciously constructed medium for literature. It preserves grammatical patterns that have mostly vanished from the colloquial varieties and, as its main application is writing, it features complex syntactic patterns that are not easy to handle when used in speech. The spoken language develops significantly faster, and the grammatical and phonological simplifications include also the most common pronouns and suffixes, which sum up to frequent but modest differences. Some sound changes have been left out of the formal language, such as the irregularization of some common verbs by assimilation, e.g. tule- â tuu- (although tule can be used in spoken language as well).
Written language certainly still exerts a considerable influence upon the spoken word, due to the fact that illiteracy is nonexistent and many Finns are avid readers. In fact, it is still not entirely uncommon to meet people who "talk like a book" (puhuvat kirjakieltä), although this is seen as pedantic. More common is the intrusion of typically book-like constructions into a colloquial discourse, as a kind of quote from written Finnish. It should also be noted that it is quite common to hear book-like and polished speech on radio or TV, and the constant exposure to such language tends to lead to the adoption of such constructions even in everyday language.
A prominent example of the effect of the standard language is the development of the consonant gradation form /ts : ts/ as in metsä : metsän, as this pattern was originally (1940) found natively only in the dialects of southern Karelian isthmus and Ingria. In fact, it has arisen from the spelling 'ts' for the dental fricative [θË], which has disappeared. In spoken language, a fusion of Western /tt : tt/ (mettä : mettän) and Eastern /ht : t/ (mehtä : metän) has been created: /tt : t/ (mettä : metän). Yleiskielen ts:n murrevastineet It is notable that neither of these are forms are identifiable as or originate from a specific dialect.
The orthography of the informal language follows that of the formal language. However, sometimes sandhi may be transcribed, especially the internal ones, e.g. menenpä â menempä. This never takes place in formal language.
:
Note that there are noticeable differences between dialects. These examples are mostly from the language as spoken in the capital area (Helsinki dialect or even Stadin slangi). Also note that here the formal language does not mean a language spoken in formal occasions but the standard language which exist practically only in written form.
Characteristic features of Finnish (common to other Finno-Ugric languages) are vowel harmony and an agglutinative morphology; due to the extensive use of the latter, words can be quite long.
The main stress is always on the first syllable, and it is articulated by adding approximately 100 ms more length to the stressed vowel. Stress does not cause any measurable modifications in vowel quality (very much unlike English). However, stress is not strong and words appear evenly stressed. In some cases, stress is so weak that the highest points of volume, pitch and other indicators of "articulation intensity" are not on the first syllable, although native speakers recognize the first syllable as a stressed syllable.
There are eight vowels, whose lexical and grammatical role is highly important, and which are unusually strictly controlled, so that there is almost no allophony. Vowels shown in the table below, followed by the IPA symbol when not identical. These are always different phonemes in the initial syllable; for noninitial syllable, see morphophonology below.
: 1 Although conventionally and conveniently written with the close-mid symbols , and , they are more accurately described as mid vowels ( , and ).
The usual analysis is that Finnish has long and short vowels and consonants as distinct phonemes. However, long vowels may be analyzed as a vowel followed by a chroneme, or also, that sequences of identical vowels are pronounced as "diphthongs". The quality of long vowels mostly overlaps with the quality of short vowels, with the exception of u, which is centralized with respect to uu; long vowels do not morph into diphthongs. There are eighteen phonemic diphthongs; like vowels, diphthongs do not have significant allophony.
Finnish has a consonant inventory of small to moderate size, where voicing is mostly not distinctive, and fricatives are scarce. Finnish has relatively few non-coronal consonants. Consonants are as follows, where consonants in parenthesis are found only in a few recent loans.
# is the equivalent of under weakening consonant gradation, and thus occurs only medially, or in non-native words; it is actually more of an alveolar tap rather than a true voiced stop, and the dialectal realization varies wildly; see main article.
# The glottal stop can only appear at word boundaries as a result of certain sandhi phenomena, and it is not indicated in spelling: e.g. 'let it be', orthographically anna olla. Moreover, this sound is not used in all dialects.
# The short velar nasal is an allophone of in , and the long velar nasal , written ng, is the equivalent of under weakening consonant gradation (type of lenition) and thus occurs only medially.
Almost all consonants have phonemic geminated forms. These are independent, but occur only medially when phonemic.
Independent consonant clusters are not allowed in native words, except for a small set of two-consonant syllable codas, e.g. 'rs' in karsta. However, due to a number of recently adopted loanwords using them, e.g. strutsi "ostrich", Finnish speakers can pronounce them, even if it is somewhat awkward.
As a Finno-Ugric language, it is somewhat special in two respects: loss of fricatives and loss of palatalization.
An interesting feature of Finnic phonology is the development of labial vowels in non-initial syllables. Proto-Uralic had only 'a' and 'i' and their vowel harmonic allophones in non-initial syllables; modern Finnish allows other vowels in non-initial syllables (they are uncommon, however, compared to 'a', 'ä' and 'i').
Palatalization is characteristic of Finno-Ugric languages, but Finnish has lost it. However, the Eastern dialects and the Karelian language have redeveloped a system of palatalization. For example, the Karelian word d'uuri , with a palatalized , is reflected by juuri in Finnish and Savo dialect vesj is vesi in standard Finnish.
Finnish has only two fricatives, namely and . All other fricatives are recognized as foreign, of which Finnish speakers can usually reliably distinguish and .
Finnish has several morphophonological processes between grammar ("logic") and phonology ("sounds") that require modification of the forms of words for daily speech. The most important processes are vowel harmony and consonant gradation.
Vowel harmony is a redundancy feature, which means that the feature [±back] is uniform within a word, and so it is necessary to interpret it only once for a given word. It is meaning-distinguishing in the initial syllable, and suffixes follow; so, if the listener hears [±back] in any part of the word, they can derive [±back] for the initial syllable. For example, tuote ("product") agglutinates to tuotteeseensa ("into his product"), where the final vowel becomes the back vowel 'a' (rather than the front vowel 'ä') because the initial syllable contains the back vowels 'uo'. This is especially notable because vowels 'a' and 'ä' are different, meaning-distinguishing phonemes, not interchangeable or allophonic. Finnish front vowels are not umlauts.
Consonant gradation is a lenition process for P, T and K, with the oblique stem "weakened" from the nominative stem, or vice versa. For example, tarkka "precise" has the oblique root tarka-, as in tarkan "of the precise". There is also another gradation pattern, which is older, and causes simple elision of T and K. However, it is very common since it is found in the partitive case marker: if V is a single vowel, V+ta â Va, e.g. *vanha+ta â vanhaa. Another instance is the imperative, which changes into a glottal stop in the singular but is shown as an overt 'ka' in plural, e.g. mene vs. menkää.
The morphosyntactic alignment is nominative-accusative; but there are two object cases: accusative and partitive. The contrast between the two is telic, where the accusative case denotes actions completed as intended (Ammuin hirven "I shot (killed) the elk"), and the partitive case denotes incomplete actions (Ammuin hirveä "I shot (at) the elk"). Often this is confused with perfectivity, but the only element of perfectivity that exists in Finnish is that there are some perfective verbs. Transitivity is distinguished by different verbs for transitive and intransitive, e.g. ratkaista "to solve something" vs. ratketa "to solve by itself". There are several frequentative and momentane verb categories.
Verbs gain personal suffixes for each person; these suffixes are grammatically more important than pronouns, which are often not used at all in standard Finnish. The infinitive is not the uninflected form but has a suffix -ta or -da; the closest one to an uninflected form is the third person singular indicative. There are four persons, first ("I, we"), second ("you (singular), you (plural)"), third ("s/he, they"). Also, the passive voice (sometimes called impersonal or indefinite) resembles a "fourth person" similar to e.g. English "people say/do/â¦". There are four tenses, namely present, past, perfect and pluperfect; the system mirrors the Germanic system. The future tense is not needed due to context and the telic contrast. For example, luen kirjan "I read a book (completely)" indicates a future, when luen kirjaa "I read a book (not yet complete)" indicates present.
Nouns may be suffixed with the markers for the aforementioned accusative case and partitive case, the genitive case, eight different locatives, and a few other cases. The case marker must be added not only to the main noun, but also to its modifiers; e.g. suure+ssa talo+ssa, literally "big-in house-in". Possession is marked with a possessive suffix; separate possessive pronouns are unknown. Pronouns gain suffixes just as nouns do.
Suomalaisen Sana-Lugun Coetus (1745) by Daniel Juslenius was the first comprehensive dictionary of the Finnish language with 16,000 entries.
:See the lists of Finnish words and words of Finnish origin at Wiktionary, the free dictionary and Wikipedia's sibling project.
Finnish extensively employs regular agglutination. It has a smaller core vocabulary than, for example, English, and uses derivative suffixes to a greater extent. As an example, take the word kirja "a book", from which one can form derivatives kirjain "a letter" (of the alphabet), kirje "a piece of correspondence, a letter", kirjasto "a library", kirjailija "an author", kirjallisuus "literature", kirjoittaa "to write", kirjoittaja "a writer", kirjuri "a scribe, a clerk", kirjallinen "something in written form", kirjata "to write down, register, record", kirjasin "a font", and others.
Here are some of the more common such suffixes. Which of each pair is used depends on the word being suffixed in accordance with the rules of vowel harmony.
*-ja/jä : agent (one who does) (e.g. lukea "to read" â lukija "reader")
*-lainen/läinen: inhabitant of (either noun or adjective). Englanti "England" â englantilainen "English person or thing"; Venäjä â venäläinen "Russian person or thing".
*-sto/stö: collection of. For example: kirja "a book" â kirjasto "a library"; laiva "a ship" â laivasto "navy, fleet".
*-in: instrument or tool. For example: kirjata "to book, to file" â kirjain "a letter" (of the alphabet); vatkata "to whisk" â vatkain "a whisk, mixer".
*-uri/yri: an agent or instrument (kaivaa "to dig" â kaivuri "a digging machine"; laiva "a ship" â laivuri "shipper, shipmaster").
*-os/ös: result of some action (tulla "to come" â tulos "result, outcome"; tehdä "to do" â teos "a piece of work").
*-ton/tön: lack of something, "un-", "-less" (onni "happiness" â onneton "unhappy"; koti "home" â koditon "homeless").
*-llinen: having (the quality of) something (lapsi "a child" â lapsellinen "childish"; kauppa "a shop, commerce" â kaupallinen "commercial").
*-kas/käs: similar to -llinen (itse "self" â itsekäs "selfish"; neuvo "advice" â neuvokas "resourceful").
*-va/vä: doing or having something (taitaa "to be able" â taitava "skillful"; johtaa "to lead" â johtava "leading").
*-la/lä: a place related to the main word (kana "a hen" â kanala "a henhouse"; pappi "a priest" â pappila "a parsonage").
Verbal suffixes are extremely diverse; several frequentatives and momentanes differentiating causative, volitional-unpredictable and anticausative are found, often combined with each other, often denoting indirection. For example, hypätä "to jump", hyppiä "to be jumping", hypeksiä "to be jumping wantonly", hypäyttää "to make someone jump once", hyppyyttää "to make someone jump repeatedly" (or "to boss someone around"), hyppyytyttää "to make someone to cause a third person to jump repeatedly", hyppyytellä "to, without aim, make someone jump repeatedly", hypähtää "to jump suddenly" (in anticausative meaning), hypellä "to jump around repeatedly", hypiskellä "to be jumping repeatedly and wantonly", hyppimättä "without jumping", hyppelemättä "without jumping around". Often the diversity and compactness of this agglutination is illustrated with istahtaisinkohan "I wonder if I should sit down for a while" (from istua, "to sit, to be seated"):
*istua "to sit down"
*istun "I sit down" / istahtaa "to sit down for a while"
*istahdan "I sit down for a while"
*istahtaisin "I should sit down for a while"
*istahtaisinko "should I sit down for a while?"
*istahtaisinkohan "I wonder if I should sit down for a while"
Over the course of many centuries, the Finnish language has borrowed a great many words from a wide variety of languages, most from neighboring Indo-European languages. Indeed, some estimates put the core Proto-Uralic vocabulary surviving in Finnish at only around 300 word roots. Due to the different grammatical, phonological and phonotactic structure of the Finnish language, loanwords from Indo-European have been assimilated.
In general, the first loan words into Finno-Ugric languages seem to come from very early Indo-European languages, and later mainly from Iranian, Turkic, Baltic, Germanic, and Slavic languages. Furthermore, a certain group of very basic and neutral words exists in Finnish and other Finnic languages that are absent from other Finno-Ugric languages, but without a recognizable etymology from any known language. These words are usually regarded as the last remnant of the Nordic language spoken in Fennoscandia before the arrival of the proto-Finnic language. Words included in this group are e.g. jänis (hare), musta (black), mäki (hill), saari (island), suo (swamp) and niemi (cape). Also some place names, like Päijänne and Imatra, are probably before the proto-Finnic era. Häkkinen, Kaisa. Suomalaisten esihistoria kielitieteen valossa (ISBN 951-717-855-7). Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura 1996. See pages 166 and 173.
Often quoted loan examples are kuningas "king" and ruhtinas "prince, high ranking nobleman" from Germanic *kuningaz and *druhtinaz, but another example is äiti "mother", from Gothic aiþei, which is interesting because borrowing of close-kinship vocabulary is a rare phenomenon. The original Finnish emo occurs only in restricted contexts. There are other close-kinship words that are loaned from Baltic and Germanic languages (morsian "bride", armas "dear"). Examples of the ancient Iranian loans are vasara "hammer" from Avestan vadžra, vajra and orja "slave" from arya, airya "man" (the latter probably via similar circumstances as slave from Slav in many European languages).
More recently, Swedish has been a prolific source of borrowings, and also, the Swedish language acted as a proxy for European words, especially those relating to government. Present-day Finland belonged to the kingdom of Sweden from the 12th century and was ceded to Russia in 1809, becoming an autonomous Grand Duchy. Swedish was retained as the official language and language of the upper class even after this. When Finnish was accepted as an official language, it gained only legal "equal status" with Swedish, which persists even today. It is still the case today, though only about 5.5% of Finnish nationals, the Swedish-speaking Finns, have Swedish as their mother tongue. During the period of autonomy, Russian did not gain much ground as a language of the people or the government. Nevertheless, quite a few words were subsequently acquired from Russian (especially in older Helsinki slang) but not to the same extent as with Swedish. In all these cases, borrowing has been partly a result of geographical proximity.
Especially words dealing with administrative or modern culture came to Finnish from Swedish, sometimes reflecting the oldest Swedish form of the word (lag - laki, 'law'; län - lääni, 'province'; bisp - piispa, 'bishop'; jordpäron - peruna, 'potato'), and many more survive as informal synonyms in spoken or dialectal Finnish (e.g. likka, from Swedish flicka, 'girl', usually tyttö in Finnish).
Typical Russian loanwords are old or very old, thus hard to recognize as such, and concern everyday concepts, e.g. papu "bean", sini "(n.) blue" and pappi "priest". Notably, a few religious words such as Raamattu ("Bible") are borrowed from Russian, which indicates language contact preceding the Swedish era. This is mainly believed to be result of trade with Novgorod from the 9th century on and the Orthodox converting in the 13th century.
Most recently, and with increasing impact, English has been the source of new loanwords in Finnish. Unlike previous "geographical" borrowing, the influence of English is largely "cultural" and reaches Finland by many routes including: international business; music; film and TV (foreign films and programmes, excluding ones intended for a very young audience, are shown subtitled); literature; and, of course, the Web this is now probably the most important source of all non-face-to-face exposure to English.
The importance of English as the language of global commerce has led many non-English companies, including Finland's Nokia, to adopt English as their official operating language. Recently, it has been observed that English borrowings are also ousting previous borrowings, for example the switch from treffailla "to date" (from Swedish, träffa) to deittailla from English "to go for a date". Calques from English are also found, e.g. kovalevy (hard disk). Grammatical calques are also found, for example, the replacement of the impersonal (passiivi) with the English-style generic you, e. g. sä et voi "you cannot", instead of ei voi "one cannot".
However, this does not mean that Finnish is threatened by English. Borrowing is normal language evolution, and neologisms are coined actively not only by the government, but also by the media. Moreover, Finnish and English have a considerably different grammar, phonology and phonotactics, discouraging direct borrowing. English loan words in Finnish slang include for example pleikkari "PlayStation", hodari "hot dog", and hedari "headache", "headshot" or "headbutt". Often these loanwords are distinctly identified as slang or jargon, rarely being used in a negative mood or in formal language. Since English and Finnish grammar, pronunciation and phonetics differ considerably, most loan words are inevitably sooner or later calqued â translated into native Finnish â retaining the semantic meaning.
Some modern terms have been synthesised rather than borrowed, for example:
:puhelin "telephone" (literally: "chatter" + instrument suffix "-in" to make "an instrument for chattering")
:tietokone "computer" (literally: "knowledge machine")
:levyke "diskette" (from levy "disc" + a diminutive -ke)
:sähköposti "email" (literally: "electrical mail")
:linja-auto "bus" (literally: route-car)
Neologisms are actively generated by the Language Planning Office and the media. They are widely adopted. One would actually give an old-fashioned or rustic impression using forms such as telefooni or kompuutteri when the neologism is widely adopted.
The first page of Abckiria (1543), the first book written in the Finnish language. The spelling of Finnish in the book had many inconsistencies: for example, the k sound could be represented by c, k or even g; the long u and the long i were represented by w and ij respectively, and ä was represented by e.
Finnish is written with the Swedish variant of the Latin alphabet that includes the distinct characters à and Ã, and also several characters not used in Finnish (including for example C, Q, Ã
). The Finnish orthography built upon the phoneme principle: each phoneme (meaningful sound) of the language is represented by exactly one grapheme (independent letter), and each grapheme represents almost exactly one phoneme. This makes the language easy for its speakers to spell, and facilitates learning to read and write. The rule of thumb for Finnish orthography is: write as you read, read as you write. However, morphemes retain their spelling despite sandhi.
Some orthographical notes:
*Long vowels and consonants are represented by double occurrences of the relevant graphemes. This causes no confusion, and permits these sounds to be written without having to nearly double the size of the alphabet to accommodate separate graphemes for long sounds.
*The grapheme h occurring before a consonant sounds slightly harder (initially breathy voiced, then voiceless) than when occurring before a vowel.
*Sandhi is not transcribed; the spelling of morphemes is immutable, e.g. tulen+pa .
*Some consonants (v, j, d) and all consonants occurring in (always medial) clusters do not have distinctive length, and consequently, their allophonic variation is not indicated in spelling, e.g. rajaan /rajaan/ (I limit) vs. raijaan /raijjaan/ (I haul).
*Pre-1900s texts and personal names use w for v. Both correspond to the same phoneme, the labiodental approximant , a v without the fricative ("hissing") quality of the English v.
*The letters ä [æ] and ö [ø], although written as umlauted a and o, do not represent phonological umlauts, and they are considered independent graphemes; the letter shapes have been copied from Swedish. An appropriate parallel from the Latin alphabet are the characters C and G (uppercase), which historically have a closer kinship than many other characters (G is a derivation of C) but are considered distinct letters, and changing one for the other will change meanings.
Although Finnish is almost completely written as it is spoken, there are a few differences:
* The n in nk is a velar nasal, as in English. As an exception to the phonetic principle, there is no g in ng, which is a long velar nasal as in English singalong.
* The gemination between words is not marked in writing.
* The double consonant in clitic is marked as a single consonant.
* Only comparative and superlative adjectives the letter m is used like in speech in word like parempi, but in other similar cases the letter n is used, like in onpa
* The /j/ after the letter i is very weak or there is no /j/ at all, but in writing it is used, example: urheilija. Indeed the j is not used in writing words with consonant gradation (like aion and some other (like läksiäiset))
* In speech there is no difference between the use of /i/ in words (like ajoittaa, but ehdottaa, but in writing there are quite simple rules: The i is written in words that consist two syllables and end in a or ä (sanoittaa), and in words that are old-stylish (innoittaa). The i is not written in words that consist two syllables and end in o or ö like (erottaa), words which do not have clear proto-word (hajottaa), and in words that are descriptive (häämöttää) or workaday by their style (rehottaa)
Graphemes ä and ö are sometimes converted in two ways, a and o, respectively and, ae and oe respectively. Finnish graphemes ä and ö are not umlauts like in German; conversion to ae and oe in Finnish language is less correct than in German language. Conversion to a and o is more common and almost universally used in email-addresses. Conversion ae and oe is rare but formally used in passports and equivalent situations. both conversion rules have minimal pairs.
The sounds š and ž are not a part of Finnish language itself and have been introduced somewhat artificially by a government regulation. Although they occur in some rare loanwords, their principal use is in the transcription of foreign names. For technical reasons or convenience, the graphemes sh and zh are often used in quickly or less carefully written texts instead of š and ž. This is a deviation from the phonetic principle, and as such is liable to cause confusion, but the damage is minimal as the transcribed words are foreign in any case. Finnish does not use the sounds z, š or ž, but for the sake of exactitude, they can be included in spelling. (The recommendation cites the Russian play Hovanshtshina as an example.) Many speakers pronounce all of them s, or distinguish only between s and š, because Finnish has no voiced sibilants.
The language may be identified by its distinctive lack of the letters b, c, f, q, w, x, z and å.
Väinö Linna: The Unknown Soldier; these words were also inscribed in the 20 mk note.
(Translation: "The benevolent sun watched them. By no means was it angry at them. Perhaps it even felt a kind of compassion towards them. Jolly good brothers.")
Sample sound of "Hyvää huomenta"
*(Hyvää) huomenta â Good morning
*(Hyvää) päivää â Good afternoon (literally "Good day")
*(Hyvää) iltapäivää â Good afternoon
*(Hyvää) iltaa â Good evening
*(Hyvää) yötä / Ãitä â Good night
*Terve! / Moro! â Hello!
*Hei! / Moi! â Hi!
*Heippa! / Moikka! / Hei hei! / Moi moi! â Bye!
*Nähdään â See you later (literally "will be seen")
*Näkemi(si)in / Hyvästi â Goodbye
*Hauska tutustua! â Nice to meet you
*Kiitos â Thank you
*Kiitos, samoin â Likewise
*Mitä kuuluu? â How are you / How you doing? (Not used among strangers.) (literally "What is heard?")
*Kiitos hyvää â I'm fine, thank you
*Tervetuloa! â Welcome!
Tietosanakirja, 11 volumes, 1909-1922, Finnish encyclopedia.
* kyllä â yes
* joo â yes (informal)
* ei â no
* en â I will not / I do not
* minä, sinä, hän(se) â I, you, he/she(it)
* me, te, he(ne) â we, you (two or more), they
* (minä) olen â I am
* (sinä) olet â you are
* (minä) en ole - I am not
* (sinä) et ole - You are not
* yksi, kaksi, kolme â one, two, three
* neljä, viisi, kuusi â four, five, six
* seitsemän, kahdeksan â seven, eight
* yhdeksän, kymmenen â nine, ten
* yksitoista, kaksitoista, kolmetoista â eleven, twelve, thirteen
* sata, tuhat, miljoona â hundred, thousand, million
* (minä) rakastan sinua â I love you
* anteeksi â forgive me, excuse me, sorry
* voitko auttaa â can you help
* apua! - help!
* voisit(te)ko auttaa â could you help
* missä on ... ? â where is ...?
* olen pahoillani â I'm sorry (apology)
* otan osaa â My condolences
* onnea â good luck
* totta kai/tietysti/toki â of course
* pieni hetki, pikku hetki, hetkinen â one moment please!
* odota â wait
* Suomi â Finland
* suomi/suomen kieli â Finnish language
* suomalainen â (noun) Finn; (adjective) Finnish
* En ymmärrä â I don't understand
* (Minä) ymmärrän â I understand
* ¹Ymmärrät(te)kö suomea? â Do you understand Finnish?
* ¹Puhut(te)ko englantia? â Do you speak English?
* Olen englantilainen / amerikkalainen / kanadalainen / australialainen / uusiseelantilainen / irlantilainen / skotlantilainen / walesilainen / ranskalainen / saksalainen / kiinalainen / japanilainen â I am English / American / Canadian / Australian / New Zealander / Irish / Scottish / Welsh / French / German / Chinese / Japanese
* ¹Olet(te)ko englantilainen? â Are you English?
* Missä (sinä) asut/¹Missä (te) asutte? â Where do you live?
¹ -te is added to make the sentence formal (T-V distinction). Otherwise, without the added "-te", it is informal. It is also added when talking to more than one person. The transition from second-person singular to second-person plural (teitittely) is a politeness pattern, advised by many "good manners guides". Elderly people, especially, expect it from strangers, whereas the younger might feel it to be too formal to the point of coldness. However, a learner of the language should not be excessively concerned about it. Omitting it is never offensive, but one should keep in mind that on formal occasions this custom may make a good impression.
* Finnish alphabet
* Finnish grammar
* Spoken Finnish
* Finland's language strife
* Karelian language
* Estonian language
* Finnish name
* Finnish cultural and academic institutes
* Finnish language on Ethnologue
* The Finnish language --- a list of resources
* Lexicon of Early Indo-European Loanwords Preserved in Finnish
* Proto-Uralic to Finnish (in IPA mostly migrated from X-SAMPA)
* English-Finnish-English Dictionary
* Collection of Finnish bilingual dictionaries
* Finnish Etymological Dictionary by Andras Rajki
* English-Finnish and Russian-Finnish Dictionary
* English-Finnish vocabulary quizzes
* The 2 253 possible forms of the Finnish noun kauppa 'shop'
* Discussion about the Finnish Language
To Do
This section lists the topics which need to be written or expanded (there are headings for all of these):
* This page:
** History: The history of the language, especially its written form and its official status
** Derivative suffixes
** External links
* Grammar page:
** Illative formation
** Noun plurals
** Noun stem types
** Adjectives, including comparison
** Postpositions and prepositions
** 5th infinitive
** Imperfect indicative for typeV and VI verbs
** Present participles, active and passive
** Past participle, passive
** Agent participle
** Passive, 2nd person imperatives
** 3rd person imperatives
** 1st person plural imperatives
** Ordinal numbers
** Names of numbers
* Spoken language page:
**important regional variations
-->
|
Finnish_language | When did Proto-Uralic language arrive in Finland? | Around 1900 BCE | data/set5/a5 | Finnish_language
Finnish ( , or suomen kieli) is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland (92% Tilastokeskus - Väestö ) and by ethnic Finns outside of Finland. It is one of the official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a Finnish dialect, are spoken. The Kven language, a Finnish dialect spoken in Northern Norway, is an official minority language in Norway.
Finnish is the eponymous member of the Finno-Ugric language family and is typologically between fusional and agglutinative languages. It modifies and inflects the forms of nouns, adjectives, pronouns, numerals and verbs, depending on their roles in the sentence.
Finnish is a member of the Baltic-Finnic subgroup of the Finno-Ugric group of languages which in turn is a member of the Uralic family of languages. The Baltic-Finnic subgroup also includes Estonian and other minority languages spoken around the Baltic Sea.
Finnish demonstrates an affiliation with the Uralic languages in several respects including:
*Shared morphology:
:*case suffixes such as genitive -n, partitive -(t)a / -(t)ä ( Virtual Finland: Where do Finns come from?.
According to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, Finnish is classified as a level III language in terms of learning difficulty for native English speakers. Defense Language Institute
Areas in Southern Sweden with a Finnish-speaking population (2005)
Finnish is spoken by about six million people who reside mainly in Finland. There are also notable Finnish-speaking minorities in Sweden, Norway, Russia, Estonia, Canada, and the United States. The majority of the population of Finland, 91.51% , speak Finnish as their first language. The remainder speak Swedish (5.5%), Sami (Northern, Inari, Skolt) and other languages. It has achieved some popularity as a second language in Estonia.
Finnish is one of two official languages of Finland (the other being Swedish, spoken by 5.49% of the population Statistikcentralen - Befolkning ) and an official language of the European Union. It enjoys the status of an official minority language in Sweden. It is also one of the working languages of the Nordic Council. Under the Nordic Language Convention, citizens of the Nordic countries speaking Finnish have the opportunity to use their native language when interacting with official bodies in other Nordic countries without being liable to any interpretation or translation costs. Konvention mellan Sverige, Danmark, Finland, Island och Norge om nordiska medborgares rätt att använda sitt eget språk i annat nordiskt land, Nordic Council website. Retrieved on April 25, 2007. 20th anniversary of the Nordic Language Convention, Nordic news, February 22, 2007. Retrieved on April 25, 2007.
According to recent estimations, Proto-Uralic language arrived in Finland around 1900 BCE, soon to be developed into Proto-Finnic. The Balto-Finnic languages evolved from the Proto-Finnic language after Sámi was separated from it around 1500-1000 BCE. Current research indicates there were three or more Proto-Finnic dialects. The Baltic Finnic languages separated around the 1st century, but continued to influence each other. Therefore, the Eastern Finnish dialects are genetically Eastern Proto-Finnic, with many Eastern features, and the Southwestern Finnish dialects have many genuine Estonian influences.
Finland was annexed to Catholic Sweden in the Middle Ages. Prior to this, Finnish was an oral language. Even after, the language of larger-scale business was Middle Low German, the language of administration Swedish, and religious activities were held in Latin, leaving few possibilities for Finnish-speakers to use their mother tongue in situations other than daily chores.
The first known written example of Finnish comes from this era and was found in a German travel journal dating back to c.1450: Mynna tachton gernast spuho somen gelen Emyna dayda (Modern Finnish: "Minä tahdon kernaasti puhua suomen kieltä, [mutta] en minä taida"; English: "I willingly want to speak Finnish, [but] I cannot"). According to the travel journal, a Finnish bishop, whose name is unknown, was behind the above quotation.
Mikael Agricola, a 19th century drawing by Albert Edelfelt
The first comprehensive writing system for Finnish was created by Mikael Agricola, a Finnish bishop, in the 16th century. He based his orthography on Swedish, German, and Latin. His ultimate plan was to translate the Bible, but first he had to define rules on which the Finnish standard language still relies, particularly with respect to spelling. He also invented single-handedly many words such as armo meaning both "mercy" and "grace" (as in "from grace alone, not out of good works...") and vanhurskas "righteous". More than fifty percent of these words are still in use.
Agricola's written language was based on western dialects of Finnish, and his intention was that each phoneme should correspond to one letter. Yet, Agricola was confronted with many problems in this endeavor and failed to achieve uniformity. This is why he might use different signs for the same phonemes depending on the situation. For example he used dh or d to represent the voiced dental fricative (English th in this) and tz or z to represent the geminate unvoiced dental fricative (the th in thin). Additionally, Agricola might use gh or g to represent the voiced velar fricative and either ch, c or h for /h/. For example he wrote techtin against modern spelling tehtiin.
Later others revised Agricola's work, striving for a more phonemic system. Along the way, Finnish lost some of its phonemes. The sounds and disappeared from the standard language, surviving only in a small rural region in Western Finland. Elsewhere, traces of these phonemes persist as their disappearance gave Finnish dialects their distinct qualities. For example, became ht or tt (e.g. meþþä â mehtä, mettä) in the eastern dialects and in some western dialects. In the standard language, however, the effect of the lost phonemes is thus:
* became
* became
* became but only if the voiced velar fricative appeared originally between high labial vowels, otherwise lost entirely.
Modern Finnish punctuation, along with that of Swedish, uses the colon character (:) to separate the stem of the word and its grammatical ending in some cases (such as after abbreviations), where some other alphabetic writing systems would use an apostrophe. Suffixes are required for correct grammar, so this is often applied, e.g. EU:ssa "in the EU".
Elias Lönnrot as depicted in a 19th century caricature Lönnrot made several journeys to Karelia and Eastern Finland to collect folklore, from which he compiled the Kalevala.
In the 19th century Johan Vilhelm Snellman and others began to stress the need to improve the status of Finnish. Ever since the days of Mikael Agricola written Finnish had been used almost exclusively in religious contexts, but now Snellman's Hegelian nationalistic ideas of Finnish as a full-fledged national language gained considerable support. Concerted efforts were made to improve the status of the language and to modernize it, and by the end of the century Finnish had become a language of administration, journalism, literature, and science in Finland, along with Swedish.
The most important contributions to improving the status of Finnish were made by Elias Lönnrot. His impact on the development of modern vocabulary in Finnish was particularly crucial. In addition to compiling the Kalevala, he acted as an arbitrator in disputes about the development of standard Finnish between the proponents of western and eastern dialects, ensuring that the western dialects Agricola had preferred preserved their preeminent role, while many originally dialectical words from Eastern Finland were introduced to the standard language enriching it considerably. The first novel written in Finnish (and by a Finnish-speaker) was Seven Brothers, published by Aleksis Kivi in 1870.
Map of Finnish dialects
The dialects of Finnish are divided into two distinct groups, the Western dialects and the Eastern dialects. The dialects are almost entirely mutually intelligible and distinguished from each other by only minor changes in vowels, diphthongs and rhythm. For the most part, the dialects operate on the same phonology, grammar and vocabulary. There are only marginal examples of sounds or grammatical constructions specific to some dialect and not found in standard Finnish. Two examples are the voiced dental fricative found in Rauma dialect and the Eastern exessive case.
The classification of closely related dialects spoken outside of Finland is a politically sensitive issue that has been controversial since Finland's independence in 1917. This concerns specifically the Karelian language in Russia and Meänkieli in Sweden, the speakers of which are often considered oppressed minorities. Karelian is different enough from standard Finnish to have its own orthography. Meänkieli is a northern dialect entirely intelligible to speakers of any other Finnish dialect, which achieved its status as an official minority language in Sweden for historical and political reasons regardless of the fact that Finnish is an official minority language in Sweden, too.
The South-West dialects (lounaismurteet) are spoken in Finland Proper and Satakunta. Their typical feature is abbreviation of word-final vowels, and in many respects they resemble Estonian. The Tavastian dialects (hämäläismurteet) are spoken in Tavastia. They are closest to the standard language, but feature some slight vowel changes, such as the opening of diphthong-final vowels (tie â tiä, miekka â miakka, kuolisi â kualis). The Southern Ostrobothnian dialects (eteläpohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Southern Ostrobothnia. Their most notable feature is the pronunciation of 'd' as a tapped or even fully trilled /r/. The Middle and North Ostrobothnia dialects (keski- ja pohjoispohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Central and Northern Ostrobothnia. The Far-Northern dialects (peräpohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Lapland. The dialects spoken in the western parts of Lapland are recognizable by retention of old 'h' sounds in positions where they have disappeared from other dialects.
One of the Far-Northern dialects, Meänkieli, which is spoken on the Swedish side of the border, is taught in some Swedish schools as a distinct standardized language. The speakers of Meänkieli became politically separated from the other Finns when Finland was annexed to Russia in 1809. The categorization of Meänkieli as a separate language is controversial among the Finns, who see no linguistic criteria, only political reasons, for treating Meänkieli differently than other dialects of Finnish.
The Kven language is spoken in Finnmark and Troms, in Norway. Its speakers are descendants of Finnish emigrants to the region in the 18th and 19th centuries. Kven is an official minority language in Norway.
The Eastern dialects consist of the widespread Savonian dialects (savolaismurteet) spoken in Savo and nearby areas, and the South-Eastern dialects spoken now only in Finnish South Karelia. The South-Eastern dialects (kaakkoismurteet) were previously spoken also on the Karelian Isthmus and in Ingria. The Karelian Isthmus was evacuated during World War II and refugees were resettled all over Finland. Most of Ingrian Finns were deported to various parts of Russia and Estonia.
Palatalization, a common feature of Uralic languages, had been lost in Baltic-Finnic languages, but it has been reacquired by most of these languages, including Eastern Finnish, but not Western Finnish. In Finnish orthography, this is denoted with a 'j', e.g. vesj, cf. standard vesi.
The language spoken in the parts of Karelia that have not historically been under Swedish or Finnish rule is usually called the Karelian language, and it is considered to be more distant from standard Finnish than the Eastern dialects. Whether this language of Russian Karelia is a dialect of Finnish or a separate language is a matter of interpretation. However, the term Karelian dialects is often used colloquially to the Finnish South-Eastern dialects.
* Western dialects
**Southern-Western dialects
***Proper Southern-Western dialects
**** Northern dialect group
**** Southern dialect group
***Southern-Western middle dialects
****Pori region dialects
****Ala-Satakunta dialects
****dialects of Turku highlands
****Somero region dialects
****Western Uusimaa dialects
**Tavastian dialects
***Ylä-Satakunta dialects
***Heart Tavastian dialects
***Southern Tavastian dialects
***Southern-Eastern Tavastian dialects
****Hollola dialect group
****Porvoo dialect group
****Iitti dialect group
**Southern Botnian dialects
**Middle and Northern Botnian dialects
***Middle Botnian dialects
***Northern Botnian dialects
**Peräpohjola dialects
***Tornio dialects ("Meänkieli" in Sweden)
***Kemi dialects
***Kemijärvi dialects
***Jällivaara dialects ("Meänkieli" in Sweden)
***Ruija dialects ("Kven language" in Northern Norway)
*Eastern dialects
**Savonian dialects
***Northern Savonian dialects
***Southern Savonian dialects
***Middle dialects of Savonlinna region
***Eastern Savonian dialects or the dialects of North Karelia
***Kainuu dialects
***Central Finland dialects
***Päijänne Tavastia dialects
***Keuruu-Evijärvi dialects
***Savonian dialects of Värmland (Sweden)
**Southern-Eastern dialects
***Proper Southern-Eastern dialects
***Middle dialects of Lemi region
***Middle dialects of Sortavala region (now in Russia)
***Dialects of Ingria (in Russia) /ref>
There are two main varieties of Finnish used throughout the country. One is the "standard language" (yleiskieli), and the other is the "spoken language" (puhekieli). The standard language is used in formal situations like political speeches and newscasts. Its written form, the "book language" (kirjakieli), is used in nearly all written texts, not always excluding even the dialogue of common people in popular prose. The spoken language, on the other hand, is the main variety of Finnish used in popular TV and radio shows and at workplaces, and may be preferred to a dialect in personal communication.
Standard Finnish is prescribed by the Language Office of the Research Institute for the Languages of Finland and is the language used in official communication. The Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish (Nykysuomen sanakirja 1951â61), with 201,000 entries, was a prescriptive dictionary that defined official language. An additional volume for words of foreign origin (Nykysuomen sivistyssanakirja, 30,000 entries) was published in 1991. An updated dictionary, the Language Office Dictionary (Kielitoimiston sanakirja) was published in an electronic form in 2004 and in print in 2006. A descriptive grammar (Iso suomen kielioppi, Hakulinen, Auli et al. (2004): Iso suomen kielioppi. SKS:n toimituksia 950. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura. ISBN 951-746-557-2. 1,600 pages 1,600 pages) was published in 2004. There is also an etymological dictionary, Suomen sanojen alkuperä, published in 1992â2000, and a handbook of contemporary language (Nykysuomen käsikirja), and a periodic publication, Kielikello. Standard Finnish is used in official texts and is the form of language taught in schools. Its spoken form is used in political speech, newscasts, in courts, and in other formal situations. Nearly all publishing and printed works are in standard Finnish.
The spoken language has mostly developed naturally from earlier forms of Finnish, and spread from main cultural and political centres. The standard language, however, has always been a consciously constructed medium for literature. It preserves grammatical patterns that have mostly vanished from the colloquial varieties and, as its main application is writing, it features complex syntactic patterns that are not easy to handle when used in speech. The spoken language develops significantly faster, and the grammatical and phonological simplifications include also the most common pronouns and suffixes, which sum up to frequent but modest differences. Some sound changes have been left out of the formal language, such as the irregularization of some common verbs by assimilation, e.g. tule- â tuu- (although tule can be used in spoken language as well).
Written language certainly still exerts a considerable influence upon the spoken word, due to the fact that illiteracy is nonexistent and many Finns are avid readers. In fact, it is still not entirely uncommon to meet people who "talk like a book" (puhuvat kirjakieltä), although this is seen as pedantic. More common is the intrusion of typically book-like constructions into a colloquial discourse, as a kind of quote from written Finnish. It should also be noted that it is quite common to hear book-like and polished speech on radio or TV, and the constant exposure to such language tends to lead to the adoption of such constructions even in everyday language.
A prominent example of the effect of the standard language is the development of the consonant gradation form /ts : ts/ as in metsä : metsän, as this pattern was originally (1940) found natively only in the dialects of southern Karelian isthmus and Ingria. In fact, it has arisen from the spelling 'ts' for the dental fricative [θË], which has disappeared. In spoken language, a fusion of Western /tt : tt/ (mettä : mettän) and Eastern /ht : t/ (mehtä : metän) has been created: /tt : t/ (mettä : metän). Yleiskielen ts:n murrevastineet It is notable that neither of these are forms are identifiable as or originate from a specific dialect.
The orthography of the informal language follows that of the formal language. However, sometimes sandhi may be transcribed, especially the internal ones, e.g. menenpä â menempä. This never takes place in formal language.
:
Note that there are noticeable differences between dialects. These examples are mostly from the language as spoken in the capital area (Helsinki dialect or even Stadin slangi). Also note that here the formal language does not mean a language spoken in formal occasions but the standard language which exist practically only in written form.
Characteristic features of Finnish (common to other Finno-Ugric languages) are vowel harmony and an agglutinative morphology; due to the extensive use of the latter, words can be quite long.
The main stress is always on the first syllable, and it is articulated by adding approximately 100 ms more length to the stressed vowel. Stress does not cause any measurable modifications in vowel quality (very much unlike English). However, stress is not strong and words appear evenly stressed. In some cases, stress is so weak that the highest points of volume, pitch and other indicators of "articulation intensity" are not on the first syllable, although native speakers recognize the first syllable as a stressed syllable.
There are eight vowels, whose lexical and grammatical role is highly important, and which are unusually strictly controlled, so that there is almost no allophony. Vowels shown in the table below, followed by the IPA symbol when not identical. These are always different phonemes in the initial syllable; for noninitial syllable, see morphophonology below.
: 1 Although conventionally and conveniently written with the close-mid symbols , and , they are more accurately described as mid vowels ( , and ).
The usual analysis is that Finnish has long and short vowels and consonants as distinct phonemes. However, long vowels may be analyzed as a vowel followed by a chroneme, or also, that sequences of identical vowels are pronounced as "diphthongs". The quality of long vowels mostly overlaps with the quality of short vowels, with the exception of u, which is centralized with respect to uu; long vowels do not morph into diphthongs. There are eighteen phonemic diphthongs; like vowels, diphthongs do not have significant allophony.
Finnish has a consonant inventory of small to moderate size, where voicing is mostly not distinctive, and fricatives are scarce. Finnish has relatively few non-coronal consonants. Consonants are as follows, where consonants in parenthesis are found only in a few recent loans.
# is the equivalent of under weakening consonant gradation, and thus occurs only medially, or in non-native words; it is actually more of an alveolar tap rather than a true voiced stop, and the dialectal realization varies wildly; see main article.
# The glottal stop can only appear at word boundaries as a result of certain sandhi phenomena, and it is not indicated in spelling: e.g. 'let it be', orthographically anna olla. Moreover, this sound is not used in all dialects.
# The short velar nasal is an allophone of in , and the long velar nasal , written ng, is the equivalent of under weakening consonant gradation (type of lenition) and thus occurs only medially.
Almost all consonants have phonemic geminated forms. These are independent, but occur only medially when phonemic.
Independent consonant clusters are not allowed in native words, except for a small set of two-consonant syllable codas, e.g. 'rs' in karsta. However, due to a number of recently adopted loanwords using them, e.g. strutsi "ostrich", Finnish speakers can pronounce them, even if it is somewhat awkward.
As a Finno-Ugric language, it is somewhat special in two respects: loss of fricatives and loss of palatalization.
An interesting feature of Finnic phonology is the development of labial vowels in non-initial syllables. Proto-Uralic had only 'a' and 'i' and their vowel harmonic allophones in non-initial syllables; modern Finnish allows other vowels in non-initial syllables (they are uncommon, however, compared to 'a', 'ä' and 'i').
Palatalization is characteristic of Finno-Ugric languages, but Finnish has lost it. However, the Eastern dialects and the Karelian language have redeveloped a system of palatalization. For example, the Karelian word d'uuri , with a palatalized , is reflected by juuri in Finnish and Savo dialect vesj is vesi in standard Finnish.
Finnish has only two fricatives, namely and . All other fricatives are recognized as foreign, of which Finnish speakers can usually reliably distinguish and .
Finnish has several morphophonological processes between grammar ("logic") and phonology ("sounds") that require modification of the forms of words for daily speech. The most important processes are vowel harmony and consonant gradation.
Vowel harmony is a redundancy feature, which means that the feature [±back] is uniform within a word, and so it is necessary to interpret it only once for a given word. It is meaning-distinguishing in the initial syllable, and suffixes follow; so, if the listener hears [±back] in any part of the word, they can derive [±back] for the initial syllable. For example, tuote ("product") agglutinates to tuotteeseensa ("into his product"), where the final vowel becomes the back vowel 'a' (rather than the front vowel 'ä') because the initial syllable contains the back vowels 'uo'. This is especially notable because vowels 'a' and 'ä' are different, meaning-distinguishing phonemes, not interchangeable or allophonic. Finnish front vowels are not umlauts.
Consonant gradation is a lenition process for P, T and K, with the oblique stem "weakened" from the nominative stem, or vice versa. For example, tarkka "precise" has the oblique root tarka-, as in tarkan "of the precise". There is also another gradation pattern, which is older, and causes simple elision of T and K. However, it is very common since it is found in the partitive case marker: if V is a single vowel, V+ta â Va, e.g. *vanha+ta â vanhaa. Another instance is the imperative, which changes into a glottal stop in the singular but is shown as an overt 'ka' in plural, e.g. mene vs. menkää.
The morphosyntactic alignment is nominative-accusative; but there are two object cases: accusative and partitive. The contrast between the two is telic, where the accusative case denotes actions completed as intended (Ammuin hirven "I shot (killed) the elk"), and the partitive case denotes incomplete actions (Ammuin hirveä "I shot (at) the elk"). Often this is confused with perfectivity, but the only element of perfectivity that exists in Finnish is that there are some perfective verbs. Transitivity is distinguished by different verbs for transitive and intransitive, e.g. ratkaista "to solve something" vs. ratketa "to solve by itself". There are several frequentative and momentane verb categories.
Verbs gain personal suffixes for each person; these suffixes are grammatically more important than pronouns, which are often not used at all in standard Finnish. The infinitive is not the uninflected form but has a suffix -ta or -da; the closest one to an uninflected form is the third person singular indicative. There are four persons, first ("I, we"), second ("you (singular), you (plural)"), third ("s/he, they"). Also, the passive voice (sometimes called impersonal or indefinite) resembles a "fourth person" similar to e.g. English "people say/do/â¦". There are four tenses, namely present, past, perfect and pluperfect; the system mirrors the Germanic system. The future tense is not needed due to context and the telic contrast. For example, luen kirjan "I read a book (completely)" indicates a future, when luen kirjaa "I read a book (not yet complete)" indicates present.
Nouns may be suffixed with the markers for the aforementioned accusative case and partitive case, the genitive case, eight different locatives, and a few other cases. The case marker must be added not only to the main noun, but also to its modifiers; e.g. suure+ssa talo+ssa, literally "big-in house-in". Possession is marked with a possessive suffix; separate possessive pronouns are unknown. Pronouns gain suffixes just as nouns do.
Suomalaisen Sana-Lugun Coetus (1745) by Daniel Juslenius was the first comprehensive dictionary of the Finnish language with 16,000 entries.
:See the lists of Finnish words and words of Finnish origin at Wiktionary, the free dictionary and Wikipedia's sibling project.
Finnish extensively employs regular agglutination. It has a smaller core vocabulary than, for example, English, and uses derivative suffixes to a greater extent. As an example, take the word kirja "a book", from which one can form derivatives kirjain "a letter" (of the alphabet), kirje "a piece of correspondence, a letter", kirjasto "a library", kirjailija "an author", kirjallisuus "literature", kirjoittaa "to write", kirjoittaja "a writer", kirjuri "a scribe, a clerk", kirjallinen "something in written form", kirjata "to write down, register, record", kirjasin "a font", and others.
Here are some of the more common such suffixes. Which of each pair is used depends on the word being suffixed in accordance with the rules of vowel harmony.
*-ja/jä : agent (one who does) (e.g. lukea "to read" â lukija "reader")
*-lainen/läinen: inhabitant of (either noun or adjective). Englanti "England" â englantilainen "English person or thing"; Venäjä â venäläinen "Russian person or thing".
*-sto/stö: collection of. For example: kirja "a book" â kirjasto "a library"; laiva "a ship" â laivasto "navy, fleet".
*-in: instrument or tool. For example: kirjata "to book, to file" â kirjain "a letter" (of the alphabet); vatkata "to whisk" â vatkain "a whisk, mixer".
*-uri/yri: an agent or instrument (kaivaa "to dig" â kaivuri "a digging machine"; laiva "a ship" â laivuri "shipper, shipmaster").
*-os/ös: result of some action (tulla "to come" â tulos "result, outcome"; tehdä "to do" â teos "a piece of work").
*-ton/tön: lack of something, "un-", "-less" (onni "happiness" â onneton "unhappy"; koti "home" â koditon "homeless").
*-llinen: having (the quality of) something (lapsi "a child" â lapsellinen "childish"; kauppa "a shop, commerce" â kaupallinen "commercial").
*-kas/käs: similar to -llinen (itse "self" â itsekäs "selfish"; neuvo "advice" â neuvokas "resourceful").
*-va/vä: doing or having something (taitaa "to be able" â taitava "skillful"; johtaa "to lead" â johtava "leading").
*-la/lä: a place related to the main word (kana "a hen" â kanala "a henhouse"; pappi "a priest" â pappila "a parsonage").
Verbal suffixes are extremely diverse; several frequentatives and momentanes differentiating causative, volitional-unpredictable and anticausative are found, often combined with each other, often denoting indirection. For example, hypätä "to jump", hyppiä "to be jumping", hypeksiä "to be jumping wantonly", hypäyttää "to make someone jump once", hyppyyttää "to make someone jump repeatedly" (or "to boss someone around"), hyppyytyttää "to make someone to cause a third person to jump repeatedly", hyppyytellä "to, without aim, make someone jump repeatedly", hypähtää "to jump suddenly" (in anticausative meaning), hypellä "to jump around repeatedly", hypiskellä "to be jumping repeatedly and wantonly", hyppimättä "without jumping", hyppelemättä "without jumping around". Often the diversity and compactness of this agglutination is illustrated with istahtaisinkohan "I wonder if I should sit down for a while" (from istua, "to sit, to be seated"):
*istua "to sit down"
*istun "I sit down" / istahtaa "to sit down for a while"
*istahdan "I sit down for a while"
*istahtaisin "I should sit down for a while"
*istahtaisinko "should I sit down for a while?"
*istahtaisinkohan "I wonder if I should sit down for a while"
Over the course of many centuries, the Finnish language has borrowed a great many words from a wide variety of languages, most from neighboring Indo-European languages. Indeed, some estimates put the core Proto-Uralic vocabulary surviving in Finnish at only around 300 word roots. Due to the different grammatical, phonological and phonotactic structure of the Finnish language, loanwords from Indo-European have been assimilated.
In general, the first loan words into Finno-Ugric languages seem to come from very early Indo-European languages, and later mainly from Iranian, Turkic, Baltic, Germanic, and Slavic languages. Furthermore, a certain group of very basic and neutral words exists in Finnish and other Finnic languages that are absent from other Finno-Ugric languages, but without a recognizable etymology from any known language. These words are usually regarded as the last remnant of the Nordic language spoken in Fennoscandia before the arrival of the proto-Finnic language. Words included in this group are e.g. jänis (hare), musta (black), mäki (hill), saari (island), suo (swamp) and niemi (cape). Also some place names, like Päijänne and Imatra, are probably before the proto-Finnic era. Häkkinen, Kaisa. Suomalaisten esihistoria kielitieteen valossa (ISBN 951-717-855-7). Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura 1996. See pages 166 and 173.
Often quoted loan examples are kuningas "king" and ruhtinas "prince, high ranking nobleman" from Germanic *kuningaz and *druhtinaz, but another example is äiti "mother", from Gothic aiþei, which is interesting because borrowing of close-kinship vocabulary is a rare phenomenon. The original Finnish emo occurs only in restricted contexts. There are other close-kinship words that are loaned from Baltic and Germanic languages (morsian "bride", armas "dear"). Examples of the ancient Iranian loans are vasara "hammer" from Avestan vadžra, vajra and orja "slave" from arya, airya "man" (the latter probably via similar circumstances as slave from Slav in many European languages).
More recently, Swedish has been a prolific source of borrowings, and also, the Swedish language acted as a proxy for European words, especially those relating to government. Present-day Finland belonged to the kingdom of Sweden from the 12th century and was ceded to Russia in 1809, becoming an autonomous Grand Duchy. Swedish was retained as the official language and language of the upper class even after this. When Finnish was accepted as an official language, it gained only legal "equal status" with Swedish, which persists even today. It is still the case today, though only about 5.5% of Finnish nationals, the Swedish-speaking Finns, have Swedish as their mother tongue. During the period of autonomy, Russian did not gain much ground as a language of the people or the government. Nevertheless, quite a few words were subsequently acquired from Russian (especially in older Helsinki slang) but not to the same extent as with Swedish. In all these cases, borrowing has been partly a result of geographical proximity.
Especially words dealing with administrative or modern culture came to Finnish from Swedish, sometimes reflecting the oldest Swedish form of the word (lag - laki, 'law'; län - lääni, 'province'; bisp - piispa, 'bishop'; jordpäron - peruna, 'potato'), and many more survive as informal synonyms in spoken or dialectal Finnish (e.g. likka, from Swedish flicka, 'girl', usually tyttö in Finnish).
Typical Russian loanwords are old or very old, thus hard to recognize as such, and concern everyday concepts, e.g. papu "bean", sini "(n.) blue" and pappi "priest". Notably, a few religious words such as Raamattu ("Bible") are borrowed from Russian, which indicates language contact preceding the Swedish era. This is mainly believed to be result of trade with Novgorod from the 9th century on and the Orthodox converting in the 13th century.
Most recently, and with increasing impact, English has been the source of new loanwords in Finnish. Unlike previous "geographical" borrowing, the influence of English is largely "cultural" and reaches Finland by many routes including: international business; music; film and TV (foreign films and programmes, excluding ones intended for a very young audience, are shown subtitled); literature; and, of course, the Web this is now probably the most important source of all non-face-to-face exposure to English.
The importance of English as the language of global commerce has led many non-English companies, including Finland's Nokia, to adopt English as their official operating language. Recently, it has been observed that English borrowings are also ousting previous borrowings, for example the switch from treffailla "to date" (from Swedish, träffa) to deittailla from English "to go for a date". Calques from English are also found, e.g. kovalevy (hard disk). Grammatical calques are also found, for example, the replacement of the impersonal (passiivi) with the English-style generic you, e. g. sä et voi "you cannot", instead of ei voi "one cannot".
However, this does not mean that Finnish is threatened by English. Borrowing is normal language evolution, and neologisms are coined actively not only by the government, but also by the media. Moreover, Finnish and English have a considerably different grammar, phonology and phonotactics, discouraging direct borrowing. English loan words in Finnish slang include for example pleikkari "PlayStation", hodari "hot dog", and hedari "headache", "headshot" or "headbutt". Often these loanwords are distinctly identified as slang or jargon, rarely being used in a negative mood or in formal language. Since English and Finnish grammar, pronunciation and phonetics differ considerably, most loan words are inevitably sooner or later calqued â translated into native Finnish â retaining the semantic meaning.
Some modern terms have been synthesised rather than borrowed, for example:
:puhelin "telephone" (literally: "chatter" + instrument suffix "-in" to make "an instrument for chattering")
:tietokone "computer" (literally: "knowledge machine")
:levyke "diskette" (from levy "disc" + a diminutive -ke)
:sähköposti "email" (literally: "electrical mail")
:linja-auto "bus" (literally: route-car)
Neologisms are actively generated by the Language Planning Office and the media. They are widely adopted. One would actually give an old-fashioned or rustic impression using forms such as telefooni or kompuutteri when the neologism is widely adopted.
The first page of Abckiria (1543), the first book written in the Finnish language. The spelling of Finnish in the book had many inconsistencies: for example, the k sound could be represented by c, k or even g; the long u and the long i were represented by w and ij respectively, and ä was represented by e.
Finnish is written with the Swedish variant of the Latin alphabet that includes the distinct characters à and Ã, and also several characters not used in Finnish (including for example C, Q, Ã
). The Finnish orthography built upon the phoneme principle: each phoneme (meaningful sound) of the language is represented by exactly one grapheme (independent letter), and each grapheme represents almost exactly one phoneme. This makes the language easy for its speakers to spell, and facilitates learning to read and write. The rule of thumb for Finnish orthography is: write as you read, read as you write. However, morphemes retain their spelling despite sandhi.
Some orthographical notes:
*Long vowels and consonants are represented by double occurrences of the relevant graphemes. This causes no confusion, and permits these sounds to be written without having to nearly double the size of the alphabet to accommodate separate graphemes for long sounds.
*The grapheme h occurring before a consonant sounds slightly harder (initially breathy voiced, then voiceless) than when occurring before a vowel.
*Sandhi is not transcribed; the spelling of morphemes is immutable, e.g. tulen+pa .
*Some consonants (v, j, d) and all consonants occurring in (always medial) clusters do not have distinctive length, and consequently, their allophonic variation is not indicated in spelling, e.g. rajaan /rajaan/ (I limit) vs. raijaan /raijjaan/ (I haul).
*Pre-1900s texts and personal names use w for v. Both correspond to the same phoneme, the labiodental approximant , a v without the fricative ("hissing") quality of the English v.
*The letters ä [æ] and ö [ø], although written as umlauted a and o, do not represent phonological umlauts, and they are considered independent graphemes; the letter shapes have been copied from Swedish. An appropriate parallel from the Latin alphabet are the characters C and G (uppercase), which historically have a closer kinship than many other characters (G is a derivation of C) but are considered distinct letters, and changing one for the other will change meanings.
Although Finnish is almost completely written as it is spoken, there are a few differences:
* The n in nk is a velar nasal, as in English. As an exception to the phonetic principle, there is no g in ng, which is a long velar nasal as in English singalong.
* The gemination between words is not marked in writing.
* The double consonant in clitic is marked as a single consonant.
* Only comparative and superlative adjectives the letter m is used like in speech in word like parempi, but in other similar cases the letter n is used, like in onpa
* The /j/ after the letter i is very weak or there is no /j/ at all, but in writing it is used, example: urheilija. Indeed the j is not used in writing words with consonant gradation (like aion and some other (like läksiäiset))
* In speech there is no difference between the use of /i/ in words (like ajoittaa, but ehdottaa, but in writing there are quite simple rules: The i is written in words that consist two syllables and end in a or ä (sanoittaa), and in words that are old-stylish (innoittaa). The i is not written in words that consist two syllables and end in o or ö like (erottaa), words which do not have clear proto-word (hajottaa), and in words that are descriptive (häämöttää) or workaday by their style (rehottaa)
Graphemes ä and ö are sometimes converted in two ways, a and o, respectively and, ae and oe respectively. Finnish graphemes ä and ö are not umlauts like in German; conversion to ae and oe in Finnish language is less correct than in German language. Conversion to a and o is more common and almost universally used in email-addresses. Conversion ae and oe is rare but formally used in passports and equivalent situations. both conversion rules have minimal pairs.
The sounds š and ž are not a part of Finnish language itself and have been introduced somewhat artificially by a government regulation. Although they occur in some rare loanwords, their principal use is in the transcription of foreign names. For technical reasons or convenience, the graphemes sh and zh are often used in quickly or less carefully written texts instead of š and ž. This is a deviation from the phonetic principle, and as such is liable to cause confusion, but the damage is minimal as the transcribed words are foreign in any case. Finnish does not use the sounds z, š or ž, but for the sake of exactitude, they can be included in spelling. (The recommendation cites the Russian play Hovanshtshina as an example.) Many speakers pronounce all of them s, or distinguish only between s and š, because Finnish has no voiced sibilants.
The language may be identified by its distinctive lack of the letters b, c, f, q, w, x, z and å.
Väinö Linna: The Unknown Soldier; these words were also inscribed in the 20 mk note.
(Translation: "The benevolent sun watched them. By no means was it angry at them. Perhaps it even felt a kind of compassion towards them. Jolly good brothers.")
Sample sound of "Hyvää huomenta"
*(Hyvää) huomenta â Good morning
*(Hyvää) päivää â Good afternoon (literally "Good day")
*(Hyvää) iltapäivää â Good afternoon
*(Hyvää) iltaa â Good evening
*(Hyvää) yötä / Ãitä â Good night
*Terve! / Moro! â Hello!
*Hei! / Moi! â Hi!
*Heippa! / Moikka! / Hei hei! / Moi moi! â Bye!
*Nähdään â See you later (literally "will be seen")
*Näkemi(si)in / Hyvästi â Goodbye
*Hauska tutustua! â Nice to meet you
*Kiitos â Thank you
*Kiitos, samoin â Likewise
*Mitä kuuluu? â How are you / How you doing? (Not used among strangers.) (literally "What is heard?")
*Kiitos hyvää â I'm fine, thank you
*Tervetuloa! â Welcome!
Tietosanakirja, 11 volumes, 1909-1922, Finnish encyclopedia.
* kyllä â yes
* joo â yes (informal)
* ei â no
* en â I will not / I do not
* minä, sinä, hän(se) â I, you, he/she(it)
* me, te, he(ne) â we, you (two or more), they
* (minä) olen â I am
* (sinä) olet â you are
* (minä) en ole - I am not
* (sinä) et ole - You are not
* yksi, kaksi, kolme â one, two, three
* neljä, viisi, kuusi â four, five, six
* seitsemän, kahdeksan â seven, eight
* yhdeksän, kymmenen â nine, ten
* yksitoista, kaksitoista, kolmetoista â eleven, twelve, thirteen
* sata, tuhat, miljoona â hundred, thousand, million
* (minä) rakastan sinua â I love you
* anteeksi â forgive me, excuse me, sorry
* voitko auttaa â can you help
* apua! - help!
* voisit(te)ko auttaa â could you help
* missä on ... ? â where is ...?
* olen pahoillani â I'm sorry (apology)
* otan osaa â My condolences
* onnea â good luck
* totta kai/tietysti/toki â of course
* pieni hetki, pikku hetki, hetkinen â one moment please!
* odota â wait
* Suomi â Finland
* suomi/suomen kieli â Finnish language
* suomalainen â (noun) Finn; (adjective) Finnish
* En ymmärrä â I don't understand
* (Minä) ymmärrän â I understand
* ¹Ymmärrät(te)kö suomea? â Do you understand Finnish?
* ¹Puhut(te)ko englantia? â Do you speak English?
* Olen englantilainen / amerikkalainen / kanadalainen / australialainen / uusiseelantilainen / irlantilainen / skotlantilainen / walesilainen / ranskalainen / saksalainen / kiinalainen / japanilainen â I am English / American / Canadian / Australian / New Zealander / Irish / Scottish / Welsh / French / German / Chinese / Japanese
* ¹Olet(te)ko englantilainen? â Are you English?
* Missä (sinä) asut/¹Missä (te) asutte? â Where do you live?
¹ -te is added to make the sentence formal (T-V distinction). Otherwise, without the added "-te", it is informal. It is also added when talking to more than one person. The transition from second-person singular to second-person plural (teitittely) is a politeness pattern, advised by many "good manners guides". Elderly people, especially, expect it from strangers, whereas the younger might feel it to be too formal to the point of coldness. However, a learner of the language should not be excessively concerned about it. Omitting it is never offensive, but one should keep in mind that on formal occasions this custom may make a good impression.
* Finnish alphabet
* Finnish grammar
* Spoken Finnish
* Finland's language strife
* Karelian language
* Estonian language
* Finnish name
* Finnish cultural and academic institutes
* Finnish language on Ethnologue
* The Finnish language --- a list of resources
* Lexicon of Early Indo-European Loanwords Preserved in Finnish
* Proto-Uralic to Finnish (in IPA mostly migrated from X-SAMPA)
* English-Finnish-English Dictionary
* Collection of Finnish bilingual dictionaries
* Finnish Etymological Dictionary by Andras Rajki
* English-Finnish and Russian-Finnish Dictionary
* English-Finnish vocabulary quizzes
* The 2 253 possible forms of the Finnish noun kauppa 'shop'
* Discussion about the Finnish Language
To Do
This section lists the topics which need to be written or expanded (there are headings for all of these):
* This page:
** History: The history of the language, especially its written form and its official status
** Derivative suffixes
** External links
* Grammar page:
** Illative formation
** Noun plurals
** Noun stem types
** Adjectives, including comparison
** Postpositions and prepositions
** 5th infinitive
** Imperfect indicative for typeV and VI verbs
** Present participles, active and passive
** Past participle, passive
** Agent participle
** Passive, 2nd person imperatives
** 3rd person imperatives
** 1st person plural imperatives
** Ordinal numbers
** Names of numbers
* Spoken language page:
**important regional variations
-->
|
Finnish_language | When did Proto-Uralic language arrive in Finland? | Proto-Uralic language arrived in Finland around 1900 BCE. | data/set5/a5 | Finnish_language
Finnish ( , or suomen kieli) is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland (92% Tilastokeskus - Väestö ) and by ethnic Finns outside of Finland. It is one of the official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a Finnish dialect, are spoken. The Kven language, a Finnish dialect spoken in Northern Norway, is an official minority language in Norway.
Finnish is the eponymous member of the Finno-Ugric language family and is typologically between fusional and agglutinative languages. It modifies and inflects the forms of nouns, adjectives, pronouns, numerals and verbs, depending on their roles in the sentence.
Finnish is a member of the Baltic-Finnic subgroup of the Finno-Ugric group of languages which in turn is a member of the Uralic family of languages. The Baltic-Finnic subgroup also includes Estonian and other minority languages spoken around the Baltic Sea.
Finnish demonstrates an affiliation with the Uralic languages in several respects including:
*Shared morphology:
:*case suffixes such as genitive -n, partitive -(t)a / -(t)ä ( Virtual Finland: Where do Finns come from?.
According to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, Finnish is classified as a level III language in terms of learning difficulty for native English speakers. Defense Language Institute
Areas in Southern Sweden with a Finnish-speaking population (2005)
Finnish is spoken by about six million people who reside mainly in Finland. There are also notable Finnish-speaking minorities in Sweden, Norway, Russia, Estonia, Canada, and the United States. The majority of the population of Finland, 91.51% , speak Finnish as their first language. The remainder speak Swedish (5.5%), Sami (Northern, Inari, Skolt) and other languages. It has achieved some popularity as a second language in Estonia.
Finnish is one of two official languages of Finland (the other being Swedish, spoken by 5.49% of the population Statistikcentralen - Befolkning ) and an official language of the European Union. It enjoys the status of an official minority language in Sweden. It is also one of the working languages of the Nordic Council. Under the Nordic Language Convention, citizens of the Nordic countries speaking Finnish have the opportunity to use their native language when interacting with official bodies in other Nordic countries without being liable to any interpretation or translation costs. Konvention mellan Sverige, Danmark, Finland, Island och Norge om nordiska medborgares rätt att använda sitt eget språk i annat nordiskt land, Nordic Council website. Retrieved on April 25, 2007. 20th anniversary of the Nordic Language Convention, Nordic news, February 22, 2007. Retrieved on April 25, 2007.
According to recent estimations, Proto-Uralic language arrived in Finland around 1900 BCE, soon to be developed into Proto-Finnic. The Balto-Finnic languages evolved from the Proto-Finnic language after Sámi was separated from it around 1500-1000 BCE. Current research indicates there were three or more Proto-Finnic dialects. The Baltic Finnic languages separated around the 1st century, but continued to influence each other. Therefore, the Eastern Finnish dialects are genetically Eastern Proto-Finnic, with many Eastern features, and the Southwestern Finnish dialects have many genuine Estonian influences.
Finland was annexed to Catholic Sweden in the Middle Ages. Prior to this, Finnish was an oral language. Even after, the language of larger-scale business was Middle Low German, the language of administration Swedish, and religious activities were held in Latin, leaving few possibilities for Finnish-speakers to use their mother tongue in situations other than daily chores.
The first known written example of Finnish comes from this era and was found in a German travel journal dating back to c.1450: Mynna tachton gernast spuho somen gelen Emyna dayda (Modern Finnish: "Minä tahdon kernaasti puhua suomen kieltä, [mutta] en minä taida"; English: "I willingly want to speak Finnish, [but] I cannot"). According to the travel journal, a Finnish bishop, whose name is unknown, was behind the above quotation.
Mikael Agricola, a 19th century drawing by Albert Edelfelt
The first comprehensive writing system for Finnish was created by Mikael Agricola, a Finnish bishop, in the 16th century. He based his orthography on Swedish, German, and Latin. His ultimate plan was to translate the Bible, but first he had to define rules on which the Finnish standard language still relies, particularly with respect to spelling. He also invented single-handedly many words such as armo meaning both "mercy" and "grace" (as in "from grace alone, not out of good works...") and vanhurskas "righteous". More than fifty percent of these words are still in use.
Agricola's written language was based on western dialects of Finnish, and his intention was that each phoneme should correspond to one letter. Yet, Agricola was confronted with many problems in this endeavor and failed to achieve uniformity. This is why he might use different signs for the same phonemes depending on the situation. For example he used dh or d to represent the voiced dental fricative (English th in this) and tz or z to represent the geminate unvoiced dental fricative (the th in thin). Additionally, Agricola might use gh or g to represent the voiced velar fricative and either ch, c or h for /h/. For example he wrote techtin against modern spelling tehtiin.
Later others revised Agricola's work, striving for a more phonemic system. Along the way, Finnish lost some of its phonemes. The sounds and disappeared from the standard language, surviving only in a small rural region in Western Finland. Elsewhere, traces of these phonemes persist as their disappearance gave Finnish dialects their distinct qualities. For example, became ht or tt (e.g. meþþä â mehtä, mettä) in the eastern dialects and in some western dialects. In the standard language, however, the effect of the lost phonemes is thus:
* became
* became
* became but only if the voiced velar fricative appeared originally between high labial vowels, otherwise lost entirely.
Modern Finnish punctuation, along with that of Swedish, uses the colon character (:) to separate the stem of the word and its grammatical ending in some cases (such as after abbreviations), where some other alphabetic writing systems would use an apostrophe. Suffixes are required for correct grammar, so this is often applied, e.g. EU:ssa "in the EU".
Elias Lönnrot as depicted in a 19th century caricature Lönnrot made several journeys to Karelia and Eastern Finland to collect folklore, from which he compiled the Kalevala.
In the 19th century Johan Vilhelm Snellman and others began to stress the need to improve the status of Finnish. Ever since the days of Mikael Agricola written Finnish had been used almost exclusively in religious contexts, but now Snellman's Hegelian nationalistic ideas of Finnish as a full-fledged national language gained considerable support. Concerted efforts were made to improve the status of the language and to modernize it, and by the end of the century Finnish had become a language of administration, journalism, literature, and science in Finland, along with Swedish.
The most important contributions to improving the status of Finnish were made by Elias Lönnrot. His impact on the development of modern vocabulary in Finnish was particularly crucial. In addition to compiling the Kalevala, he acted as an arbitrator in disputes about the development of standard Finnish between the proponents of western and eastern dialects, ensuring that the western dialects Agricola had preferred preserved their preeminent role, while many originally dialectical words from Eastern Finland were introduced to the standard language enriching it considerably. The first novel written in Finnish (and by a Finnish-speaker) was Seven Brothers, published by Aleksis Kivi in 1870.
Map of Finnish dialects
The dialects of Finnish are divided into two distinct groups, the Western dialects and the Eastern dialects. The dialects are almost entirely mutually intelligible and distinguished from each other by only minor changes in vowels, diphthongs and rhythm. For the most part, the dialects operate on the same phonology, grammar and vocabulary. There are only marginal examples of sounds or grammatical constructions specific to some dialect and not found in standard Finnish. Two examples are the voiced dental fricative found in Rauma dialect and the Eastern exessive case.
The classification of closely related dialects spoken outside of Finland is a politically sensitive issue that has been controversial since Finland's independence in 1917. This concerns specifically the Karelian language in Russia and Meänkieli in Sweden, the speakers of which are often considered oppressed minorities. Karelian is different enough from standard Finnish to have its own orthography. Meänkieli is a northern dialect entirely intelligible to speakers of any other Finnish dialect, which achieved its status as an official minority language in Sweden for historical and political reasons regardless of the fact that Finnish is an official minority language in Sweden, too.
The South-West dialects (lounaismurteet) are spoken in Finland Proper and Satakunta. Their typical feature is abbreviation of word-final vowels, and in many respects they resemble Estonian. The Tavastian dialects (hämäläismurteet) are spoken in Tavastia. They are closest to the standard language, but feature some slight vowel changes, such as the opening of diphthong-final vowels (tie â tiä, miekka â miakka, kuolisi â kualis). The Southern Ostrobothnian dialects (eteläpohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Southern Ostrobothnia. Their most notable feature is the pronunciation of 'd' as a tapped or even fully trilled /r/. The Middle and North Ostrobothnia dialects (keski- ja pohjoispohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Central and Northern Ostrobothnia. The Far-Northern dialects (peräpohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Lapland. The dialects spoken in the western parts of Lapland are recognizable by retention of old 'h' sounds in positions where they have disappeared from other dialects.
One of the Far-Northern dialects, Meänkieli, which is spoken on the Swedish side of the border, is taught in some Swedish schools as a distinct standardized language. The speakers of Meänkieli became politically separated from the other Finns when Finland was annexed to Russia in 1809. The categorization of Meänkieli as a separate language is controversial among the Finns, who see no linguistic criteria, only political reasons, for treating Meänkieli differently than other dialects of Finnish.
The Kven language is spoken in Finnmark and Troms, in Norway. Its speakers are descendants of Finnish emigrants to the region in the 18th and 19th centuries. Kven is an official minority language in Norway.
The Eastern dialects consist of the widespread Savonian dialects (savolaismurteet) spoken in Savo and nearby areas, and the South-Eastern dialects spoken now only in Finnish South Karelia. The South-Eastern dialects (kaakkoismurteet) were previously spoken also on the Karelian Isthmus and in Ingria. The Karelian Isthmus was evacuated during World War II and refugees were resettled all over Finland. Most of Ingrian Finns were deported to various parts of Russia and Estonia.
Palatalization, a common feature of Uralic languages, had been lost in Baltic-Finnic languages, but it has been reacquired by most of these languages, including Eastern Finnish, but not Western Finnish. In Finnish orthography, this is denoted with a 'j', e.g. vesj, cf. standard vesi.
The language spoken in the parts of Karelia that have not historically been under Swedish or Finnish rule is usually called the Karelian language, and it is considered to be more distant from standard Finnish than the Eastern dialects. Whether this language of Russian Karelia is a dialect of Finnish or a separate language is a matter of interpretation. However, the term Karelian dialects is often used colloquially to the Finnish South-Eastern dialects.
* Western dialects
**Southern-Western dialects
***Proper Southern-Western dialects
**** Northern dialect group
**** Southern dialect group
***Southern-Western middle dialects
****Pori region dialects
****Ala-Satakunta dialects
****dialects of Turku highlands
****Somero region dialects
****Western Uusimaa dialects
**Tavastian dialects
***Ylä-Satakunta dialects
***Heart Tavastian dialects
***Southern Tavastian dialects
***Southern-Eastern Tavastian dialects
****Hollola dialect group
****Porvoo dialect group
****Iitti dialect group
**Southern Botnian dialects
**Middle and Northern Botnian dialects
***Middle Botnian dialects
***Northern Botnian dialects
**Peräpohjola dialects
***Tornio dialects ("Meänkieli" in Sweden)
***Kemi dialects
***Kemijärvi dialects
***Jällivaara dialects ("Meänkieli" in Sweden)
***Ruija dialects ("Kven language" in Northern Norway)
*Eastern dialects
**Savonian dialects
***Northern Savonian dialects
***Southern Savonian dialects
***Middle dialects of Savonlinna region
***Eastern Savonian dialects or the dialects of North Karelia
***Kainuu dialects
***Central Finland dialects
***Päijänne Tavastia dialects
***Keuruu-Evijärvi dialects
***Savonian dialects of Värmland (Sweden)
**Southern-Eastern dialects
***Proper Southern-Eastern dialects
***Middle dialects of Lemi region
***Middle dialects of Sortavala region (now in Russia)
***Dialects of Ingria (in Russia) /ref>
There are two main varieties of Finnish used throughout the country. One is the "standard language" (yleiskieli), and the other is the "spoken language" (puhekieli). The standard language is used in formal situations like political speeches and newscasts. Its written form, the "book language" (kirjakieli), is used in nearly all written texts, not always excluding even the dialogue of common people in popular prose. The spoken language, on the other hand, is the main variety of Finnish used in popular TV and radio shows and at workplaces, and may be preferred to a dialect in personal communication.
Standard Finnish is prescribed by the Language Office of the Research Institute for the Languages of Finland and is the language used in official communication. The Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish (Nykysuomen sanakirja 1951â61), with 201,000 entries, was a prescriptive dictionary that defined official language. An additional volume for words of foreign origin (Nykysuomen sivistyssanakirja, 30,000 entries) was published in 1991. An updated dictionary, the Language Office Dictionary (Kielitoimiston sanakirja) was published in an electronic form in 2004 and in print in 2006. A descriptive grammar (Iso suomen kielioppi, Hakulinen, Auli et al. (2004): Iso suomen kielioppi. SKS:n toimituksia 950. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura. ISBN 951-746-557-2. 1,600 pages 1,600 pages) was published in 2004. There is also an etymological dictionary, Suomen sanojen alkuperä, published in 1992â2000, and a handbook of contemporary language (Nykysuomen käsikirja), and a periodic publication, Kielikello. Standard Finnish is used in official texts and is the form of language taught in schools. Its spoken form is used in political speech, newscasts, in courts, and in other formal situations. Nearly all publishing and printed works are in standard Finnish.
The spoken language has mostly developed naturally from earlier forms of Finnish, and spread from main cultural and political centres. The standard language, however, has always been a consciously constructed medium for literature. It preserves grammatical patterns that have mostly vanished from the colloquial varieties and, as its main application is writing, it features complex syntactic patterns that are not easy to handle when used in speech. The spoken language develops significantly faster, and the grammatical and phonological simplifications include also the most common pronouns and suffixes, which sum up to frequent but modest differences. Some sound changes have been left out of the formal language, such as the irregularization of some common verbs by assimilation, e.g. tule- â tuu- (although tule can be used in spoken language as well).
Written language certainly still exerts a considerable influence upon the spoken word, due to the fact that illiteracy is nonexistent and many Finns are avid readers. In fact, it is still not entirely uncommon to meet people who "talk like a book" (puhuvat kirjakieltä), although this is seen as pedantic. More common is the intrusion of typically book-like constructions into a colloquial discourse, as a kind of quote from written Finnish. It should also be noted that it is quite common to hear book-like and polished speech on radio or TV, and the constant exposure to such language tends to lead to the adoption of such constructions even in everyday language.
A prominent example of the effect of the standard language is the development of the consonant gradation form /ts : ts/ as in metsä : metsän, as this pattern was originally (1940) found natively only in the dialects of southern Karelian isthmus and Ingria. In fact, it has arisen from the spelling 'ts' for the dental fricative [θË], which has disappeared. In spoken language, a fusion of Western /tt : tt/ (mettä : mettän) and Eastern /ht : t/ (mehtä : metän) has been created: /tt : t/ (mettä : metän). Yleiskielen ts:n murrevastineet It is notable that neither of these are forms are identifiable as or originate from a specific dialect.
The orthography of the informal language follows that of the formal language. However, sometimes sandhi may be transcribed, especially the internal ones, e.g. menenpä â menempä. This never takes place in formal language.
:
Note that there are noticeable differences between dialects. These examples are mostly from the language as spoken in the capital area (Helsinki dialect or even Stadin slangi). Also note that here the formal language does not mean a language spoken in formal occasions but the standard language which exist practically only in written form.
Characteristic features of Finnish (common to other Finno-Ugric languages) are vowel harmony and an agglutinative morphology; due to the extensive use of the latter, words can be quite long.
The main stress is always on the first syllable, and it is articulated by adding approximately 100 ms more length to the stressed vowel. Stress does not cause any measurable modifications in vowel quality (very much unlike English). However, stress is not strong and words appear evenly stressed. In some cases, stress is so weak that the highest points of volume, pitch and other indicators of "articulation intensity" are not on the first syllable, although native speakers recognize the first syllable as a stressed syllable.
There are eight vowels, whose lexical and grammatical role is highly important, and which are unusually strictly controlled, so that there is almost no allophony. Vowels shown in the table below, followed by the IPA symbol when not identical. These are always different phonemes in the initial syllable; for noninitial syllable, see morphophonology below.
: 1 Although conventionally and conveniently written with the close-mid symbols , and , they are more accurately described as mid vowels ( , and ).
The usual analysis is that Finnish has long and short vowels and consonants as distinct phonemes. However, long vowels may be analyzed as a vowel followed by a chroneme, or also, that sequences of identical vowels are pronounced as "diphthongs". The quality of long vowels mostly overlaps with the quality of short vowels, with the exception of u, which is centralized with respect to uu; long vowels do not morph into diphthongs. There are eighteen phonemic diphthongs; like vowels, diphthongs do not have significant allophony.
Finnish has a consonant inventory of small to moderate size, where voicing is mostly not distinctive, and fricatives are scarce. Finnish has relatively few non-coronal consonants. Consonants are as follows, where consonants in parenthesis are found only in a few recent loans.
# is the equivalent of under weakening consonant gradation, and thus occurs only medially, or in non-native words; it is actually more of an alveolar tap rather than a true voiced stop, and the dialectal realization varies wildly; see main article.
# The glottal stop can only appear at word boundaries as a result of certain sandhi phenomena, and it is not indicated in spelling: e.g. 'let it be', orthographically anna olla. Moreover, this sound is not used in all dialects.
# The short velar nasal is an allophone of in , and the long velar nasal , written ng, is the equivalent of under weakening consonant gradation (type of lenition) and thus occurs only medially.
Almost all consonants have phonemic geminated forms. These are independent, but occur only medially when phonemic.
Independent consonant clusters are not allowed in native words, except for a small set of two-consonant syllable codas, e.g. 'rs' in karsta. However, due to a number of recently adopted loanwords using them, e.g. strutsi "ostrich", Finnish speakers can pronounce them, even if it is somewhat awkward.
As a Finno-Ugric language, it is somewhat special in two respects: loss of fricatives and loss of palatalization.
An interesting feature of Finnic phonology is the development of labial vowels in non-initial syllables. Proto-Uralic had only 'a' and 'i' and their vowel harmonic allophones in non-initial syllables; modern Finnish allows other vowels in non-initial syllables (they are uncommon, however, compared to 'a', 'ä' and 'i').
Palatalization is characteristic of Finno-Ugric languages, but Finnish has lost it. However, the Eastern dialects and the Karelian language have redeveloped a system of palatalization. For example, the Karelian word d'uuri , with a palatalized , is reflected by juuri in Finnish and Savo dialect vesj is vesi in standard Finnish.
Finnish has only two fricatives, namely and . All other fricatives are recognized as foreign, of which Finnish speakers can usually reliably distinguish and .
Finnish has several morphophonological processes between grammar ("logic") and phonology ("sounds") that require modification of the forms of words for daily speech. The most important processes are vowel harmony and consonant gradation.
Vowel harmony is a redundancy feature, which means that the feature [±back] is uniform within a word, and so it is necessary to interpret it only once for a given word. It is meaning-distinguishing in the initial syllable, and suffixes follow; so, if the listener hears [±back] in any part of the word, they can derive [±back] for the initial syllable. For example, tuote ("product") agglutinates to tuotteeseensa ("into his product"), where the final vowel becomes the back vowel 'a' (rather than the front vowel 'ä') because the initial syllable contains the back vowels 'uo'. This is especially notable because vowels 'a' and 'ä' are different, meaning-distinguishing phonemes, not interchangeable or allophonic. Finnish front vowels are not umlauts.
Consonant gradation is a lenition process for P, T and K, with the oblique stem "weakened" from the nominative stem, or vice versa. For example, tarkka "precise" has the oblique root tarka-, as in tarkan "of the precise". There is also another gradation pattern, which is older, and causes simple elision of T and K. However, it is very common since it is found in the partitive case marker: if V is a single vowel, V+ta â Va, e.g. *vanha+ta â vanhaa. Another instance is the imperative, which changes into a glottal stop in the singular but is shown as an overt 'ka' in plural, e.g. mene vs. menkää.
The morphosyntactic alignment is nominative-accusative; but there are two object cases: accusative and partitive. The contrast between the two is telic, where the accusative case denotes actions completed as intended (Ammuin hirven "I shot (killed) the elk"), and the partitive case denotes incomplete actions (Ammuin hirveä "I shot (at) the elk"). Often this is confused with perfectivity, but the only element of perfectivity that exists in Finnish is that there are some perfective verbs. Transitivity is distinguished by different verbs for transitive and intransitive, e.g. ratkaista "to solve something" vs. ratketa "to solve by itself". There are several frequentative and momentane verb categories.
Verbs gain personal suffixes for each person; these suffixes are grammatically more important than pronouns, which are often not used at all in standard Finnish. The infinitive is not the uninflected form but has a suffix -ta or -da; the closest one to an uninflected form is the third person singular indicative. There are four persons, first ("I, we"), second ("you (singular), you (plural)"), third ("s/he, they"). Also, the passive voice (sometimes called impersonal or indefinite) resembles a "fourth person" similar to e.g. English "people say/do/â¦". There are four tenses, namely present, past, perfect and pluperfect; the system mirrors the Germanic system. The future tense is not needed due to context and the telic contrast. For example, luen kirjan "I read a book (completely)" indicates a future, when luen kirjaa "I read a book (not yet complete)" indicates present.
Nouns may be suffixed with the markers for the aforementioned accusative case and partitive case, the genitive case, eight different locatives, and a few other cases. The case marker must be added not only to the main noun, but also to its modifiers; e.g. suure+ssa talo+ssa, literally "big-in house-in". Possession is marked with a possessive suffix; separate possessive pronouns are unknown. Pronouns gain suffixes just as nouns do.
Suomalaisen Sana-Lugun Coetus (1745) by Daniel Juslenius was the first comprehensive dictionary of the Finnish language with 16,000 entries.
:See the lists of Finnish words and words of Finnish origin at Wiktionary, the free dictionary and Wikipedia's sibling project.
Finnish extensively employs regular agglutination. It has a smaller core vocabulary than, for example, English, and uses derivative suffixes to a greater extent. As an example, take the word kirja "a book", from which one can form derivatives kirjain "a letter" (of the alphabet), kirje "a piece of correspondence, a letter", kirjasto "a library", kirjailija "an author", kirjallisuus "literature", kirjoittaa "to write", kirjoittaja "a writer", kirjuri "a scribe, a clerk", kirjallinen "something in written form", kirjata "to write down, register, record", kirjasin "a font", and others.
Here are some of the more common such suffixes. Which of each pair is used depends on the word being suffixed in accordance with the rules of vowel harmony.
*-ja/jä : agent (one who does) (e.g. lukea "to read" â lukija "reader")
*-lainen/läinen: inhabitant of (either noun or adjective). Englanti "England" â englantilainen "English person or thing"; Venäjä â venäläinen "Russian person or thing".
*-sto/stö: collection of. For example: kirja "a book" â kirjasto "a library"; laiva "a ship" â laivasto "navy, fleet".
*-in: instrument or tool. For example: kirjata "to book, to file" â kirjain "a letter" (of the alphabet); vatkata "to whisk" â vatkain "a whisk, mixer".
*-uri/yri: an agent or instrument (kaivaa "to dig" â kaivuri "a digging machine"; laiva "a ship" â laivuri "shipper, shipmaster").
*-os/ös: result of some action (tulla "to come" â tulos "result, outcome"; tehdä "to do" â teos "a piece of work").
*-ton/tön: lack of something, "un-", "-less" (onni "happiness" â onneton "unhappy"; koti "home" â koditon "homeless").
*-llinen: having (the quality of) something (lapsi "a child" â lapsellinen "childish"; kauppa "a shop, commerce" â kaupallinen "commercial").
*-kas/käs: similar to -llinen (itse "self" â itsekäs "selfish"; neuvo "advice" â neuvokas "resourceful").
*-va/vä: doing or having something (taitaa "to be able" â taitava "skillful"; johtaa "to lead" â johtava "leading").
*-la/lä: a place related to the main word (kana "a hen" â kanala "a henhouse"; pappi "a priest" â pappila "a parsonage").
Verbal suffixes are extremely diverse; several frequentatives and momentanes differentiating causative, volitional-unpredictable and anticausative are found, often combined with each other, often denoting indirection. For example, hypätä "to jump", hyppiä "to be jumping", hypeksiä "to be jumping wantonly", hypäyttää "to make someone jump once", hyppyyttää "to make someone jump repeatedly" (or "to boss someone around"), hyppyytyttää "to make someone to cause a third person to jump repeatedly", hyppyytellä "to, without aim, make someone jump repeatedly", hypähtää "to jump suddenly" (in anticausative meaning), hypellä "to jump around repeatedly", hypiskellä "to be jumping repeatedly and wantonly", hyppimättä "without jumping", hyppelemättä "without jumping around". Often the diversity and compactness of this agglutination is illustrated with istahtaisinkohan "I wonder if I should sit down for a while" (from istua, "to sit, to be seated"):
*istua "to sit down"
*istun "I sit down" / istahtaa "to sit down for a while"
*istahdan "I sit down for a while"
*istahtaisin "I should sit down for a while"
*istahtaisinko "should I sit down for a while?"
*istahtaisinkohan "I wonder if I should sit down for a while"
Over the course of many centuries, the Finnish language has borrowed a great many words from a wide variety of languages, most from neighboring Indo-European languages. Indeed, some estimates put the core Proto-Uralic vocabulary surviving in Finnish at only around 300 word roots. Due to the different grammatical, phonological and phonotactic structure of the Finnish language, loanwords from Indo-European have been assimilated.
In general, the first loan words into Finno-Ugric languages seem to come from very early Indo-European languages, and later mainly from Iranian, Turkic, Baltic, Germanic, and Slavic languages. Furthermore, a certain group of very basic and neutral words exists in Finnish and other Finnic languages that are absent from other Finno-Ugric languages, but without a recognizable etymology from any known language. These words are usually regarded as the last remnant of the Nordic language spoken in Fennoscandia before the arrival of the proto-Finnic language. Words included in this group are e.g. jänis (hare), musta (black), mäki (hill), saari (island), suo (swamp) and niemi (cape). Also some place names, like Päijänne and Imatra, are probably before the proto-Finnic era. Häkkinen, Kaisa. Suomalaisten esihistoria kielitieteen valossa (ISBN 951-717-855-7). Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura 1996. See pages 166 and 173.
Often quoted loan examples are kuningas "king" and ruhtinas "prince, high ranking nobleman" from Germanic *kuningaz and *druhtinaz, but another example is äiti "mother", from Gothic aiþei, which is interesting because borrowing of close-kinship vocabulary is a rare phenomenon. The original Finnish emo occurs only in restricted contexts. There are other close-kinship words that are loaned from Baltic and Germanic languages (morsian "bride", armas "dear"). Examples of the ancient Iranian loans are vasara "hammer" from Avestan vadžra, vajra and orja "slave" from arya, airya "man" (the latter probably via similar circumstances as slave from Slav in many European languages).
More recently, Swedish has been a prolific source of borrowings, and also, the Swedish language acted as a proxy for European words, especially those relating to government. Present-day Finland belonged to the kingdom of Sweden from the 12th century and was ceded to Russia in 1809, becoming an autonomous Grand Duchy. Swedish was retained as the official language and language of the upper class even after this. When Finnish was accepted as an official language, it gained only legal "equal status" with Swedish, which persists even today. It is still the case today, though only about 5.5% of Finnish nationals, the Swedish-speaking Finns, have Swedish as their mother tongue. During the period of autonomy, Russian did not gain much ground as a language of the people or the government. Nevertheless, quite a few words were subsequently acquired from Russian (especially in older Helsinki slang) but not to the same extent as with Swedish. In all these cases, borrowing has been partly a result of geographical proximity.
Especially words dealing with administrative or modern culture came to Finnish from Swedish, sometimes reflecting the oldest Swedish form of the word (lag - laki, 'law'; län - lääni, 'province'; bisp - piispa, 'bishop'; jordpäron - peruna, 'potato'), and many more survive as informal synonyms in spoken or dialectal Finnish (e.g. likka, from Swedish flicka, 'girl', usually tyttö in Finnish).
Typical Russian loanwords are old or very old, thus hard to recognize as such, and concern everyday concepts, e.g. papu "bean", sini "(n.) blue" and pappi "priest". Notably, a few religious words such as Raamattu ("Bible") are borrowed from Russian, which indicates language contact preceding the Swedish era. This is mainly believed to be result of trade with Novgorod from the 9th century on and the Orthodox converting in the 13th century.
Most recently, and with increasing impact, English has been the source of new loanwords in Finnish. Unlike previous "geographical" borrowing, the influence of English is largely "cultural" and reaches Finland by many routes including: international business; music; film and TV (foreign films and programmes, excluding ones intended for a very young audience, are shown subtitled); literature; and, of course, the Web this is now probably the most important source of all non-face-to-face exposure to English.
The importance of English as the language of global commerce has led many non-English companies, including Finland's Nokia, to adopt English as their official operating language. Recently, it has been observed that English borrowings are also ousting previous borrowings, for example the switch from treffailla "to date" (from Swedish, träffa) to deittailla from English "to go for a date". Calques from English are also found, e.g. kovalevy (hard disk). Grammatical calques are also found, for example, the replacement of the impersonal (passiivi) with the English-style generic you, e. g. sä et voi "you cannot", instead of ei voi "one cannot".
However, this does not mean that Finnish is threatened by English. Borrowing is normal language evolution, and neologisms are coined actively not only by the government, but also by the media. Moreover, Finnish and English have a considerably different grammar, phonology and phonotactics, discouraging direct borrowing. English loan words in Finnish slang include for example pleikkari "PlayStation", hodari "hot dog", and hedari "headache", "headshot" or "headbutt". Often these loanwords are distinctly identified as slang or jargon, rarely being used in a negative mood or in formal language. Since English and Finnish grammar, pronunciation and phonetics differ considerably, most loan words are inevitably sooner or later calqued â translated into native Finnish â retaining the semantic meaning.
Some modern terms have been synthesised rather than borrowed, for example:
:puhelin "telephone" (literally: "chatter" + instrument suffix "-in" to make "an instrument for chattering")
:tietokone "computer" (literally: "knowledge machine")
:levyke "diskette" (from levy "disc" + a diminutive -ke)
:sähköposti "email" (literally: "electrical mail")
:linja-auto "bus" (literally: route-car)
Neologisms are actively generated by the Language Planning Office and the media. They are widely adopted. One would actually give an old-fashioned or rustic impression using forms such as telefooni or kompuutteri when the neologism is widely adopted.
The first page of Abckiria (1543), the first book written in the Finnish language. The spelling of Finnish in the book had many inconsistencies: for example, the k sound could be represented by c, k or even g; the long u and the long i were represented by w and ij respectively, and ä was represented by e.
Finnish is written with the Swedish variant of the Latin alphabet that includes the distinct characters à and Ã, and also several characters not used in Finnish (including for example C, Q, Ã
). The Finnish orthography built upon the phoneme principle: each phoneme (meaningful sound) of the language is represented by exactly one grapheme (independent letter), and each grapheme represents almost exactly one phoneme. This makes the language easy for its speakers to spell, and facilitates learning to read and write. The rule of thumb for Finnish orthography is: write as you read, read as you write. However, morphemes retain their spelling despite sandhi.
Some orthographical notes:
*Long vowels and consonants are represented by double occurrences of the relevant graphemes. This causes no confusion, and permits these sounds to be written without having to nearly double the size of the alphabet to accommodate separate graphemes for long sounds.
*The grapheme h occurring before a consonant sounds slightly harder (initially breathy voiced, then voiceless) than when occurring before a vowel.
*Sandhi is not transcribed; the spelling of morphemes is immutable, e.g. tulen+pa .
*Some consonants (v, j, d) and all consonants occurring in (always medial) clusters do not have distinctive length, and consequently, their allophonic variation is not indicated in spelling, e.g. rajaan /rajaan/ (I limit) vs. raijaan /raijjaan/ (I haul).
*Pre-1900s texts and personal names use w for v. Both correspond to the same phoneme, the labiodental approximant , a v without the fricative ("hissing") quality of the English v.
*The letters ä [æ] and ö [ø], although written as umlauted a and o, do not represent phonological umlauts, and they are considered independent graphemes; the letter shapes have been copied from Swedish. An appropriate parallel from the Latin alphabet are the characters C and G (uppercase), which historically have a closer kinship than many other characters (G is a derivation of C) but are considered distinct letters, and changing one for the other will change meanings.
Although Finnish is almost completely written as it is spoken, there are a few differences:
* The n in nk is a velar nasal, as in English. As an exception to the phonetic principle, there is no g in ng, which is a long velar nasal as in English singalong.
* The gemination between words is not marked in writing.
* The double consonant in clitic is marked as a single consonant.
* Only comparative and superlative adjectives the letter m is used like in speech in word like parempi, but in other similar cases the letter n is used, like in onpa
* The /j/ after the letter i is very weak or there is no /j/ at all, but in writing it is used, example: urheilija. Indeed the j is not used in writing words with consonant gradation (like aion and some other (like läksiäiset))
* In speech there is no difference between the use of /i/ in words (like ajoittaa, but ehdottaa, but in writing there are quite simple rules: The i is written in words that consist two syllables and end in a or ä (sanoittaa), and in words that are old-stylish (innoittaa). The i is not written in words that consist two syllables and end in o or ö like (erottaa), words which do not have clear proto-word (hajottaa), and in words that are descriptive (häämöttää) or workaday by their style (rehottaa)
Graphemes ä and ö are sometimes converted in two ways, a and o, respectively and, ae and oe respectively. Finnish graphemes ä and ö are not umlauts like in German; conversion to ae and oe in Finnish language is less correct than in German language. Conversion to a and o is more common and almost universally used in email-addresses. Conversion ae and oe is rare but formally used in passports and equivalent situations. both conversion rules have minimal pairs.
The sounds š and ž are not a part of Finnish language itself and have been introduced somewhat artificially by a government regulation. Although they occur in some rare loanwords, their principal use is in the transcription of foreign names. For technical reasons or convenience, the graphemes sh and zh are often used in quickly or less carefully written texts instead of š and ž. This is a deviation from the phonetic principle, and as such is liable to cause confusion, but the damage is minimal as the transcribed words are foreign in any case. Finnish does not use the sounds z, š or ž, but for the sake of exactitude, they can be included in spelling. (The recommendation cites the Russian play Hovanshtshina as an example.) Many speakers pronounce all of them s, or distinguish only between s and š, because Finnish has no voiced sibilants.
The language may be identified by its distinctive lack of the letters b, c, f, q, w, x, z and å.
Väinö Linna: The Unknown Soldier; these words were also inscribed in the 20 mk note.
(Translation: "The benevolent sun watched them. By no means was it angry at them. Perhaps it even felt a kind of compassion towards them. Jolly good brothers.")
Sample sound of "Hyvää huomenta"
*(Hyvää) huomenta â Good morning
*(Hyvää) päivää â Good afternoon (literally "Good day")
*(Hyvää) iltapäivää â Good afternoon
*(Hyvää) iltaa â Good evening
*(Hyvää) yötä / Ãitä â Good night
*Terve! / Moro! â Hello!
*Hei! / Moi! â Hi!
*Heippa! / Moikka! / Hei hei! / Moi moi! â Bye!
*Nähdään â See you later (literally "will be seen")
*Näkemi(si)in / Hyvästi â Goodbye
*Hauska tutustua! â Nice to meet you
*Kiitos â Thank you
*Kiitos, samoin â Likewise
*Mitä kuuluu? â How are you / How you doing? (Not used among strangers.) (literally "What is heard?")
*Kiitos hyvää â I'm fine, thank you
*Tervetuloa! â Welcome!
Tietosanakirja, 11 volumes, 1909-1922, Finnish encyclopedia.
* kyllä â yes
* joo â yes (informal)
* ei â no
* en â I will not / I do not
* minä, sinä, hän(se) â I, you, he/she(it)
* me, te, he(ne) â we, you (two or more), they
* (minä) olen â I am
* (sinä) olet â you are
* (minä) en ole - I am not
* (sinä) et ole - You are not
* yksi, kaksi, kolme â one, two, three
* neljä, viisi, kuusi â four, five, six
* seitsemän, kahdeksan â seven, eight
* yhdeksän, kymmenen â nine, ten
* yksitoista, kaksitoista, kolmetoista â eleven, twelve, thirteen
* sata, tuhat, miljoona â hundred, thousand, million
* (minä) rakastan sinua â I love you
* anteeksi â forgive me, excuse me, sorry
* voitko auttaa â can you help
* apua! - help!
* voisit(te)ko auttaa â could you help
* missä on ... ? â where is ...?
* olen pahoillani â I'm sorry (apology)
* otan osaa â My condolences
* onnea â good luck
* totta kai/tietysti/toki â of course
* pieni hetki, pikku hetki, hetkinen â one moment please!
* odota â wait
* Suomi â Finland
* suomi/suomen kieli â Finnish language
* suomalainen â (noun) Finn; (adjective) Finnish
* En ymmärrä â I don't understand
* (Minä) ymmärrän â I understand
* ¹Ymmärrät(te)kö suomea? â Do you understand Finnish?
* ¹Puhut(te)ko englantia? â Do you speak English?
* Olen englantilainen / amerikkalainen / kanadalainen / australialainen / uusiseelantilainen / irlantilainen / skotlantilainen / walesilainen / ranskalainen / saksalainen / kiinalainen / japanilainen â I am English / American / Canadian / Australian / New Zealander / Irish / Scottish / Welsh / French / German / Chinese / Japanese
* ¹Olet(te)ko englantilainen? â Are you English?
* Missä (sinä) asut/¹Missä (te) asutte? â Where do you live?
¹ -te is added to make the sentence formal (T-V distinction). Otherwise, without the added "-te", it is informal. It is also added when talking to more than one person. The transition from second-person singular to second-person plural (teitittely) is a politeness pattern, advised by many "good manners guides". Elderly people, especially, expect it from strangers, whereas the younger might feel it to be too formal to the point of coldness. However, a learner of the language should not be excessively concerned about it. Omitting it is never offensive, but one should keep in mind that on formal occasions this custom may make a good impression.
* Finnish alphabet
* Finnish grammar
* Spoken Finnish
* Finland's language strife
* Karelian language
* Estonian language
* Finnish name
* Finnish cultural and academic institutes
* Finnish language on Ethnologue
* The Finnish language --- a list of resources
* Lexicon of Early Indo-European Loanwords Preserved in Finnish
* Proto-Uralic to Finnish (in IPA mostly migrated from X-SAMPA)
* English-Finnish-English Dictionary
* Collection of Finnish bilingual dictionaries
* Finnish Etymological Dictionary by Andras Rajki
* English-Finnish and Russian-Finnish Dictionary
* English-Finnish vocabulary quizzes
* The 2 253 possible forms of the Finnish noun kauppa 'shop'
* Discussion about the Finnish Language
To Do
This section lists the topics which need to be written or expanded (there are headings for all of these):
* This page:
** History: The history of the language, especially its written form and its official status
** Derivative suffixes
** External links
* Grammar page:
** Illative formation
** Noun plurals
** Noun stem types
** Adjectives, including comparison
** Postpositions and prepositions
** 5th infinitive
** Imperfect indicative for typeV and VI verbs
** Present participles, active and passive
** Past participle, passive
** Agent participle
** Passive, 2nd person imperatives
** 3rd person imperatives
** 1st person plural imperatives
** Ordinal numbers
** Names of numbers
* Spoken language page:
**important regional variations
-->
|
Finnish_language | What are characteristic features of Finnish? | Vowel harmony and an agglutinative morphology | data/set5/a5 | Finnish_language
Finnish ( , or suomen kieli) is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland (92% Tilastokeskus - Väestö ) and by ethnic Finns outside of Finland. It is one of the official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a Finnish dialect, are spoken. The Kven language, a Finnish dialect spoken in Northern Norway, is an official minority language in Norway.
Finnish is the eponymous member of the Finno-Ugric language family and is typologically between fusional and agglutinative languages. It modifies and inflects the forms of nouns, adjectives, pronouns, numerals and verbs, depending on their roles in the sentence.
Finnish is a member of the Baltic-Finnic subgroup of the Finno-Ugric group of languages which in turn is a member of the Uralic family of languages. The Baltic-Finnic subgroup also includes Estonian and other minority languages spoken around the Baltic Sea.
Finnish demonstrates an affiliation with the Uralic languages in several respects including:
*Shared morphology:
:*case suffixes such as genitive -n, partitive -(t)a / -(t)ä ( Virtual Finland: Where do Finns come from?.
According to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, Finnish is classified as a level III language in terms of learning difficulty for native English speakers. Defense Language Institute
Areas in Southern Sweden with a Finnish-speaking population (2005)
Finnish is spoken by about six million people who reside mainly in Finland. There are also notable Finnish-speaking minorities in Sweden, Norway, Russia, Estonia, Canada, and the United States. The majority of the population of Finland, 91.51% , speak Finnish as their first language. The remainder speak Swedish (5.5%), Sami (Northern, Inari, Skolt) and other languages. It has achieved some popularity as a second language in Estonia.
Finnish is one of two official languages of Finland (the other being Swedish, spoken by 5.49% of the population Statistikcentralen - Befolkning ) and an official language of the European Union. It enjoys the status of an official minority language in Sweden. It is also one of the working languages of the Nordic Council. Under the Nordic Language Convention, citizens of the Nordic countries speaking Finnish have the opportunity to use their native language when interacting with official bodies in other Nordic countries without being liable to any interpretation or translation costs. Konvention mellan Sverige, Danmark, Finland, Island och Norge om nordiska medborgares rätt att använda sitt eget språk i annat nordiskt land, Nordic Council website. Retrieved on April 25, 2007. 20th anniversary of the Nordic Language Convention, Nordic news, February 22, 2007. Retrieved on April 25, 2007.
According to recent estimations, Proto-Uralic language arrived in Finland around 1900 BCE, soon to be developed into Proto-Finnic. The Balto-Finnic languages evolved from the Proto-Finnic language after Sámi was separated from it around 1500-1000 BCE. Current research indicates there were three or more Proto-Finnic dialects. The Baltic Finnic languages separated around the 1st century, but continued to influence each other. Therefore, the Eastern Finnish dialects are genetically Eastern Proto-Finnic, with many Eastern features, and the Southwestern Finnish dialects have many genuine Estonian influences.
Finland was annexed to Catholic Sweden in the Middle Ages. Prior to this, Finnish was an oral language. Even after, the language of larger-scale business was Middle Low German, the language of administration Swedish, and religious activities were held in Latin, leaving few possibilities for Finnish-speakers to use their mother tongue in situations other than daily chores.
The first known written example of Finnish comes from this era and was found in a German travel journal dating back to c.1450: Mynna tachton gernast spuho somen gelen Emyna dayda (Modern Finnish: "Minä tahdon kernaasti puhua suomen kieltä, [mutta] en minä taida"; English: "I willingly want to speak Finnish, [but] I cannot"). According to the travel journal, a Finnish bishop, whose name is unknown, was behind the above quotation.
Mikael Agricola, a 19th century drawing by Albert Edelfelt
The first comprehensive writing system for Finnish was created by Mikael Agricola, a Finnish bishop, in the 16th century. He based his orthography on Swedish, German, and Latin. His ultimate plan was to translate the Bible, but first he had to define rules on which the Finnish standard language still relies, particularly with respect to spelling. He also invented single-handedly many words such as armo meaning both "mercy" and "grace" (as in "from grace alone, not out of good works...") and vanhurskas "righteous". More than fifty percent of these words are still in use.
Agricola's written language was based on western dialects of Finnish, and his intention was that each phoneme should correspond to one letter. Yet, Agricola was confronted with many problems in this endeavor and failed to achieve uniformity. This is why he might use different signs for the same phonemes depending on the situation. For example he used dh or d to represent the voiced dental fricative (English th in this) and tz or z to represent the geminate unvoiced dental fricative (the th in thin). Additionally, Agricola might use gh or g to represent the voiced velar fricative and either ch, c or h for /h/. For example he wrote techtin against modern spelling tehtiin.
Later others revised Agricola's work, striving for a more phonemic system. Along the way, Finnish lost some of its phonemes. The sounds and disappeared from the standard language, surviving only in a small rural region in Western Finland. Elsewhere, traces of these phonemes persist as their disappearance gave Finnish dialects their distinct qualities. For example, became ht or tt (e.g. meþþä â mehtä, mettä) in the eastern dialects and in some western dialects. In the standard language, however, the effect of the lost phonemes is thus:
* became
* became
* became but only if the voiced velar fricative appeared originally between high labial vowels, otherwise lost entirely.
Modern Finnish punctuation, along with that of Swedish, uses the colon character (:) to separate the stem of the word and its grammatical ending in some cases (such as after abbreviations), where some other alphabetic writing systems would use an apostrophe. Suffixes are required for correct grammar, so this is often applied, e.g. EU:ssa "in the EU".
Elias Lönnrot as depicted in a 19th century caricature Lönnrot made several journeys to Karelia and Eastern Finland to collect folklore, from which he compiled the Kalevala.
In the 19th century Johan Vilhelm Snellman and others began to stress the need to improve the status of Finnish. Ever since the days of Mikael Agricola written Finnish had been used almost exclusively in religious contexts, but now Snellman's Hegelian nationalistic ideas of Finnish as a full-fledged national language gained considerable support. Concerted efforts were made to improve the status of the language and to modernize it, and by the end of the century Finnish had become a language of administration, journalism, literature, and science in Finland, along with Swedish.
The most important contributions to improving the status of Finnish were made by Elias Lönnrot. His impact on the development of modern vocabulary in Finnish was particularly crucial. In addition to compiling the Kalevala, he acted as an arbitrator in disputes about the development of standard Finnish between the proponents of western and eastern dialects, ensuring that the western dialects Agricola had preferred preserved their preeminent role, while many originally dialectical words from Eastern Finland were introduced to the standard language enriching it considerably. The first novel written in Finnish (and by a Finnish-speaker) was Seven Brothers, published by Aleksis Kivi in 1870.
Map of Finnish dialects
The dialects of Finnish are divided into two distinct groups, the Western dialects and the Eastern dialects. The dialects are almost entirely mutually intelligible and distinguished from each other by only minor changes in vowels, diphthongs and rhythm. For the most part, the dialects operate on the same phonology, grammar and vocabulary. There are only marginal examples of sounds or grammatical constructions specific to some dialect and not found in standard Finnish. Two examples are the voiced dental fricative found in Rauma dialect and the Eastern exessive case.
The classification of closely related dialects spoken outside of Finland is a politically sensitive issue that has been controversial since Finland's independence in 1917. This concerns specifically the Karelian language in Russia and Meänkieli in Sweden, the speakers of which are often considered oppressed minorities. Karelian is different enough from standard Finnish to have its own orthography. Meänkieli is a northern dialect entirely intelligible to speakers of any other Finnish dialect, which achieved its status as an official minority language in Sweden for historical and political reasons regardless of the fact that Finnish is an official minority language in Sweden, too.
The South-West dialects (lounaismurteet) are spoken in Finland Proper and Satakunta. Their typical feature is abbreviation of word-final vowels, and in many respects they resemble Estonian. The Tavastian dialects (hämäläismurteet) are spoken in Tavastia. They are closest to the standard language, but feature some slight vowel changes, such as the opening of diphthong-final vowels (tie â tiä, miekka â miakka, kuolisi â kualis). The Southern Ostrobothnian dialects (eteläpohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Southern Ostrobothnia. Their most notable feature is the pronunciation of 'd' as a tapped or even fully trilled /r/. The Middle and North Ostrobothnia dialects (keski- ja pohjoispohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Central and Northern Ostrobothnia. The Far-Northern dialects (peräpohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Lapland. The dialects spoken in the western parts of Lapland are recognizable by retention of old 'h' sounds in positions where they have disappeared from other dialects.
One of the Far-Northern dialects, Meänkieli, which is spoken on the Swedish side of the border, is taught in some Swedish schools as a distinct standardized language. The speakers of Meänkieli became politically separated from the other Finns when Finland was annexed to Russia in 1809. The categorization of Meänkieli as a separate language is controversial among the Finns, who see no linguistic criteria, only political reasons, for treating Meänkieli differently than other dialects of Finnish.
The Kven language is spoken in Finnmark and Troms, in Norway. Its speakers are descendants of Finnish emigrants to the region in the 18th and 19th centuries. Kven is an official minority language in Norway.
The Eastern dialects consist of the widespread Savonian dialects (savolaismurteet) spoken in Savo and nearby areas, and the South-Eastern dialects spoken now only in Finnish South Karelia. The South-Eastern dialects (kaakkoismurteet) were previously spoken also on the Karelian Isthmus and in Ingria. The Karelian Isthmus was evacuated during World War II and refugees were resettled all over Finland. Most of Ingrian Finns were deported to various parts of Russia and Estonia.
Palatalization, a common feature of Uralic languages, had been lost in Baltic-Finnic languages, but it has been reacquired by most of these languages, including Eastern Finnish, but not Western Finnish. In Finnish orthography, this is denoted with a 'j', e.g. vesj, cf. standard vesi.
The language spoken in the parts of Karelia that have not historically been under Swedish or Finnish rule is usually called the Karelian language, and it is considered to be more distant from standard Finnish than the Eastern dialects. Whether this language of Russian Karelia is a dialect of Finnish or a separate language is a matter of interpretation. However, the term Karelian dialects is often used colloquially to the Finnish South-Eastern dialects.
* Western dialects
**Southern-Western dialects
***Proper Southern-Western dialects
**** Northern dialect group
**** Southern dialect group
***Southern-Western middle dialects
****Pori region dialects
****Ala-Satakunta dialects
****dialects of Turku highlands
****Somero region dialects
****Western Uusimaa dialects
**Tavastian dialects
***Ylä-Satakunta dialects
***Heart Tavastian dialects
***Southern Tavastian dialects
***Southern-Eastern Tavastian dialects
****Hollola dialect group
****Porvoo dialect group
****Iitti dialect group
**Southern Botnian dialects
**Middle and Northern Botnian dialects
***Middle Botnian dialects
***Northern Botnian dialects
**Peräpohjola dialects
***Tornio dialects ("Meänkieli" in Sweden)
***Kemi dialects
***Kemijärvi dialects
***Jällivaara dialects ("Meänkieli" in Sweden)
***Ruija dialects ("Kven language" in Northern Norway)
*Eastern dialects
**Savonian dialects
***Northern Savonian dialects
***Southern Savonian dialects
***Middle dialects of Savonlinna region
***Eastern Savonian dialects or the dialects of North Karelia
***Kainuu dialects
***Central Finland dialects
***Päijänne Tavastia dialects
***Keuruu-Evijärvi dialects
***Savonian dialects of Värmland (Sweden)
**Southern-Eastern dialects
***Proper Southern-Eastern dialects
***Middle dialects of Lemi region
***Middle dialects of Sortavala region (now in Russia)
***Dialects of Ingria (in Russia) /ref>
There are two main varieties of Finnish used throughout the country. One is the "standard language" (yleiskieli), and the other is the "spoken language" (puhekieli). The standard language is used in formal situations like political speeches and newscasts. Its written form, the "book language" (kirjakieli), is used in nearly all written texts, not always excluding even the dialogue of common people in popular prose. The spoken language, on the other hand, is the main variety of Finnish used in popular TV and radio shows and at workplaces, and may be preferred to a dialect in personal communication.
Standard Finnish is prescribed by the Language Office of the Research Institute for the Languages of Finland and is the language used in official communication. The Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish (Nykysuomen sanakirja 1951â61), with 201,000 entries, was a prescriptive dictionary that defined official language. An additional volume for words of foreign origin (Nykysuomen sivistyssanakirja, 30,000 entries) was published in 1991. An updated dictionary, the Language Office Dictionary (Kielitoimiston sanakirja) was published in an electronic form in 2004 and in print in 2006. A descriptive grammar (Iso suomen kielioppi, Hakulinen, Auli et al. (2004): Iso suomen kielioppi. SKS:n toimituksia 950. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura. ISBN 951-746-557-2. 1,600 pages 1,600 pages) was published in 2004. There is also an etymological dictionary, Suomen sanojen alkuperä, published in 1992â2000, and a handbook of contemporary language (Nykysuomen käsikirja), and a periodic publication, Kielikello. Standard Finnish is used in official texts and is the form of language taught in schools. Its spoken form is used in political speech, newscasts, in courts, and in other formal situations. Nearly all publishing and printed works are in standard Finnish.
The spoken language has mostly developed naturally from earlier forms of Finnish, and spread from main cultural and political centres. The standard language, however, has always been a consciously constructed medium for literature. It preserves grammatical patterns that have mostly vanished from the colloquial varieties and, as its main application is writing, it features complex syntactic patterns that are not easy to handle when used in speech. The spoken language develops significantly faster, and the grammatical and phonological simplifications include also the most common pronouns and suffixes, which sum up to frequent but modest differences. Some sound changes have been left out of the formal language, such as the irregularization of some common verbs by assimilation, e.g. tule- â tuu- (although tule can be used in spoken language as well).
Written language certainly still exerts a considerable influence upon the spoken word, due to the fact that illiteracy is nonexistent and many Finns are avid readers. In fact, it is still not entirely uncommon to meet people who "talk like a book" (puhuvat kirjakieltä), although this is seen as pedantic. More common is the intrusion of typically book-like constructions into a colloquial discourse, as a kind of quote from written Finnish. It should also be noted that it is quite common to hear book-like and polished speech on radio or TV, and the constant exposure to such language tends to lead to the adoption of such constructions even in everyday language.
A prominent example of the effect of the standard language is the development of the consonant gradation form /ts : ts/ as in metsä : metsän, as this pattern was originally (1940) found natively only in the dialects of southern Karelian isthmus and Ingria. In fact, it has arisen from the spelling 'ts' for the dental fricative [θË], which has disappeared. In spoken language, a fusion of Western /tt : tt/ (mettä : mettän) and Eastern /ht : t/ (mehtä : metän) has been created: /tt : t/ (mettä : metän). Yleiskielen ts:n murrevastineet It is notable that neither of these are forms are identifiable as or originate from a specific dialect.
The orthography of the informal language follows that of the formal language. However, sometimes sandhi may be transcribed, especially the internal ones, e.g. menenpä â menempä. This never takes place in formal language.
:
Note that there are noticeable differences between dialects. These examples are mostly from the language as spoken in the capital area (Helsinki dialect or even Stadin slangi). Also note that here the formal language does not mean a language spoken in formal occasions but the standard language which exist practically only in written form.
Characteristic features of Finnish (common to other Finno-Ugric languages) are vowel harmony and an agglutinative morphology; due to the extensive use of the latter, words can be quite long.
The main stress is always on the first syllable, and it is articulated by adding approximately 100 ms more length to the stressed vowel. Stress does not cause any measurable modifications in vowel quality (very much unlike English). However, stress is not strong and words appear evenly stressed. In some cases, stress is so weak that the highest points of volume, pitch and other indicators of "articulation intensity" are not on the first syllable, although native speakers recognize the first syllable as a stressed syllable.
There are eight vowels, whose lexical and grammatical role is highly important, and which are unusually strictly controlled, so that there is almost no allophony. Vowels shown in the table below, followed by the IPA symbol when not identical. These are always different phonemes in the initial syllable; for noninitial syllable, see morphophonology below.
: 1 Although conventionally and conveniently written with the close-mid symbols , and , they are more accurately described as mid vowels ( , and ).
The usual analysis is that Finnish has long and short vowels and consonants as distinct phonemes. However, long vowels may be analyzed as a vowel followed by a chroneme, or also, that sequences of identical vowels are pronounced as "diphthongs". The quality of long vowels mostly overlaps with the quality of short vowels, with the exception of u, which is centralized with respect to uu; long vowels do not morph into diphthongs. There are eighteen phonemic diphthongs; like vowels, diphthongs do not have significant allophony.
Finnish has a consonant inventory of small to moderate size, where voicing is mostly not distinctive, and fricatives are scarce. Finnish has relatively few non-coronal consonants. Consonants are as follows, where consonants in parenthesis are found only in a few recent loans.
# is the equivalent of under weakening consonant gradation, and thus occurs only medially, or in non-native words; it is actually more of an alveolar tap rather than a true voiced stop, and the dialectal realization varies wildly; see main article.
# The glottal stop can only appear at word boundaries as a result of certain sandhi phenomena, and it is not indicated in spelling: e.g. 'let it be', orthographically anna olla. Moreover, this sound is not used in all dialects.
# The short velar nasal is an allophone of in , and the long velar nasal , written ng, is the equivalent of under weakening consonant gradation (type of lenition) and thus occurs only medially.
Almost all consonants have phonemic geminated forms. These are independent, but occur only medially when phonemic.
Independent consonant clusters are not allowed in native words, except for a small set of two-consonant syllable codas, e.g. 'rs' in karsta. However, due to a number of recently adopted loanwords using them, e.g. strutsi "ostrich", Finnish speakers can pronounce them, even if it is somewhat awkward.
As a Finno-Ugric language, it is somewhat special in two respects: loss of fricatives and loss of palatalization.
An interesting feature of Finnic phonology is the development of labial vowels in non-initial syllables. Proto-Uralic had only 'a' and 'i' and their vowel harmonic allophones in non-initial syllables; modern Finnish allows other vowels in non-initial syllables (they are uncommon, however, compared to 'a', 'ä' and 'i').
Palatalization is characteristic of Finno-Ugric languages, but Finnish has lost it. However, the Eastern dialects and the Karelian language have redeveloped a system of palatalization. For example, the Karelian word d'uuri , with a palatalized , is reflected by juuri in Finnish and Savo dialect vesj is vesi in standard Finnish.
Finnish has only two fricatives, namely and . All other fricatives are recognized as foreign, of which Finnish speakers can usually reliably distinguish and .
Finnish has several morphophonological processes between grammar ("logic") and phonology ("sounds") that require modification of the forms of words for daily speech. The most important processes are vowel harmony and consonant gradation.
Vowel harmony is a redundancy feature, which means that the feature [±back] is uniform within a word, and so it is necessary to interpret it only once for a given word. It is meaning-distinguishing in the initial syllable, and suffixes follow; so, if the listener hears [±back] in any part of the word, they can derive [±back] for the initial syllable. For example, tuote ("product") agglutinates to tuotteeseensa ("into his product"), where the final vowel becomes the back vowel 'a' (rather than the front vowel 'ä') because the initial syllable contains the back vowels 'uo'. This is especially notable because vowels 'a' and 'ä' are different, meaning-distinguishing phonemes, not interchangeable or allophonic. Finnish front vowels are not umlauts.
Consonant gradation is a lenition process for P, T and K, with the oblique stem "weakened" from the nominative stem, or vice versa. For example, tarkka "precise" has the oblique root tarka-, as in tarkan "of the precise". There is also another gradation pattern, which is older, and causes simple elision of T and K. However, it is very common since it is found in the partitive case marker: if V is a single vowel, V+ta â Va, e.g. *vanha+ta â vanhaa. Another instance is the imperative, which changes into a glottal stop in the singular but is shown as an overt 'ka' in plural, e.g. mene vs. menkää.
The morphosyntactic alignment is nominative-accusative; but there are two object cases: accusative and partitive. The contrast between the two is telic, where the accusative case denotes actions completed as intended (Ammuin hirven "I shot (killed) the elk"), and the partitive case denotes incomplete actions (Ammuin hirveä "I shot (at) the elk"). Often this is confused with perfectivity, but the only element of perfectivity that exists in Finnish is that there are some perfective verbs. Transitivity is distinguished by different verbs for transitive and intransitive, e.g. ratkaista "to solve something" vs. ratketa "to solve by itself". There are several frequentative and momentane verb categories.
Verbs gain personal suffixes for each person; these suffixes are grammatically more important than pronouns, which are often not used at all in standard Finnish. The infinitive is not the uninflected form but has a suffix -ta or -da; the closest one to an uninflected form is the third person singular indicative. There are four persons, first ("I, we"), second ("you (singular), you (plural)"), third ("s/he, they"). Also, the passive voice (sometimes called impersonal or indefinite) resembles a "fourth person" similar to e.g. English "people say/do/â¦". There are four tenses, namely present, past, perfect and pluperfect; the system mirrors the Germanic system. The future tense is not needed due to context and the telic contrast. For example, luen kirjan "I read a book (completely)" indicates a future, when luen kirjaa "I read a book (not yet complete)" indicates present.
Nouns may be suffixed with the markers for the aforementioned accusative case and partitive case, the genitive case, eight different locatives, and a few other cases. The case marker must be added not only to the main noun, but also to its modifiers; e.g. suure+ssa talo+ssa, literally "big-in house-in". Possession is marked with a possessive suffix; separate possessive pronouns are unknown. Pronouns gain suffixes just as nouns do.
Suomalaisen Sana-Lugun Coetus (1745) by Daniel Juslenius was the first comprehensive dictionary of the Finnish language with 16,000 entries.
:See the lists of Finnish words and words of Finnish origin at Wiktionary, the free dictionary and Wikipedia's sibling project.
Finnish extensively employs regular agglutination. It has a smaller core vocabulary than, for example, English, and uses derivative suffixes to a greater extent. As an example, take the word kirja "a book", from which one can form derivatives kirjain "a letter" (of the alphabet), kirje "a piece of correspondence, a letter", kirjasto "a library", kirjailija "an author", kirjallisuus "literature", kirjoittaa "to write", kirjoittaja "a writer", kirjuri "a scribe, a clerk", kirjallinen "something in written form", kirjata "to write down, register, record", kirjasin "a font", and others.
Here are some of the more common such suffixes. Which of each pair is used depends on the word being suffixed in accordance with the rules of vowel harmony.
*-ja/jä : agent (one who does) (e.g. lukea "to read" â lukija "reader")
*-lainen/läinen: inhabitant of (either noun or adjective). Englanti "England" â englantilainen "English person or thing"; Venäjä â venäläinen "Russian person or thing".
*-sto/stö: collection of. For example: kirja "a book" â kirjasto "a library"; laiva "a ship" â laivasto "navy, fleet".
*-in: instrument or tool. For example: kirjata "to book, to file" â kirjain "a letter" (of the alphabet); vatkata "to whisk" â vatkain "a whisk, mixer".
*-uri/yri: an agent or instrument (kaivaa "to dig" â kaivuri "a digging machine"; laiva "a ship" â laivuri "shipper, shipmaster").
*-os/ös: result of some action (tulla "to come" â tulos "result, outcome"; tehdä "to do" â teos "a piece of work").
*-ton/tön: lack of something, "un-", "-less" (onni "happiness" â onneton "unhappy"; koti "home" â koditon "homeless").
*-llinen: having (the quality of) something (lapsi "a child" â lapsellinen "childish"; kauppa "a shop, commerce" â kaupallinen "commercial").
*-kas/käs: similar to -llinen (itse "self" â itsekäs "selfish"; neuvo "advice" â neuvokas "resourceful").
*-va/vä: doing or having something (taitaa "to be able" â taitava "skillful"; johtaa "to lead" â johtava "leading").
*-la/lä: a place related to the main word (kana "a hen" â kanala "a henhouse"; pappi "a priest" â pappila "a parsonage").
Verbal suffixes are extremely diverse; several frequentatives and momentanes differentiating causative, volitional-unpredictable and anticausative are found, often combined with each other, often denoting indirection. For example, hypätä "to jump", hyppiä "to be jumping", hypeksiä "to be jumping wantonly", hypäyttää "to make someone jump once", hyppyyttää "to make someone jump repeatedly" (or "to boss someone around"), hyppyytyttää "to make someone to cause a third person to jump repeatedly", hyppyytellä "to, without aim, make someone jump repeatedly", hypähtää "to jump suddenly" (in anticausative meaning), hypellä "to jump around repeatedly", hypiskellä "to be jumping repeatedly and wantonly", hyppimättä "without jumping", hyppelemättä "without jumping around". Often the diversity and compactness of this agglutination is illustrated with istahtaisinkohan "I wonder if I should sit down for a while" (from istua, "to sit, to be seated"):
*istua "to sit down"
*istun "I sit down" / istahtaa "to sit down for a while"
*istahdan "I sit down for a while"
*istahtaisin "I should sit down for a while"
*istahtaisinko "should I sit down for a while?"
*istahtaisinkohan "I wonder if I should sit down for a while"
Over the course of many centuries, the Finnish language has borrowed a great many words from a wide variety of languages, most from neighboring Indo-European languages. Indeed, some estimates put the core Proto-Uralic vocabulary surviving in Finnish at only around 300 word roots. Due to the different grammatical, phonological and phonotactic structure of the Finnish language, loanwords from Indo-European have been assimilated.
In general, the first loan words into Finno-Ugric languages seem to come from very early Indo-European languages, and later mainly from Iranian, Turkic, Baltic, Germanic, and Slavic languages. Furthermore, a certain group of very basic and neutral words exists in Finnish and other Finnic languages that are absent from other Finno-Ugric languages, but without a recognizable etymology from any known language. These words are usually regarded as the last remnant of the Nordic language spoken in Fennoscandia before the arrival of the proto-Finnic language. Words included in this group are e.g. jänis (hare), musta (black), mäki (hill), saari (island), suo (swamp) and niemi (cape). Also some place names, like Päijänne and Imatra, are probably before the proto-Finnic era. Häkkinen, Kaisa. Suomalaisten esihistoria kielitieteen valossa (ISBN 951-717-855-7). Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura 1996. See pages 166 and 173.
Often quoted loan examples are kuningas "king" and ruhtinas "prince, high ranking nobleman" from Germanic *kuningaz and *druhtinaz, but another example is äiti "mother", from Gothic aiþei, which is interesting because borrowing of close-kinship vocabulary is a rare phenomenon. The original Finnish emo occurs only in restricted contexts. There are other close-kinship words that are loaned from Baltic and Germanic languages (morsian "bride", armas "dear"). Examples of the ancient Iranian loans are vasara "hammer" from Avestan vadžra, vajra and orja "slave" from arya, airya "man" (the latter probably via similar circumstances as slave from Slav in many European languages).
More recently, Swedish has been a prolific source of borrowings, and also, the Swedish language acted as a proxy for European words, especially those relating to government. Present-day Finland belonged to the kingdom of Sweden from the 12th century and was ceded to Russia in 1809, becoming an autonomous Grand Duchy. Swedish was retained as the official language and language of the upper class even after this. When Finnish was accepted as an official language, it gained only legal "equal status" with Swedish, which persists even today. It is still the case today, though only about 5.5% of Finnish nationals, the Swedish-speaking Finns, have Swedish as their mother tongue. During the period of autonomy, Russian did not gain much ground as a language of the people or the government. Nevertheless, quite a few words were subsequently acquired from Russian (especially in older Helsinki slang) but not to the same extent as with Swedish. In all these cases, borrowing has been partly a result of geographical proximity.
Especially words dealing with administrative or modern culture came to Finnish from Swedish, sometimes reflecting the oldest Swedish form of the word (lag - laki, 'law'; län - lääni, 'province'; bisp - piispa, 'bishop'; jordpäron - peruna, 'potato'), and many more survive as informal synonyms in spoken or dialectal Finnish (e.g. likka, from Swedish flicka, 'girl', usually tyttö in Finnish).
Typical Russian loanwords are old or very old, thus hard to recognize as such, and concern everyday concepts, e.g. papu "bean", sini "(n.) blue" and pappi "priest". Notably, a few religious words such as Raamattu ("Bible") are borrowed from Russian, which indicates language contact preceding the Swedish era. This is mainly believed to be result of trade with Novgorod from the 9th century on and the Orthodox converting in the 13th century.
Most recently, and with increasing impact, English has been the source of new loanwords in Finnish. Unlike previous "geographical" borrowing, the influence of English is largely "cultural" and reaches Finland by many routes including: international business; music; film and TV (foreign films and programmes, excluding ones intended for a very young audience, are shown subtitled); literature; and, of course, the Web this is now probably the most important source of all non-face-to-face exposure to English.
The importance of English as the language of global commerce has led many non-English companies, including Finland's Nokia, to adopt English as their official operating language. Recently, it has been observed that English borrowings are also ousting previous borrowings, for example the switch from treffailla "to date" (from Swedish, träffa) to deittailla from English "to go for a date". Calques from English are also found, e.g. kovalevy (hard disk). Grammatical calques are also found, for example, the replacement of the impersonal (passiivi) with the English-style generic you, e. g. sä et voi "you cannot", instead of ei voi "one cannot".
However, this does not mean that Finnish is threatened by English. Borrowing is normal language evolution, and neologisms are coined actively not only by the government, but also by the media. Moreover, Finnish and English have a considerably different grammar, phonology and phonotactics, discouraging direct borrowing. English loan words in Finnish slang include for example pleikkari "PlayStation", hodari "hot dog", and hedari "headache", "headshot" or "headbutt". Often these loanwords are distinctly identified as slang or jargon, rarely being used in a negative mood or in formal language. Since English and Finnish grammar, pronunciation and phonetics differ considerably, most loan words are inevitably sooner or later calqued â translated into native Finnish â retaining the semantic meaning.
Some modern terms have been synthesised rather than borrowed, for example:
:puhelin "telephone" (literally: "chatter" + instrument suffix "-in" to make "an instrument for chattering")
:tietokone "computer" (literally: "knowledge machine")
:levyke "diskette" (from levy "disc" + a diminutive -ke)
:sähköposti "email" (literally: "electrical mail")
:linja-auto "bus" (literally: route-car)
Neologisms are actively generated by the Language Planning Office and the media. They are widely adopted. One would actually give an old-fashioned or rustic impression using forms such as telefooni or kompuutteri when the neologism is widely adopted.
The first page of Abckiria (1543), the first book written in the Finnish language. The spelling of Finnish in the book had many inconsistencies: for example, the k sound could be represented by c, k or even g; the long u and the long i were represented by w and ij respectively, and ä was represented by e.
Finnish is written with the Swedish variant of the Latin alphabet that includes the distinct characters à and Ã, and also several characters not used in Finnish (including for example C, Q, Ã
). The Finnish orthography built upon the phoneme principle: each phoneme (meaningful sound) of the language is represented by exactly one grapheme (independent letter), and each grapheme represents almost exactly one phoneme. This makes the language easy for its speakers to spell, and facilitates learning to read and write. The rule of thumb for Finnish orthography is: write as you read, read as you write. However, morphemes retain their spelling despite sandhi.
Some orthographical notes:
*Long vowels and consonants are represented by double occurrences of the relevant graphemes. This causes no confusion, and permits these sounds to be written without having to nearly double the size of the alphabet to accommodate separate graphemes for long sounds.
*The grapheme h occurring before a consonant sounds slightly harder (initially breathy voiced, then voiceless) than when occurring before a vowel.
*Sandhi is not transcribed; the spelling of morphemes is immutable, e.g. tulen+pa .
*Some consonants (v, j, d) and all consonants occurring in (always medial) clusters do not have distinctive length, and consequently, their allophonic variation is not indicated in spelling, e.g. rajaan /rajaan/ (I limit) vs. raijaan /raijjaan/ (I haul).
*Pre-1900s texts and personal names use w for v. Both correspond to the same phoneme, the labiodental approximant , a v without the fricative ("hissing") quality of the English v.
*The letters ä [æ] and ö [ø], although written as umlauted a and o, do not represent phonological umlauts, and they are considered independent graphemes; the letter shapes have been copied from Swedish. An appropriate parallel from the Latin alphabet are the characters C and G (uppercase), which historically have a closer kinship than many other characters (G is a derivation of C) but are considered distinct letters, and changing one for the other will change meanings.
Although Finnish is almost completely written as it is spoken, there are a few differences:
* The n in nk is a velar nasal, as in English. As an exception to the phonetic principle, there is no g in ng, which is a long velar nasal as in English singalong.
* The gemination between words is not marked in writing.
* The double consonant in clitic is marked as a single consonant.
* Only comparative and superlative adjectives the letter m is used like in speech in word like parempi, but in other similar cases the letter n is used, like in onpa
* The /j/ after the letter i is very weak or there is no /j/ at all, but in writing it is used, example: urheilija. Indeed the j is not used in writing words with consonant gradation (like aion and some other (like läksiäiset))
* In speech there is no difference between the use of /i/ in words (like ajoittaa, but ehdottaa, but in writing there are quite simple rules: The i is written in words that consist two syllables and end in a or ä (sanoittaa), and in words that are old-stylish (innoittaa). The i is not written in words that consist two syllables and end in o or ö like (erottaa), words which do not have clear proto-word (hajottaa), and in words that are descriptive (häämöttää) or workaday by their style (rehottaa)
Graphemes ä and ö are sometimes converted in two ways, a and o, respectively and, ae and oe respectively. Finnish graphemes ä and ö are not umlauts like in German; conversion to ae and oe in Finnish language is less correct than in German language. Conversion to a and o is more common and almost universally used in email-addresses. Conversion ae and oe is rare but formally used in passports and equivalent situations. both conversion rules have minimal pairs.
The sounds š and ž are not a part of Finnish language itself and have been introduced somewhat artificially by a government regulation. Although they occur in some rare loanwords, their principal use is in the transcription of foreign names. For technical reasons or convenience, the graphemes sh and zh are often used in quickly or less carefully written texts instead of š and ž. This is a deviation from the phonetic principle, and as such is liable to cause confusion, but the damage is minimal as the transcribed words are foreign in any case. Finnish does not use the sounds z, š or ž, but for the sake of exactitude, they can be included in spelling. (The recommendation cites the Russian play Hovanshtshina as an example.) Many speakers pronounce all of them s, or distinguish only between s and š, because Finnish has no voiced sibilants.
The language may be identified by its distinctive lack of the letters b, c, f, q, w, x, z and å.
Väinö Linna: The Unknown Soldier; these words were also inscribed in the 20 mk note.
(Translation: "The benevolent sun watched them. By no means was it angry at them. Perhaps it even felt a kind of compassion towards them. Jolly good brothers.")
Sample sound of "Hyvää huomenta"
*(Hyvää) huomenta â Good morning
*(Hyvää) päivää â Good afternoon (literally "Good day")
*(Hyvää) iltapäivää â Good afternoon
*(Hyvää) iltaa â Good evening
*(Hyvää) yötä / Ãitä â Good night
*Terve! / Moro! â Hello!
*Hei! / Moi! â Hi!
*Heippa! / Moikka! / Hei hei! / Moi moi! â Bye!
*Nähdään â See you later (literally "will be seen")
*Näkemi(si)in / Hyvästi â Goodbye
*Hauska tutustua! â Nice to meet you
*Kiitos â Thank you
*Kiitos, samoin â Likewise
*Mitä kuuluu? â How are you / How you doing? (Not used among strangers.) (literally "What is heard?")
*Kiitos hyvää â I'm fine, thank you
*Tervetuloa! â Welcome!
Tietosanakirja, 11 volumes, 1909-1922, Finnish encyclopedia.
* kyllä â yes
* joo â yes (informal)
* ei â no
* en â I will not / I do not
* minä, sinä, hän(se) â I, you, he/she(it)
* me, te, he(ne) â we, you (two or more), they
* (minä) olen â I am
* (sinä) olet â you are
* (minä) en ole - I am not
* (sinä) et ole - You are not
* yksi, kaksi, kolme â one, two, three
* neljä, viisi, kuusi â four, five, six
* seitsemän, kahdeksan â seven, eight
* yhdeksän, kymmenen â nine, ten
* yksitoista, kaksitoista, kolmetoista â eleven, twelve, thirteen
* sata, tuhat, miljoona â hundred, thousand, million
* (minä) rakastan sinua â I love you
* anteeksi â forgive me, excuse me, sorry
* voitko auttaa â can you help
* apua! - help!
* voisit(te)ko auttaa â could you help
* missä on ... ? â where is ...?
* olen pahoillani â I'm sorry (apology)
* otan osaa â My condolences
* onnea â good luck
* totta kai/tietysti/toki â of course
* pieni hetki, pikku hetki, hetkinen â one moment please!
* odota â wait
* Suomi â Finland
* suomi/suomen kieli â Finnish language
* suomalainen â (noun) Finn; (adjective) Finnish
* En ymmärrä â I don't understand
* (Minä) ymmärrän â I understand
* ¹Ymmärrät(te)kö suomea? â Do you understand Finnish?
* ¹Puhut(te)ko englantia? â Do you speak English?
* Olen englantilainen / amerikkalainen / kanadalainen / australialainen / uusiseelantilainen / irlantilainen / skotlantilainen / walesilainen / ranskalainen / saksalainen / kiinalainen / japanilainen â I am English / American / Canadian / Australian / New Zealander / Irish / Scottish / Welsh / French / German / Chinese / Japanese
* ¹Olet(te)ko englantilainen? â Are you English?
* Missä (sinä) asut/¹Missä (te) asutte? â Where do you live?
¹ -te is added to make the sentence formal (T-V distinction). Otherwise, without the added "-te", it is informal. It is also added when talking to more than one person. The transition from second-person singular to second-person plural (teitittely) is a politeness pattern, advised by many "good manners guides". Elderly people, especially, expect it from strangers, whereas the younger might feel it to be too formal to the point of coldness. However, a learner of the language should not be excessively concerned about it. Omitting it is never offensive, but one should keep in mind that on formal occasions this custom may make a good impression.
* Finnish alphabet
* Finnish grammar
* Spoken Finnish
* Finland's language strife
* Karelian language
* Estonian language
* Finnish name
* Finnish cultural and academic institutes
* Finnish language on Ethnologue
* The Finnish language --- a list of resources
* Lexicon of Early Indo-European Loanwords Preserved in Finnish
* Proto-Uralic to Finnish (in IPA mostly migrated from X-SAMPA)
* English-Finnish-English Dictionary
* Collection of Finnish bilingual dictionaries
* Finnish Etymological Dictionary by Andras Rajki
* English-Finnish and Russian-Finnish Dictionary
* English-Finnish vocabulary quizzes
* The 2 253 possible forms of the Finnish noun kauppa 'shop'
* Discussion about the Finnish Language
To Do
This section lists the topics which need to be written or expanded (there are headings for all of these):
* This page:
** History: The history of the language, especially its written form and its official status
** Derivative suffixes
** External links
* Grammar page:
** Illative formation
** Noun plurals
** Noun stem types
** Adjectives, including comparison
** Postpositions and prepositions
** 5th infinitive
** Imperfect indicative for typeV and VI verbs
** Present participles, active and passive
** Past participle, passive
** Agent participle
** Passive, 2nd person imperatives
** 3rd person imperatives
** 1st person plural imperatives
** Ordinal numbers
** Names of numbers
* Spoken language page:
**important regional variations
-->
|
Finnish_language | What are characteristic features of Finnish? | Characteristic features of Finnish are vowel harmony and an agglutinative morphology. | data/set5/a5 | Finnish_language
Finnish ( , or suomen kieli) is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland (92% Tilastokeskus - Väestö ) and by ethnic Finns outside of Finland. It is one of the official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a Finnish dialect, are spoken. The Kven language, a Finnish dialect spoken in Northern Norway, is an official minority language in Norway.
Finnish is the eponymous member of the Finno-Ugric language family and is typologically between fusional and agglutinative languages. It modifies and inflects the forms of nouns, adjectives, pronouns, numerals and verbs, depending on their roles in the sentence.
Finnish is a member of the Baltic-Finnic subgroup of the Finno-Ugric group of languages which in turn is a member of the Uralic family of languages. The Baltic-Finnic subgroup also includes Estonian and other minority languages spoken around the Baltic Sea.
Finnish demonstrates an affiliation with the Uralic languages in several respects including:
*Shared morphology:
:*case suffixes such as genitive -n, partitive -(t)a / -(t)ä ( Virtual Finland: Where do Finns come from?.
According to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, Finnish is classified as a level III language in terms of learning difficulty for native English speakers. Defense Language Institute
Areas in Southern Sweden with a Finnish-speaking population (2005)
Finnish is spoken by about six million people who reside mainly in Finland. There are also notable Finnish-speaking minorities in Sweden, Norway, Russia, Estonia, Canada, and the United States. The majority of the population of Finland, 91.51% , speak Finnish as their first language. The remainder speak Swedish (5.5%), Sami (Northern, Inari, Skolt) and other languages. It has achieved some popularity as a second language in Estonia.
Finnish is one of two official languages of Finland (the other being Swedish, spoken by 5.49% of the population Statistikcentralen - Befolkning ) and an official language of the European Union. It enjoys the status of an official minority language in Sweden. It is also one of the working languages of the Nordic Council. Under the Nordic Language Convention, citizens of the Nordic countries speaking Finnish have the opportunity to use their native language when interacting with official bodies in other Nordic countries without being liable to any interpretation or translation costs. Konvention mellan Sverige, Danmark, Finland, Island och Norge om nordiska medborgares rätt att använda sitt eget språk i annat nordiskt land, Nordic Council website. Retrieved on April 25, 2007. 20th anniversary of the Nordic Language Convention, Nordic news, February 22, 2007. Retrieved on April 25, 2007.
According to recent estimations, Proto-Uralic language arrived in Finland around 1900 BCE, soon to be developed into Proto-Finnic. The Balto-Finnic languages evolved from the Proto-Finnic language after Sámi was separated from it around 1500-1000 BCE. Current research indicates there were three or more Proto-Finnic dialects. The Baltic Finnic languages separated around the 1st century, but continued to influence each other. Therefore, the Eastern Finnish dialects are genetically Eastern Proto-Finnic, with many Eastern features, and the Southwestern Finnish dialects have many genuine Estonian influences.
Finland was annexed to Catholic Sweden in the Middle Ages. Prior to this, Finnish was an oral language. Even after, the language of larger-scale business was Middle Low German, the language of administration Swedish, and religious activities were held in Latin, leaving few possibilities for Finnish-speakers to use their mother tongue in situations other than daily chores.
The first known written example of Finnish comes from this era and was found in a German travel journal dating back to c.1450: Mynna tachton gernast spuho somen gelen Emyna dayda (Modern Finnish: "Minä tahdon kernaasti puhua suomen kieltä, [mutta] en minä taida"; English: "I willingly want to speak Finnish, [but] I cannot"). According to the travel journal, a Finnish bishop, whose name is unknown, was behind the above quotation.
Mikael Agricola, a 19th century drawing by Albert Edelfelt
The first comprehensive writing system for Finnish was created by Mikael Agricola, a Finnish bishop, in the 16th century. He based his orthography on Swedish, German, and Latin. His ultimate plan was to translate the Bible, but first he had to define rules on which the Finnish standard language still relies, particularly with respect to spelling. He also invented single-handedly many words such as armo meaning both "mercy" and "grace" (as in "from grace alone, not out of good works...") and vanhurskas "righteous". More than fifty percent of these words are still in use.
Agricola's written language was based on western dialects of Finnish, and his intention was that each phoneme should correspond to one letter. Yet, Agricola was confronted with many problems in this endeavor and failed to achieve uniformity. This is why he might use different signs for the same phonemes depending on the situation. For example he used dh or d to represent the voiced dental fricative (English th in this) and tz or z to represent the geminate unvoiced dental fricative (the th in thin). Additionally, Agricola might use gh or g to represent the voiced velar fricative and either ch, c or h for /h/. For example he wrote techtin against modern spelling tehtiin.
Later others revised Agricola's work, striving for a more phonemic system. Along the way, Finnish lost some of its phonemes. The sounds and disappeared from the standard language, surviving only in a small rural region in Western Finland. Elsewhere, traces of these phonemes persist as their disappearance gave Finnish dialects their distinct qualities. For example, became ht or tt (e.g. meþþä â mehtä, mettä) in the eastern dialects and in some western dialects. In the standard language, however, the effect of the lost phonemes is thus:
* became
* became
* became but only if the voiced velar fricative appeared originally between high labial vowels, otherwise lost entirely.
Modern Finnish punctuation, along with that of Swedish, uses the colon character (:) to separate the stem of the word and its grammatical ending in some cases (such as after abbreviations), where some other alphabetic writing systems would use an apostrophe. Suffixes are required for correct grammar, so this is often applied, e.g. EU:ssa "in the EU".
Elias Lönnrot as depicted in a 19th century caricature Lönnrot made several journeys to Karelia and Eastern Finland to collect folklore, from which he compiled the Kalevala.
In the 19th century Johan Vilhelm Snellman and others began to stress the need to improve the status of Finnish. Ever since the days of Mikael Agricola written Finnish had been used almost exclusively in religious contexts, but now Snellman's Hegelian nationalistic ideas of Finnish as a full-fledged national language gained considerable support. Concerted efforts were made to improve the status of the language and to modernize it, and by the end of the century Finnish had become a language of administration, journalism, literature, and science in Finland, along with Swedish.
The most important contributions to improving the status of Finnish were made by Elias Lönnrot. His impact on the development of modern vocabulary in Finnish was particularly crucial. In addition to compiling the Kalevala, he acted as an arbitrator in disputes about the development of standard Finnish between the proponents of western and eastern dialects, ensuring that the western dialects Agricola had preferred preserved their preeminent role, while many originally dialectical words from Eastern Finland were introduced to the standard language enriching it considerably. The first novel written in Finnish (and by a Finnish-speaker) was Seven Brothers, published by Aleksis Kivi in 1870.
Map of Finnish dialects
The dialects of Finnish are divided into two distinct groups, the Western dialects and the Eastern dialects. The dialects are almost entirely mutually intelligible and distinguished from each other by only minor changes in vowels, diphthongs and rhythm. For the most part, the dialects operate on the same phonology, grammar and vocabulary. There are only marginal examples of sounds or grammatical constructions specific to some dialect and not found in standard Finnish. Two examples are the voiced dental fricative found in Rauma dialect and the Eastern exessive case.
The classification of closely related dialects spoken outside of Finland is a politically sensitive issue that has been controversial since Finland's independence in 1917. This concerns specifically the Karelian language in Russia and Meänkieli in Sweden, the speakers of which are often considered oppressed minorities. Karelian is different enough from standard Finnish to have its own orthography. Meänkieli is a northern dialect entirely intelligible to speakers of any other Finnish dialect, which achieved its status as an official minority language in Sweden for historical and political reasons regardless of the fact that Finnish is an official minority language in Sweden, too.
The South-West dialects (lounaismurteet) are spoken in Finland Proper and Satakunta. Their typical feature is abbreviation of word-final vowels, and in many respects they resemble Estonian. The Tavastian dialects (hämäläismurteet) are spoken in Tavastia. They are closest to the standard language, but feature some slight vowel changes, such as the opening of diphthong-final vowels (tie â tiä, miekka â miakka, kuolisi â kualis). The Southern Ostrobothnian dialects (eteläpohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Southern Ostrobothnia. Their most notable feature is the pronunciation of 'd' as a tapped or even fully trilled /r/. The Middle and North Ostrobothnia dialects (keski- ja pohjoispohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Central and Northern Ostrobothnia. The Far-Northern dialects (peräpohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Lapland. The dialects spoken in the western parts of Lapland are recognizable by retention of old 'h' sounds in positions where they have disappeared from other dialects.
One of the Far-Northern dialects, Meänkieli, which is spoken on the Swedish side of the border, is taught in some Swedish schools as a distinct standardized language. The speakers of Meänkieli became politically separated from the other Finns when Finland was annexed to Russia in 1809. The categorization of Meänkieli as a separate language is controversial among the Finns, who see no linguistic criteria, only political reasons, for treating Meänkieli differently than other dialects of Finnish.
The Kven language is spoken in Finnmark and Troms, in Norway. Its speakers are descendants of Finnish emigrants to the region in the 18th and 19th centuries. Kven is an official minority language in Norway.
The Eastern dialects consist of the widespread Savonian dialects (savolaismurteet) spoken in Savo and nearby areas, and the South-Eastern dialects spoken now only in Finnish South Karelia. The South-Eastern dialects (kaakkoismurteet) were previously spoken also on the Karelian Isthmus and in Ingria. The Karelian Isthmus was evacuated during World War II and refugees were resettled all over Finland. Most of Ingrian Finns were deported to various parts of Russia and Estonia.
Palatalization, a common feature of Uralic languages, had been lost in Baltic-Finnic languages, but it has been reacquired by most of these languages, including Eastern Finnish, but not Western Finnish. In Finnish orthography, this is denoted with a 'j', e.g. vesj, cf. standard vesi.
The language spoken in the parts of Karelia that have not historically been under Swedish or Finnish rule is usually called the Karelian language, and it is considered to be more distant from standard Finnish than the Eastern dialects. Whether this language of Russian Karelia is a dialect of Finnish or a separate language is a matter of interpretation. However, the term Karelian dialects is often used colloquially to the Finnish South-Eastern dialects.
* Western dialects
**Southern-Western dialects
***Proper Southern-Western dialects
**** Northern dialect group
**** Southern dialect group
***Southern-Western middle dialects
****Pori region dialects
****Ala-Satakunta dialects
****dialects of Turku highlands
****Somero region dialects
****Western Uusimaa dialects
**Tavastian dialects
***Ylä-Satakunta dialects
***Heart Tavastian dialects
***Southern Tavastian dialects
***Southern-Eastern Tavastian dialects
****Hollola dialect group
****Porvoo dialect group
****Iitti dialect group
**Southern Botnian dialects
**Middle and Northern Botnian dialects
***Middle Botnian dialects
***Northern Botnian dialects
**Peräpohjola dialects
***Tornio dialects ("Meänkieli" in Sweden)
***Kemi dialects
***Kemijärvi dialects
***Jällivaara dialects ("Meänkieli" in Sweden)
***Ruija dialects ("Kven language" in Northern Norway)
*Eastern dialects
**Savonian dialects
***Northern Savonian dialects
***Southern Savonian dialects
***Middle dialects of Savonlinna region
***Eastern Savonian dialects or the dialects of North Karelia
***Kainuu dialects
***Central Finland dialects
***Päijänne Tavastia dialects
***Keuruu-Evijärvi dialects
***Savonian dialects of Värmland (Sweden)
**Southern-Eastern dialects
***Proper Southern-Eastern dialects
***Middle dialects of Lemi region
***Middle dialects of Sortavala region (now in Russia)
***Dialects of Ingria (in Russia) /ref>
There are two main varieties of Finnish used throughout the country. One is the "standard language" (yleiskieli), and the other is the "spoken language" (puhekieli). The standard language is used in formal situations like political speeches and newscasts. Its written form, the "book language" (kirjakieli), is used in nearly all written texts, not always excluding even the dialogue of common people in popular prose. The spoken language, on the other hand, is the main variety of Finnish used in popular TV and radio shows and at workplaces, and may be preferred to a dialect in personal communication.
Standard Finnish is prescribed by the Language Office of the Research Institute for the Languages of Finland and is the language used in official communication. The Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish (Nykysuomen sanakirja 1951â61), with 201,000 entries, was a prescriptive dictionary that defined official language. An additional volume for words of foreign origin (Nykysuomen sivistyssanakirja, 30,000 entries) was published in 1991. An updated dictionary, the Language Office Dictionary (Kielitoimiston sanakirja) was published in an electronic form in 2004 and in print in 2006. A descriptive grammar (Iso suomen kielioppi, Hakulinen, Auli et al. (2004): Iso suomen kielioppi. SKS:n toimituksia 950. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura. ISBN 951-746-557-2. 1,600 pages 1,600 pages) was published in 2004. There is also an etymological dictionary, Suomen sanojen alkuperä, published in 1992â2000, and a handbook of contemporary language (Nykysuomen käsikirja), and a periodic publication, Kielikello. Standard Finnish is used in official texts and is the form of language taught in schools. Its spoken form is used in political speech, newscasts, in courts, and in other formal situations. Nearly all publishing and printed works are in standard Finnish.
The spoken language has mostly developed naturally from earlier forms of Finnish, and spread from main cultural and political centres. The standard language, however, has always been a consciously constructed medium for literature. It preserves grammatical patterns that have mostly vanished from the colloquial varieties and, as its main application is writing, it features complex syntactic patterns that are not easy to handle when used in speech. The spoken language develops significantly faster, and the grammatical and phonological simplifications include also the most common pronouns and suffixes, which sum up to frequent but modest differences. Some sound changes have been left out of the formal language, such as the irregularization of some common verbs by assimilation, e.g. tule- â tuu- (although tule can be used in spoken language as well).
Written language certainly still exerts a considerable influence upon the spoken word, due to the fact that illiteracy is nonexistent and many Finns are avid readers. In fact, it is still not entirely uncommon to meet people who "talk like a book" (puhuvat kirjakieltä), although this is seen as pedantic. More common is the intrusion of typically book-like constructions into a colloquial discourse, as a kind of quote from written Finnish. It should also be noted that it is quite common to hear book-like and polished speech on radio or TV, and the constant exposure to such language tends to lead to the adoption of such constructions even in everyday language.
A prominent example of the effect of the standard language is the development of the consonant gradation form /ts : ts/ as in metsä : metsän, as this pattern was originally (1940) found natively only in the dialects of southern Karelian isthmus and Ingria. In fact, it has arisen from the spelling 'ts' for the dental fricative [θË], which has disappeared. In spoken language, a fusion of Western /tt : tt/ (mettä : mettän) and Eastern /ht : t/ (mehtä : metän) has been created: /tt : t/ (mettä : metän). Yleiskielen ts:n murrevastineet It is notable that neither of these are forms are identifiable as or originate from a specific dialect.
The orthography of the informal language follows that of the formal language. However, sometimes sandhi may be transcribed, especially the internal ones, e.g. menenpä â menempä. This never takes place in formal language.
:
Note that there are noticeable differences between dialects. These examples are mostly from the language as spoken in the capital area (Helsinki dialect or even Stadin slangi). Also note that here the formal language does not mean a language spoken in formal occasions but the standard language which exist practically only in written form.
Characteristic features of Finnish (common to other Finno-Ugric languages) are vowel harmony and an agglutinative morphology; due to the extensive use of the latter, words can be quite long.
The main stress is always on the first syllable, and it is articulated by adding approximately 100 ms more length to the stressed vowel. Stress does not cause any measurable modifications in vowel quality (very much unlike English). However, stress is not strong and words appear evenly stressed. In some cases, stress is so weak that the highest points of volume, pitch and other indicators of "articulation intensity" are not on the first syllable, although native speakers recognize the first syllable as a stressed syllable.
There are eight vowels, whose lexical and grammatical role is highly important, and which are unusually strictly controlled, so that there is almost no allophony. Vowels shown in the table below, followed by the IPA symbol when not identical. These are always different phonemes in the initial syllable; for noninitial syllable, see morphophonology below.
: 1 Although conventionally and conveniently written with the close-mid symbols , and , they are more accurately described as mid vowels ( , and ).
The usual analysis is that Finnish has long and short vowels and consonants as distinct phonemes. However, long vowels may be analyzed as a vowel followed by a chroneme, or also, that sequences of identical vowels are pronounced as "diphthongs". The quality of long vowels mostly overlaps with the quality of short vowels, with the exception of u, which is centralized with respect to uu; long vowels do not morph into diphthongs. There are eighteen phonemic diphthongs; like vowels, diphthongs do not have significant allophony.
Finnish has a consonant inventory of small to moderate size, where voicing is mostly not distinctive, and fricatives are scarce. Finnish has relatively few non-coronal consonants. Consonants are as follows, where consonants in parenthesis are found only in a few recent loans.
# is the equivalent of under weakening consonant gradation, and thus occurs only medially, or in non-native words; it is actually more of an alveolar tap rather than a true voiced stop, and the dialectal realization varies wildly; see main article.
# The glottal stop can only appear at word boundaries as a result of certain sandhi phenomena, and it is not indicated in spelling: e.g. 'let it be', orthographically anna olla. Moreover, this sound is not used in all dialects.
# The short velar nasal is an allophone of in , and the long velar nasal , written ng, is the equivalent of under weakening consonant gradation (type of lenition) and thus occurs only medially.
Almost all consonants have phonemic geminated forms. These are independent, but occur only medially when phonemic.
Independent consonant clusters are not allowed in native words, except for a small set of two-consonant syllable codas, e.g. 'rs' in karsta. However, due to a number of recently adopted loanwords using them, e.g. strutsi "ostrich", Finnish speakers can pronounce them, even if it is somewhat awkward.
As a Finno-Ugric language, it is somewhat special in two respects: loss of fricatives and loss of palatalization.
An interesting feature of Finnic phonology is the development of labial vowels in non-initial syllables. Proto-Uralic had only 'a' and 'i' and their vowel harmonic allophones in non-initial syllables; modern Finnish allows other vowels in non-initial syllables (they are uncommon, however, compared to 'a', 'ä' and 'i').
Palatalization is characteristic of Finno-Ugric languages, but Finnish has lost it. However, the Eastern dialects and the Karelian language have redeveloped a system of palatalization. For example, the Karelian word d'uuri , with a palatalized , is reflected by juuri in Finnish and Savo dialect vesj is vesi in standard Finnish.
Finnish has only two fricatives, namely and . All other fricatives are recognized as foreign, of which Finnish speakers can usually reliably distinguish and .
Finnish has several morphophonological processes between grammar ("logic") and phonology ("sounds") that require modification of the forms of words for daily speech. The most important processes are vowel harmony and consonant gradation.
Vowel harmony is a redundancy feature, which means that the feature [±back] is uniform within a word, and so it is necessary to interpret it only once for a given word. It is meaning-distinguishing in the initial syllable, and suffixes follow; so, if the listener hears [±back] in any part of the word, they can derive [±back] for the initial syllable. For example, tuote ("product") agglutinates to tuotteeseensa ("into his product"), where the final vowel becomes the back vowel 'a' (rather than the front vowel 'ä') because the initial syllable contains the back vowels 'uo'. This is especially notable because vowels 'a' and 'ä' are different, meaning-distinguishing phonemes, not interchangeable or allophonic. Finnish front vowels are not umlauts.
Consonant gradation is a lenition process for P, T and K, with the oblique stem "weakened" from the nominative stem, or vice versa. For example, tarkka "precise" has the oblique root tarka-, as in tarkan "of the precise". There is also another gradation pattern, which is older, and causes simple elision of T and K. However, it is very common since it is found in the partitive case marker: if V is a single vowel, V+ta â Va, e.g. *vanha+ta â vanhaa. Another instance is the imperative, which changes into a glottal stop in the singular but is shown as an overt 'ka' in plural, e.g. mene vs. menkää.
The morphosyntactic alignment is nominative-accusative; but there are two object cases: accusative and partitive. The contrast between the two is telic, where the accusative case denotes actions completed as intended (Ammuin hirven "I shot (killed) the elk"), and the partitive case denotes incomplete actions (Ammuin hirveä "I shot (at) the elk"). Often this is confused with perfectivity, but the only element of perfectivity that exists in Finnish is that there are some perfective verbs. Transitivity is distinguished by different verbs for transitive and intransitive, e.g. ratkaista "to solve something" vs. ratketa "to solve by itself". There are several frequentative and momentane verb categories.
Verbs gain personal suffixes for each person; these suffixes are grammatically more important than pronouns, which are often not used at all in standard Finnish. The infinitive is not the uninflected form but has a suffix -ta or -da; the closest one to an uninflected form is the third person singular indicative. There are four persons, first ("I, we"), second ("you (singular), you (plural)"), third ("s/he, they"). Also, the passive voice (sometimes called impersonal or indefinite) resembles a "fourth person" similar to e.g. English "people say/do/â¦". There are four tenses, namely present, past, perfect and pluperfect; the system mirrors the Germanic system. The future tense is not needed due to context and the telic contrast. For example, luen kirjan "I read a book (completely)" indicates a future, when luen kirjaa "I read a book (not yet complete)" indicates present.
Nouns may be suffixed with the markers for the aforementioned accusative case and partitive case, the genitive case, eight different locatives, and a few other cases. The case marker must be added not only to the main noun, but also to its modifiers; e.g. suure+ssa talo+ssa, literally "big-in house-in". Possession is marked with a possessive suffix; separate possessive pronouns are unknown. Pronouns gain suffixes just as nouns do.
Suomalaisen Sana-Lugun Coetus (1745) by Daniel Juslenius was the first comprehensive dictionary of the Finnish language with 16,000 entries.
:See the lists of Finnish words and words of Finnish origin at Wiktionary, the free dictionary and Wikipedia's sibling project.
Finnish extensively employs regular agglutination. It has a smaller core vocabulary than, for example, English, and uses derivative suffixes to a greater extent. As an example, take the word kirja "a book", from which one can form derivatives kirjain "a letter" (of the alphabet), kirje "a piece of correspondence, a letter", kirjasto "a library", kirjailija "an author", kirjallisuus "literature", kirjoittaa "to write", kirjoittaja "a writer", kirjuri "a scribe, a clerk", kirjallinen "something in written form", kirjata "to write down, register, record", kirjasin "a font", and others.
Here are some of the more common such suffixes. Which of each pair is used depends on the word being suffixed in accordance with the rules of vowel harmony.
*-ja/jä : agent (one who does) (e.g. lukea "to read" â lukija "reader")
*-lainen/läinen: inhabitant of (either noun or adjective). Englanti "England" â englantilainen "English person or thing"; Venäjä â venäläinen "Russian person or thing".
*-sto/stö: collection of. For example: kirja "a book" â kirjasto "a library"; laiva "a ship" â laivasto "navy, fleet".
*-in: instrument or tool. For example: kirjata "to book, to file" â kirjain "a letter" (of the alphabet); vatkata "to whisk" â vatkain "a whisk, mixer".
*-uri/yri: an agent or instrument (kaivaa "to dig" â kaivuri "a digging machine"; laiva "a ship" â laivuri "shipper, shipmaster").
*-os/ös: result of some action (tulla "to come" â tulos "result, outcome"; tehdä "to do" â teos "a piece of work").
*-ton/tön: lack of something, "un-", "-less" (onni "happiness" â onneton "unhappy"; koti "home" â koditon "homeless").
*-llinen: having (the quality of) something (lapsi "a child" â lapsellinen "childish"; kauppa "a shop, commerce" â kaupallinen "commercial").
*-kas/käs: similar to -llinen (itse "self" â itsekäs "selfish"; neuvo "advice" â neuvokas "resourceful").
*-va/vä: doing or having something (taitaa "to be able" â taitava "skillful"; johtaa "to lead" â johtava "leading").
*-la/lä: a place related to the main word (kana "a hen" â kanala "a henhouse"; pappi "a priest" â pappila "a parsonage").
Verbal suffixes are extremely diverse; several frequentatives and momentanes differentiating causative, volitional-unpredictable and anticausative are found, often combined with each other, often denoting indirection. For example, hypätä "to jump", hyppiä "to be jumping", hypeksiä "to be jumping wantonly", hypäyttää "to make someone jump once", hyppyyttää "to make someone jump repeatedly" (or "to boss someone around"), hyppyytyttää "to make someone to cause a third person to jump repeatedly", hyppyytellä "to, without aim, make someone jump repeatedly", hypähtää "to jump suddenly" (in anticausative meaning), hypellä "to jump around repeatedly", hypiskellä "to be jumping repeatedly and wantonly", hyppimättä "without jumping", hyppelemättä "without jumping around". Often the diversity and compactness of this agglutination is illustrated with istahtaisinkohan "I wonder if I should sit down for a while" (from istua, "to sit, to be seated"):
*istua "to sit down"
*istun "I sit down" / istahtaa "to sit down for a while"
*istahdan "I sit down for a while"
*istahtaisin "I should sit down for a while"
*istahtaisinko "should I sit down for a while?"
*istahtaisinkohan "I wonder if I should sit down for a while"
Over the course of many centuries, the Finnish language has borrowed a great many words from a wide variety of languages, most from neighboring Indo-European languages. Indeed, some estimates put the core Proto-Uralic vocabulary surviving in Finnish at only around 300 word roots. Due to the different grammatical, phonological and phonotactic structure of the Finnish language, loanwords from Indo-European have been assimilated.
In general, the first loan words into Finno-Ugric languages seem to come from very early Indo-European languages, and later mainly from Iranian, Turkic, Baltic, Germanic, and Slavic languages. Furthermore, a certain group of very basic and neutral words exists in Finnish and other Finnic languages that are absent from other Finno-Ugric languages, but without a recognizable etymology from any known language. These words are usually regarded as the last remnant of the Nordic language spoken in Fennoscandia before the arrival of the proto-Finnic language. Words included in this group are e.g. jänis (hare), musta (black), mäki (hill), saari (island), suo (swamp) and niemi (cape). Also some place names, like Päijänne and Imatra, are probably before the proto-Finnic era. Häkkinen, Kaisa. Suomalaisten esihistoria kielitieteen valossa (ISBN 951-717-855-7). Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura 1996. See pages 166 and 173.
Often quoted loan examples are kuningas "king" and ruhtinas "prince, high ranking nobleman" from Germanic *kuningaz and *druhtinaz, but another example is äiti "mother", from Gothic aiþei, which is interesting because borrowing of close-kinship vocabulary is a rare phenomenon. The original Finnish emo occurs only in restricted contexts. There are other close-kinship words that are loaned from Baltic and Germanic languages (morsian "bride", armas "dear"). Examples of the ancient Iranian loans are vasara "hammer" from Avestan vadžra, vajra and orja "slave" from arya, airya "man" (the latter probably via similar circumstances as slave from Slav in many European languages).
More recently, Swedish has been a prolific source of borrowings, and also, the Swedish language acted as a proxy for European words, especially those relating to government. Present-day Finland belonged to the kingdom of Sweden from the 12th century and was ceded to Russia in 1809, becoming an autonomous Grand Duchy. Swedish was retained as the official language and language of the upper class even after this. When Finnish was accepted as an official language, it gained only legal "equal status" with Swedish, which persists even today. It is still the case today, though only about 5.5% of Finnish nationals, the Swedish-speaking Finns, have Swedish as their mother tongue. During the period of autonomy, Russian did not gain much ground as a language of the people or the government. Nevertheless, quite a few words were subsequently acquired from Russian (especially in older Helsinki slang) but not to the same extent as with Swedish. In all these cases, borrowing has been partly a result of geographical proximity.
Especially words dealing with administrative or modern culture came to Finnish from Swedish, sometimes reflecting the oldest Swedish form of the word (lag - laki, 'law'; län - lääni, 'province'; bisp - piispa, 'bishop'; jordpäron - peruna, 'potato'), and many more survive as informal synonyms in spoken or dialectal Finnish (e.g. likka, from Swedish flicka, 'girl', usually tyttö in Finnish).
Typical Russian loanwords are old or very old, thus hard to recognize as such, and concern everyday concepts, e.g. papu "bean", sini "(n.) blue" and pappi "priest". Notably, a few religious words such as Raamattu ("Bible") are borrowed from Russian, which indicates language contact preceding the Swedish era. This is mainly believed to be result of trade with Novgorod from the 9th century on and the Orthodox converting in the 13th century.
Most recently, and with increasing impact, English has been the source of new loanwords in Finnish. Unlike previous "geographical" borrowing, the influence of English is largely "cultural" and reaches Finland by many routes including: international business; music; film and TV (foreign films and programmes, excluding ones intended for a very young audience, are shown subtitled); literature; and, of course, the Web this is now probably the most important source of all non-face-to-face exposure to English.
The importance of English as the language of global commerce has led many non-English companies, including Finland's Nokia, to adopt English as their official operating language. Recently, it has been observed that English borrowings are also ousting previous borrowings, for example the switch from treffailla "to date" (from Swedish, träffa) to deittailla from English "to go for a date". Calques from English are also found, e.g. kovalevy (hard disk). Grammatical calques are also found, for example, the replacement of the impersonal (passiivi) with the English-style generic you, e. g. sä et voi "you cannot", instead of ei voi "one cannot".
However, this does not mean that Finnish is threatened by English. Borrowing is normal language evolution, and neologisms are coined actively not only by the government, but also by the media. Moreover, Finnish and English have a considerably different grammar, phonology and phonotactics, discouraging direct borrowing. English loan words in Finnish slang include for example pleikkari "PlayStation", hodari "hot dog", and hedari "headache", "headshot" or "headbutt". Often these loanwords are distinctly identified as slang or jargon, rarely being used in a negative mood or in formal language. Since English and Finnish grammar, pronunciation and phonetics differ considerably, most loan words are inevitably sooner or later calqued â translated into native Finnish â retaining the semantic meaning.
Some modern terms have been synthesised rather than borrowed, for example:
:puhelin "telephone" (literally: "chatter" + instrument suffix "-in" to make "an instrument for chattering")
:tietokone "computer" (literally: "knowledge machine")
:levyke "diskette" (from levy "disc" + a diminutive -ke)
:sähköposti "email" (literally: "electrical mail")
:linja-auto "bus" (literally: route-car)
Neologisms are actively generated by the Language Planning Office and the media. They are widely adopted. One would actually give an old-fashioned or rustic impression using forms such as telefooni or kompuutteri when the neologism is widely adopted.
The first page of Abckiria (1543), the first book written in the Finnish language. The spelling of Finnish in the book had many inconsistencies: for example, the k sound could be represented by c, k or even g; the long u and the long i were represented by w and ij respectively, and ä was represented by e.
Finnish is written with the Swedish variant of the Latin alphabet that includes the distinct characters à and Ã, and also several characters not used in Finnish (including for example C, Q, Ã
). The Finnish orthography built upon the phoneme principle: each phoneme (meaningful sound) of the language is represented by exactly one grapheme (independent letter), and each grapheme represents almost exactly one phoneme. This makes the language easy for its speakers to spell, and facilitates learning to read and write. The rule of thumb for Finnish orthography is: write as you read, read as you write. However, morphemes retain their spelling despite sandhi.
Some orthographical notes:
*Long vowels and consonants are represented by double occurrences of the relevant graphemes. This causes no confusion, and permits these sounds to be written without having to nearly double the size of the alphabet to accommodate separate graphemes for long sounds.
*The grapheme h occurring before a consonant sounds slightly harder (initially breathy voiced, then voiceless) than when occurring before a vowel.
*Sandhi is not transcribed; the spelling of morphemes is immutable, e.g. tulen+pa .
*Some consonants (v, j, d) and all consonants occurring in (always medial) clusters do not have distinctive length, and consequently, their allophonic variation is not indicated in spelling, e.g. rajaan /rajaan/ (I limit) vs. raijaan /raijjaan/ (I haul).
*Pre-1900s texts and personal names use w for v. Both correspond to the same phoneme, the labiodental approximant , a v without the fricative ("hissing") quality of the English v.
*The letters ä [æ] and ö [ø], although written as umlauted a and o, do not represent phonological umlauts, and they are considered independent graphemes; the letter shapes have been copied from Swedish. An appropriate parallel from the Latin alphabet are the characters C and G (uppercase), which historically have a closer kinship than many other characters (G is a derivation of C) but are considered distinct letters, and changing one for the other will change meanings.
Although Finnish is almost completely written as it is spoken, there are a few differences:
* The n in nk is a velar nasal, as in English. As an exception to the phonetic principle, there is no g in ng, which is a long velar nasal as in English singalong.
* The gemination between words is not marked in writing.
* The double consonant in clitic is marked as a single consonant.
* Only comparative and superlative adjectives the letter m is used like in speech in word like parempi, but in other similar cases the letter n is used, like in onpa
* The /j/ after the letter i is very weak or there is no /j/ at all, but in writing it is used, example: urheilija. Indeed the j is not used in writing words with consonant gradation (like aion and some other (like läksiäiset))
* In speech there is no difference between the use of /i/ in words (like ajoittaa, but ehdottaa, but in writing there are quite simple rules: The i is written in words that consist two syllables and end in a or ä (sanoittaa), and in words that are old-stylish (innoittaa). The i is not written in words that consist two syllables and end in o or ö like (erottaa), words which do not have clear proto-word (hajottaa), and in words that are descriptive (häämöttää) or workaday by their style (rehottaa)
Graphemes ä and ö are sometimes converted in two ways, a and o, respectively and, ae and oe respectively. Finnish graphemes ä and ö are not umlauts like in German; conversion to ae and oe in Finnish language is less correct than in German language. Conversion to a and o is more common and almost universally used in email-addresses. Conversion ae and oe is rare but formally used in passports and equivalent situations. both conversion rules have minimal pairs.
The sounds š and ž are not a part of Finnish language itself and have been introduced somewhat artificially by a government regulation. Although they occur in some rare loanwords, their principal use is in the transcription of foreign names. For technical reasons or convenience, the graphemes sh and zh are often used in quickly or less carefully written texts instead of š and ž. This is a deviation from the phonetic principle, and as such is liable to cause confusion, but the damage is minimal as the transcribed words are foreign in any case. Finnish does not use the sounds z, š or ž, but for the sake of exactitude, they can be included in spelling. (The recommendation cites the Russian play Hovanshtshina as an example.) Many speakers pronounce all of them s, or distinguish only between s and š, because Finnish has no voiced sibilants.
The language may be identified by its distinctive lack of the letters b, c, f, q, w, x, z and å.
Väinö Linna: The Unknown Soldier; these words were also inscribed in the 20 mk note.
(Translation: "The benevolent sun watched them. By no means was it angry at them. Perhaps it even felt a kind of compassion towards them. Jolly good brothers.")
Sample sound of "Hyvää huomenta"
*(Hyvää) huomenta â Good morning
*(Hyvää) päivää â Good afternoon (literally "Good day")
*(Hyvää) iltapäivää â Good afternoon
*(Hyvää) iltaa â Good evening
*(Hyvää) yötä / Ãitä â Good night
*Terve! / Moro! â Hello!
*Hei! / Moi! â Hi!
*Heippa! / Moikka! / Hei hei! / Moi moi! â Bye!
*Nähdään â See you later (literally "will be seen")
*Näkemi(si)in / Hyvästi â Goodbye
*Hauska tutustua! â Nice to meet you
*Kiitos â Thank you
*Kiitos, samoin â Likewise
*Mitä kuuluu? â How are you / How you doing? (Not used among strangers.) (literally "What is heard?")
*Kiitos hyvää â I'm fine, thank you
*Tervetuloa! â Welcome!
Tietosanakirja, 11 volumes, 1909-1922, Finnish encyclopedia.
* kyllä â yes
* joo â yes (informal)
* ei â no
* en â I will not / I do not
* minä, sinä, hän(se) â I, you, he/she(it)
* me, te, he(ne) â we, you (two or more), they
* (minä) olen â I am
* (sinä) olet â you are
* (minä) en ole - I am not
* (sinä) et ole - You are not
* yksi, kaksi, kolme â one, two, three
* neljä, viisi, kuusi â four, five, six
* seitsemän, kahdeksan â seven, eight
* yhdeksän, kymmenen â nine, ten
* yksitoista, kaksitoista, kolmetoista â eleven, twelve, thirteen
* sata, tuhat, miljoona â hundred, thousand, million
* (minä) rakastan sinua â I love you
* anteeksi â forgive me, excuse me, sorry
* voitko auttaa â can you help
* apua! - help!
* voisit(te)ko auttaa â could you help
* missä on ... ? â where is ...?
* olen pahoillani â I'm sorry (apology)
* otan osaa â My condolences
* onnea â good luck
* totta kai/tietysti/toki â of course
* pieni hetki, pikku hetki, hetkinen â one moment please!
* odota â wait
* Suomi â Finland
* suomi/suomen kieli â Finnish language
* suomalainen â (noun) Finn; (adjective) Finnish
* En ymmärrä â I don't understand
* (Minä) ymmärrän â I understand
* ¹Ymmärrät(te)kö suomea? â Do you understand Finnish?
* ¹Puhut(te)ko englantia? â Do you speak English?
* Olen englantilainen / amerikkalainen / kanadalainen / australialainen / uusiseelantilainen / irlantilainen / skotlantilainen / walesilainen / ranskalainen / saksalainen / kiinalainen / japanilainen â I am English / American / Canadian / Australian / New Zealander / Irish / Scottish / Welsh / French / German / Chinese / Japanese
* ¹Olet(te)ko englantilainen? â Are you English?
* Missä (sinä) asut/¹Missä (te) asutte? â Where do you live?
¹ -te is added to make the sentence formal (T-V distinction). Otherwise, without the added "-te", it is informal. It is also added when talking to more than one person. The transition from second-person singular to second-person plural (teitittely) is a politeness pattern, advised by many "good manners guides". Elderly people, especially, expect it from strangers, whereas the younger might feel it to be too formal to the point of coldness. However, a learner of the language should not be excessively concerned about it. Omitting it is never offensive, but one should keep in mind that on formal occasions this custom may make a good impression.
* Finnish alphabet
* Finnish grammar
* Spoken Finnish
* Finland's language strife
* Karelian language
* Estonian language
* Finnish name
* Finnish cultural and academic institutes
* Finnish language on Ethnologue
* The Finnish language --- a list of resources
* Lexicon of Early Indo-European Loanwords Preserved in Finnish
* Proto-Uralic to Finnish (in IPA mostly migrated from X-SAMPA)
* English-Finnish-English Dictionary
* Collection of Finnish bilingual dictionaries
* Finnish Etymological Dictionary by Andras Rajki
* English-Finnish and Russian-Finnish Dictionary
* English-Finnish vocabulary quizzes
* The 2 253 possible forms of the Finnish noun kauppa 'shop'
* Discussion about the Finnish Language
To Do
This section lists the topics which need to be written or expanded (there are headings for all of these):
* This page:
** History: The history of the language, especially its written form and its official status
** Derivative suffixes
** External links
* Grammar page:
** Illative formation
** Noun plurals
** Noun stem types
** Adjectives, including comparison
** Postpositions and prepositions
** 5th infinitive
** Imperfect indicative for typeV and VI verbs
** Present participles, active and passive
** Past participle, passive
** Agent participle
** Passive, 2nd person imperatives
** 3rd person imperatives
** 1st person plural imperatives
** Ordinal numbers
** Names of numbers
* Spoken language page:
**important regional variations
-->
|
Finnish_language | Where is the Kven language spoken? | Norway | data/set5/a5 | Finnish_language
Finnish ( , or suomen kieli) is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland (92% Tilastokeskus - Väestö ) and by ethnic Finns outside of Finland. It is one of the official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a Finnish dialect, are spoken. The Kven language, a Finnish dialect spoken in Northern Norway, is an official minority language in Norway.
Finnish is the eponymous member of the Finno-Ugric language family and is typologically between fusional and agglutinative languages. It modifies and inflects the forms of nouns, adjectives, pronouns, numerals and verbs, depending on their roles in the sentence.
Finnish is a member of the Baltic-Finnic subgroup of the Finno-Ugric group of languages which in turn is a member of the Uralic family of languages. The Baltic-Finnic subgroup also includes Estonian and other minority languages spoken around the Baltic Sea.
Finnish demonstrates an affiliation with the Uralic languages in several respects including:
*Shared morphology:
:*case suffixes such as genitive -n, partitive -(t)a / -(t)ä ( Virtual Finland: Where do Finns come from?.
According to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, Finnish is classified as a level III language in terms of learning difficulty for native English speakers. Defense Language Institute
Areas in Southern Sweden with a Finnish-speaking population (2005)
Finnish is spoken by about six million people who reside mainly in Finland. There are also notable Finnish-speaking minorities in Sweden, Norway, Russia, Estonia, Canada, and the United States. The majority of the population of Finland, 91.51% , speak Finnish as their first language. The remainder speak Swedish (5.5%), Sami (Northern, Inari, Skolt) and other languages. It has achieved some popularity as a second language in Estonia.
Finnish is one of two official languages of Finland (the other being Swedish, spoken by 5.49% of the population Statistikcentralen - Befolkning ) and an official language of the European Union. It enjoys the status of an official minority language in Sweden. It is also one of the working languages of the Nordic Council. Under the Nordic Language Convention, citizens of the Nordic countries speaking Finnish have the opportunity to use their native language when interacting with official bodies in other Nordic countries without being liable to any interpretation or translation costs. Konvention mellan Sverige, Danmark, Finland, Island och Norge om nordiska medborgares rätt att använda sitt eget språk i annat nordiskt land, Nordic Council website. Retrieved on April 25, 2007. 20th anniversary of the Nordic Language Convention, Nordic news, February 22, 2007. Retrieved on April 25, 2007.
According to recent estimations, Proto-Uralic language arrived in Finland around 1900 BCE, soon to be developed into Proto-Finnic. The Balto-Finnic languages evolved from the Proto-Finnic language after Sámi was separated from it around 1500-1000 BCE. Current research indicates there were three or more Proto-Finnic dialects. The Baltic Finnic languages separated around the 1st century, but continued to influence each other. Therefore, the Eastern Finnish dialects are genetically Eastern Proto-Finnic, with many Eastern features, and the Southwestern Finnish dialects have many genuine Estonian influences.
Finland was annexed to Catholic Sweden in the Middle Ages. Prior to this, Finnish was an oral language. Even after, the language of larger-scale business was Middle Low German, the language of administration Swedish, and religious activities were held in Latin, leaving few possibilities for Finnish-speakers to use their mother tongue in situations other than daily chores.
The first known written example of Finnish comes from this era and was found in a German travel journal dating back to c.1450: Mynna tachton gernast spuho somen gelen Emyna dayda (Modern Finnish: "Minä tahdon kernaasti puhua suomen kieltä, [mutta] en minä taida"; English: "I willingly want to speak Finnish, [but] I cannot"). According to the travel journal, a Finnish bishop, whose name is unknown, was behind the above quotation.
Mikael Agricola, a 19th century drawing by Albert Edelfelt
The first comprehensive writing system for Finnish was created by Mikael Agricola, a Finnish bishop, in the 16th century. He based his orthography on Swedish, German, and Latin. His ultimate plan was to translate the Bible, but first he had to define rules on which the Finnish standard language still relies, particularly with respect to spelling. He also invented single-handedly many words such as armo meaning both "mercy" and "grace" (as in "from grace alone, not out of good works...") and vanhurskas "righteous". More than fifty percent of these words are still in use.
Agricola's written language was based on western dialects of Finnish, and his intention was that each phoneme should correspond to one letter. Yet, Agricola was confronted with many problems in this endeavor and failed to achieve uniformity. This is why he might use different signs for the same phonemes depending on the situation. For example he used dh or d to represent the voiced dental fricative (English th in this) and tz or z to represent the geminate unvoiced dental fricative (the th in thin). Additionally, Agricola might use gh or g to represent the voiced velar fricative and either ch, c or h for /h/. For example he wrote techtin against modern spelling tehtiin.
Later others revised Agricola's work, striving for a more phonemic system. Along the way, Finnish lost some of its phonemes. The sounds and disappeared from the standard language, surviving only in a small rural region in Western Finland. Elsewhere, traces of these phonemes persist as their disappearance gave Finnish dialects their distinct qualities. For example, became ht or tt (e.g. meþþä â mehtä, mettä) in the eastern dialects and in some western dialects. In the standard language, however, the effect of the lost phonemes is thus:
* became
* became
* became but only if the voiced velar fricative appeared originally between high labial vowels, otherwise lost entirely.
Modern Finnish punctuation, along with that of Swedish, uses the colon character (:) to separate the stem of the word and its grammatical ending in some cases (such as after abbreviations), where some other alphabetic writing systems would use an apostrophe. Suffixes are required for correct grammar, so this is often applied, e.g. EU:ssa "in the EU".
Elias Lönnrot as depicted in a 19th century caricature Lönnrot made several journeys to Karelia and Eastern Finland to collect folklore, from which he compiled the Kalevala.
In the 19th century Johan Vilhelm Snellman and others began to stress the need to improve the status of Finnish. Ever since the days of Mikael Agricola written Finnish had been used almost exclusively in religious contexts, but now Snellman's Hegelian nationalistic ideas of Finnish as a full-fledged national language gained considerable support. Concerted efforts were made to improve the status of the language and to modernize it, and by the end of the century Finnish had become a language of administration, journalism, literature, and science in Finland, along with Swedish.
The most important contributions to improving the status of Finnish were made by Elias Lönnrot. His impact on the development of modern vocabulary in Finnish was particularly crucial. In addition to compiling the Kalevala, he acted as an arbitrator in disputes about the development of standard Finnish between the proponents of western and eastern dialects, ensuring that the western dialects Agricola had preferred preserved their preeminent role, while many originally dialectical words from Eastern Finland were introduced to the standard language enriching it considerably. The first novel written in Finnish (and by a Finnish-speaker) was Seven Brothers, published by Aleksis Kivi in 1870.
Map of Finnish dialects
The dialects of Finnish are divided into two distinct groups, the Western dialects and the Eastern dialects. The dialects are almost entirely mutually intelligible and distinguished from each other by only minor changes in vowels, diphthongs and rhythm. For the most part, the dialects operate on the same phonology, grammar and vocabulary. There are only marginal examples of sounds or grammatical constructions specific to some dialect and not found in standard Finnish. Two examples are the voiced dental fricative found in Rauma dialect and the Eastern exessive case.
The classification of closely related dialects spoken outside of Finland is a politically sensitive issue that has been controversial since Finland's independence in 1917. This concerns specifically the Karelian language in Russia and Meänkieli in Sweden, the speakers of which are often considered oppressed minorities. Karelian is different enough from standard Finnish to have its own orthography. Meänkieli is a northern dialect entirely intelligible to speakers of any other Finnish dialect, which achieved its status as an official minority language in Sweden for historical and political reasons regardless of the fact that Finnish is an official minority language in Sweden, too.
The South-West dialects (lounaismurteet) are spoken in Finland Proper and Satakunta. Their typical feature is abbreviation of word-final vowels, and in many respects they resemble Estonian. The Tavastian dialects (hämäläismurteet) are spoken in Tavastia. They are closest to the standard language, but feature some slight vowel changes, such as the opening of diphthong-final vowels (tie â tiä, miekka â miakka, kuolisi â kualis). The Southern Ostrobothnian dialects (eteläpohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Southern Ostrobothnia. Their most notable feature is the pronunciation of 'd' as a tapped or even fully trilled /r/. The Middle and North Ostrobothnia dialects (keski- ja pohjoispohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Central and Northern Ostrobothnia. The Far-Northern dialects (peräpohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Lapland. The dialects spoken in the western parts of Lapland are recognizable by retention of old 'h' sounds in positions where they have disappeared from other dialects.
One of the Far-Northern dialects, Meänkieli, which is spoken on the Swedish side of the border, is taught in some Swedish schools as a distinct standardized language. The speakers of Meänkieli became politically separated from the other Finns when Finland was annexed to Russia in 1809. The categorization of Meänkieli as a separate language is controversial among the Finns, who see no linguistic criteria, only political reasons, for treating Meänkieli differently than other dialects of Finnish.
The Kven language is spoken in Finnmark and Troms, in Norway. Its speakers are descendants of Finnish emigrants to the region in the 18th and 19th centuries. Kven is an official minority language in Norway.
The Eastern dialects consist of the widespread Savonian dialects (savolaismurteet) spoken in Savo and nearby areas, and the South-Eastern dialects spoken now only in Finnish South Karelia. The South-Eastern dialects (kaakkoismurteet) were previously spoken also on the Karelian Isthmus and in Ingria. The Karelian Isthmus was evacuated during World War II and refugees were resettled all over Finland. Most of Ingrian Finns were deported to various parts of Russia and Estonia.
Palatalization, a common feature of Uralic languages, had been lost in Baltic-Finnic languages, but it has been reacquired by most of these languages, including Eastern Finnish, but not Western Finnish. In Finnish orthography, this is denoted with a 'j', e.g. vesj, cf. standard vesi.
The language spoken in the parts of Karelia that have not historically been under Swedish or Finnish rule is usually called the Karelian language, and it is considered to be more distant from standard Finnish than the Eastern dialects. Whether this language of Russian Karelia is a dialect of Finnish or a separate language is a matter of interpretation. However, the term Karelian dialects is often used colloquially to the Finnish South-Eastern dialects.
* Western dialects
**Southern-Western dialects
***Proper Southern-Western dialects
**** Northern dialect group
**** Southern dialect group
***Southern-Western middle dialects
****Pori region dialects
****Ala-Satakunta dialects
****dialects of Turku highlands
****Somero region dialects
****Western Uusimaa dialects
**Tavastian dialects
***Ylä-Satakunta dialects
***Heart Tavastian dialects
***Southern Tavastian dialects
***Southern-Eastern Tavastian dialects
****Hollola dialect group
****Porvoo dialect group
****Iitti dialect group
**Southern Botnian dialects
**Middle and Northern Botnian dialects
***Middle Botnian dialects
***Northern Botnian dialects
**Peräpohjola dialects
***Tornio dialects ("Meänkieli" in Sweden)
***Kemi dialects
***Kemijärvi dialects
***Jällivaara dialects ("Meänkieli" in Sweden)
***Ruija dialects ("Kven language" in Northern Norway)
*Eastern dialects
**Savonian dialects
***Northern Savonian dialects
***Southern Savonian dialects
***Middle dialects of Savonlinna region
***Eastern Savonian dialects or the dialects of North Karelia
***Kainuu dialects
***Central Finland dialects
***Päijänne Tavastia dialects
***Keuruu-Evijärvi dialects
***Savonian dialects of Värmland (Sweden)
**Southern-Eastern dialects
***Proper Southern-Eastern dialects
***Middle dialects of Lemi region
***Middle dialects of Sortavala region (now in Russia)
***Dialects of Ingria (in Russia) /ref>
There are two main varieties of Finnish used throughout the country. One is the "standard language" (yleiskieli), and the other is the "spoken language" (puhekieli). The standard language is used in formal situations like political speeches and newscasts. Its written form, the "book language" (kirjakieli), is used in nearly all written texts, not always excluding even the dialogue of common people in popular prose. The spoken language, on the other hand, is the main variety of Finnish used in popular TV and radio shows and at workplaces, and may be preferred to a dialect in personal communication.
Standard Finnish is prescribed by the Language Office of the Research Institute for the Languages of Finland and is the language used in official communication. The Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish (Nykysuomen sanakirja 1951â61), with 201,000 entries, was a prescriptive dictionary that defined official language. An additional volume for words of foreign origin (Nykysuomen sivistyssanakirja, 30,000 entries) was published in 1991. An updated dictionary, the Language Office Dictionary (Kielitoimiston sanakirja) was published in an electronic form in 2004 and in print in 2006. A descriptive grammar (Iso suomen kielioppi, Hakulinen, Auli et al. (2004): Iso suomen kielioppi. SKS:n toimituksia 950. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura. ISBN 951-746-557-2. 1,600 pages 1,600 pages) was published in 2004. There is also an etymological dictionary, Suomen sanojen alkuperä, published in 1992â2000, and a handbook of contemporary language (Nykysuomen käsikirja), and a periodic publication, Kielikello. Standard Finnish is used in official texts and is the form of language taught in schools. Its spoken form is used in political speech, newscasts, in courts, and in other formal situations. Nearly all publishing and printed works are in standard Finnish.
The spoken language has mostly developed naturally from earlier forms of Finnish, and spread from main cultural and political centres. The standard language, however, has always been a consciously constructed medium for literature. It preserves grammatical patterns that have mostly vanished from the colloquial varieties and, as its main application is writing, it features complex syntactic patterns that are not easy to handle when used in speech. The spoken language develops significantly faster, and the grammatical and phonological simplifications include also the most common pronouns and suffixes, which sum up to frequent but modest differences. Some sound changes have been left out of the formal language, such as the irregularization of some common verbs by assimilation, e.g. tule- â tuu- (although tule can be used in spoken language as well).
Written language certainly still exerts a considerable influence upon the spoken word, due to the fact that illiteracy is nonexistent and many Finns are avid readers. In fact, it is still not entirely uncommon to meet people who "talk like a book" (puhuvat kirjakieltä), although this is seen as pedantic. More common is the intrusion of typically book-like constructions into a colloquial discourse, as a kind of quote from written Finnish. It should also be noted that it is quite common to hear book-like and polished speech on radio or TV, and the constant exposure to such language tends to lead to the adoption of such constructions even in everyday language.
A prominent example of the effect of the standard language is the development of the consonant gradation form /ts : ts/ as in metsä : metsän, as this pattern was originally (1940) found natively only in the dialects of southern Karelian isthmus and Ingria. In fact, it has arisen from the spelling 'ts' for the dental fricative [θË], which has disappeared. In spoken language, a fusion of Western /tt : tt/ (mettä : mettän) and Eastern /ht : t/ (mehtä : metän) has been created: /tt : t/ (mettä : metän). Yleiskielen ts:n murrevastineet It is notable that neither of these are forms are identifiable as or originate from a specific dialect.
The orthography of the informal language follows that of the formal language. However, sometimes sandhi may be transcribed, especially the internal ones, e.g. menenpä â menempä. This never takes place in formal language.
:
Note that there are noticeable differences between dialects. These examples are mostly from the language as spoken in the capital area (Helsinki dialect or even Stadin slangi). Also note that here the formal language does not mean a language spoken in formal occasions but the standard language which exist practically only in written form.
Characteristic features of Finnish (common to other Finno-Ugric languages) are vowel harmony and an agglutinative morphology; due to the extensive use of the latter, words can be quite long.
The main stress is always on the first syllable, and it is articulated by adding approximately 100 ms more length to the stressed vowel. Stress does not cause any measurable modifications in vowel quality (very much unlike English). However, stress is not strong and words appear evenly stressed. In some cases, stress is so weak that the highest points of volume, pitch and other indicators of "articulation intensity" are not on the first syllable, although native speakers recognize the first syllable as a stressed syllable.
There are eight vowels, whose lexical and grammatical role is highly important, and which are unusually strictly controlled, so that there is almost no allophony. Vowels shown in the table below, followed by the IPA symbol when not identical. These are always different phonemes in the initial syllable; for noninitial syllable, see morphophonology below.
: 1 Although conventionally and conveniently written with the close-mid symbols , and , they are more accurately described as mid vowels ( , and ).
The usual analysis is that Finnish has long and short vowels and consonants as distinct phonemes. However, long vowels may be analyzed as a vowel followed by a chroneme, or also, that sequences of identical vowels are pronounced as "diphthongs". The quality of long vowels mostly overlaps with the quality of short vowels, with the exception of u, which is centralized with respect to uu; long vowels do not morph into diphthongs. There are eighteen phonemic diphthongs; like vowels, diphthongs do not have significant allophony.
Finnish has a consonant inventory of small to moderate size, where voicing is mostly not distinctive, and fricatives are scarce. Finnish has relatively few non-coronal consonants. Consonants are as follows, where consonants in parenthesis are found only in a few recent loans.
# is the equivalent of under weakening consonant gradation, and thus occurs only medially, or in non-native words; it is actually more of an alveolar tap rather than a true voiced stop, and the dialectal realization varies wildly; see main article.
# The glottal stop can only appear at word boundaries as a result of certain sandhi phenomena, and it is not indicated in spelling: e.g. 'let it be', orthographically anna olla. Moreover, this sound is not used in all dialects.
# The short velar nasal is an allophone of in , and the long velar nasal , written ng, is the equivalent of under weakening consonant gradation (type of lenition) and thus occurs only medially.
Almost all consonants have phonemic geminated forms. These are independent, but occur only medially when phonemic.
Independent consonant clusters are not allowed in native words, except for a small set of two-consonant syllable codas, e.g. 'rs' in karsta. However, due to a number of recently adopted loanwords using them, e.g. strutsi "ostrich", Finnish speakers can pronounce them, even if it is somewhat awkward.
As a Finno-Ugric language, it is somewhat special in two respects: loss of fricatives and loss of palatalization.
An interesting feature of Finnic phonology is the development of labial vowels in non-initial syllables. Proto-Uralic had only 'a' and 'i' and their vowel harmonic allophones in non-initial syllables; modern Finnish allows other vowels in non-initial syllables (they are uncommon, however, compared to 'a', 'ä' and 'i').
Palatalization is characteristic of Finno-Ugric languages, but Finnish has lost it. However, the Eastern dialects and the Karelian language have redeveloped a system of palatalization. For example, the Karelian word d'uuri , with a palatalized , is reflected by juuri in Finnish and Savo dialect vesj is vesi in standard Finnish.
Finnish has only two fricatives, namely and . All other fricatives are recognized as foreign, of which Finnish speakers can usually reliably distinguish and .
Finnish has several morphophonological processes between grammar ("logic") and phonology ("sounds") that require modification of the forms of words for daily speech. The most important processes are vowel harmony and consonant gradation.
Vowel harmony is a redundancy feature, which means that the feature [±back] is uniform within a word, and so it is necessary to interpret it only once for a given word. It is meaning-distinguishing in the initial syllable, and suffixes follow; so, if the listener hears [±back] in any part of the word, they can derive [±back] for the initial syllable. For example, tuote ("product") agglutinates to tuotteeseensa ("into his product"), where the final vowel becomes the back vowel 'a' (rather than the front vowel 'ä') because the initial syllable contains the back vowels 'uo'. This is especially notable because vowels 'a' and 'ä' are different, meaning-distinguishing phonemes, not interchangeable or allophonic. Finnish front vowels are not umlauts.
Consonant gradation is a lenition process for P, T and K, with the oblique stem "weakened" from the nominative stem, or vice versa. For example, tarkka "precise" has the oblique root tarka-, as in tarkan "of the precise". There is also another gradation pattern, which is older, and causes simple elision of T and K. However, it is very common since it is found in the partitive case marker: if V is a single vowel, V+ta â Va, e.g. *vanha+ta â vanhaa. Another instance is the imperative, which changes into a glottal stop in the singular but is shown as an overt 'ka' in plural, e.g. mene vs. menkää.
The morphosyntactic alignment is nominative-accusative; but there are two object cases: accusative and partitive. The contrast between the two is telic, where the accusative case denotes actions completed as intended (Ammuin hirven "I shot (killed) the elk"), and the partitive case denotes incomplete actions (Ammuin hirveä "I shot (at) the elk"). Often this is confused with perfectivity, but the only element of perfectivity that exists in Finnish is that there are some perfective verbs. Transitivity is distinguished by different verbs for transitive and intransitive, e.g. ratkaista "to solve something" vs. ratketa "to solve by itself". There are several frequentative and momentane verb categories.
Verbs gain personal suffixes for each person; these suffixes are grammatically more important than pronouns, which are often not used at all in standard Finnish. The infinitive is not the uninflected form but has a suffix -ta or -da; the closest one to an uninflected form is the third person singular indicative. There are four persons, first ("I, we"), second ("you (singular), you (plural)"), third ("s/he, they"). Also, the passive voice (sometimes called impersonal or indefinite) resembles a "fourth person" similar to e.g. English "people say/do/â¦". There are four tenses, namely present, past, perfect and pluperfect; the system mirrors the Germanic system. The future tense is not needed due to context and the telic contrast. For example, luen kirjan "I read a book (completely)" indicates a future, when luen kirjaa "I read a book (not yet complete)" indicates present.
Nouns may be suffixed with the markers for the aforementioned accusative case and partitive case, the genitive case, eight different locatives, and a few other cases. The case marker must be added not only to the main noun, but also to its modifiers; e.g. suure+ssa talo+ssa, literally "big-in house-in". Possession is marked with a possessive suffix; separate possessive pronouns are unknown. Pronouns gain suffixes just as nouns do.
Suomalaisen Sana-Lugun Coetus (1745) by Daniel Juslenius was the first comprehensive dictionary of the Finnish language with 16,000 entries.
:See the lists of Finnish words and words of Finnish origin at Wiktionary, the free dictionary and Wikipedia's sibling project.
Finnish extensively employs regular agglutination. It has a smaller core vocabulary than, for example, English, and uses derivative suffixes to a greater extent. As an example, take the word kirja "a book", from which one can form derivatives kirjain "a letter" (of the alphabet), kirje "a piece of correspondence, a letter", kirjasto "a library", kirjailija "an author", kirjallisuus "literature", kirjoittaa "to write", kirjoittaja "a writer", kirjuri "a scribe, a clerk", kirjallinen "something in written form", kirjata "to write down, register, record", kirjasin "a font", and others.
Here are some of the more common such suffixes. Which of each pair is used depends on the word being suffixed in accordance with the rules of vowel harmony.
*-ja/jä : agent (one who does) (e.g. lukea "to read" â lukija "reader")
*-lainen/läinen: inhabitant of (either noun or adjective). Englanti "England" â englantilainen "English person or thing"; Venäjä â venäläinen "Russian person or thing".
*-sto/stö: collection of. For example: kirja "a book" â kirjasto "a library"; laiva "a ship" â laivasto "navy, fleet".
*-in: instrument or tool. For example: kirjata "to book, to file" â kirjain "a letter" (of the alphabet); vatkata "to whisk" â vatkain "a whisk, mixer".
*-uri/yri: an agent or instrument (kaivaa "to dig" â kaivuri "a digging machine"; laiva "a ship" â laivuri "shipper, shipmaster").
*-os/ös: result of some action (tulla "to come" â tulos "result, outcome"; tehdä "to do" â teos "a piece of work").
*-ton/tön: lack of something, "un-", "-less" (onni "happiness" â onneton "unhappy"; koti "home" â koditon "homeless").
*-llinen: having (the quality of) something (lapsi "a child" â lapsellinen "childish"; kauppa "a shop, commerce" â kaupallinen "commercial").
*-kas/käs: similar to -llinen (itse "self" â itsekäs "selfish"; neuvo "advice" â neuvokas "resourceful").
*-va/vä: doing or having something (taitaa "to be able" â taitava "skillful"; johtaa "to lead" â johtava "leading").
*-la/lä: a place related to the main word (kana "a hen" â kanala "a henhouse"; pappi "a priest" â pappila "a parsonage").
Verbal suffixes are extremely diverse; several frequentatives and momentanes differentiating causative, volitional-unpredictable and anticausative are found, often combined with each other, often denoting indirection. For example, hypätä "to jump", hyppiä "to be jumping", hypeksiä "to be jumping wantonly", hypäyttää "to make someone jump once", hyppyyttää "to make someone jump repeatedly" (or "to boss someone around"), hyppyytyttää "to make someone to cause a third person to jump repeatedly", hyppyytellä "to, without aim, make someone jump repeatedly", hypähtää "to jump suddenly" (in anticausative meaning), hypellä "to jump around repeatedly", hypiskellä "to be jumping repeatedly and wantonly", hyppimättä "without jumping", hyppelemättä "without jumping around". Often the diversity and compactness of this agglutination is illustrated with istahtaisinkohan "I wonder if I should sit down for a while" (from istua, "to sit, to be seated"):
*istua "to sit down"
*istun "I sit down" / istahtaa "to sit down for a while"
*istahdan "I sit down for a while"
*istahtaisin "I should sit down for a while"
*istahtaisinko "should I sit down for a while?"
*istahtaisinkohan "I wonder if I should sit down for a while"
Over the course of many centuries, the Finnish language has borrowed a great many words from a wide variety of languages, most from neighboring Indo-European languages. Indeed, some estimates put the core Proto-Uralic vocabulary surviving in Finnish at only around 300 word roots. Due to the different grammatical, phonological and phonotactic structure of the Finnish language, loanwords from Indo-European have been assimilated.
In general, the first loan words into Finno-Ugric languages seem to come from very early Indo-European languages, and later mainly from Iranian, Turkic, Baltic, Germanic, and Slavic languages. Furthermore, a certain group of very basic and neutral words exists in Finnish and other Finnic languages that are absent from other Finno-Ugric languages, but without a recognizable etymology from any known language. These words are usually regarded as the last remnant of the Nordic language spoken in Fennoscandia before the arrival of the proto-Finnic language. Words included in this group are e.g. jänis (hare), musta (black), mäki (hill), saari (island), suo (swamp) and niemi (cape). Also some place names, like Päijänne and Imatra, are probably before the proto-Finnic era. Häkkinen, Kaisa. Suomalaisten esihistoria kielitieteen valossa (ISBN 951-717-855-7). Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura 1996. See pages 166 and 173.
Often quoted loan examples are kuningas "king" and ruhtinas "prince, high ranking nobleman" from Germanic *kuningaz and *druhtinaz, but another example is äiti "mother", from Gothic aiþei, which is interesting because borrowing of close-kinship vocabulary is a rare phenomenon. The original Finnish emo occurs only in restricted contexts. There are other close-kinship words that are loaned from Baltic and Germanic languages (morsian "bride", armas "dear"). Examples of the ancient Iranian loans are vasara "hammer" from Avestan vadžra, vajra and orja "slave" from arya, airya "man" (the latter probably via similar circumstances as slave from Slav in many European languages).
More recently, Swedish has been a prolific source of borrowings, and also, the Swedish language acted as a proxy for European words, especially those relating to government. Present-day Finland belonged to the kingdom of Sweden from the 12th century and was ceded to Russia in 1809, becoming an autonomous Grand Duchy. Swedish was retained as the official language and language of the upper class even after this. When Finnish was accepted as an official language, it gained only legal "equal status" with Swedish, which persists even today. It is still the case today, though only about 5.5% of Finnish nationals, the Swedish-speaking Finns, have Swedish as their mother tongue. During the period of autonomy, Russian did not gain much ground as a language of the people or the government. Nevertheless, quite a few words were subsequently acquired from Russian (especially in older Helsinki slang) but not to the same extent as with Swedish. In all these cases, borrowing has been partly a result of geographical proximity.
Especially words dealing with administrative or modern culture came to Finnish from Swedish, sometimes reflecting the oldest Swedish form of the word (lag - laki, 'law'; län - lääni, 'province'; bisp - piispa, 'bishop'; jordpäron - peruna, 'potato'), and many more survive as informal synonyms in spoken or dialectal Finnish (e.g. likka, from Swedish flicka, 'girl', usually tyttö in Finnish).
Typical Russian loanwords are old or very old, thus hard to recognize as such, and concern everyday concepts, e.g. papu "bean", sini "(n.) blue" and pappi "priest". Notably, a few religious words such as Raamattu ("Bible") are borrowed from Russian, which indicates language contact preceding the Swedish era. This is mainly believed to be result of trade with Novgorod from the 9th century on and the Orthodox converting in the 13th century.
Most recently, and with increasing impact, English has been the source of new loanwords in Finnish. Unlike previous "geographical" borrowing, the influence of English is largely "cultural" and reaches Finland by many routes including: international business; music; film and TV (foreign films and programmes, excluding ones intended for a very young audience, are shown subtitled); literature; and, of course, the Web this is now probably the most important source of all non-face-to-face exposure to English.
The importance of English as the language of global commerce has led many non-English companies, including Finland's Nokia, to adopt English as their official operating language. Recently, it has been observed that English borrowings are also ousting previous borrowings, for example the switch from treffailla "to date" (from Swedish, träffa) to deittailla from English "to go for a date". Calques from English are also found, e.g. kovalevy (hard disk). Grammatical calques are also found, for example, the replacement of the impersonal (passiivi) with the English-style generic you, e. g. sä et voi "you cannot", instead of ei voi "one cannot".
However, this does not mean that Finnish is threatened by English. Borrowing is normal language evolution, and neologisms are coined actively not only by the government, but also by the media. Moreover, Finnish and English have a considerably different grammar, phonology and phonotactics, discouraging direct borrowing. English loan words in Finnish slang include for example pleikkari "PlayStation", hodari "hot dog", and hedari "headache", "headshot" or "headbutt". Often these loanwords are distinctly identified as slang or jargon, rarely being used in a negative mood or in formal language. Since English and Finnish grammar, pronunciation and phonetics differ considerably, most loan words are inevitably sooner or later calqued â translated into native Finnish â retaining the semantic meaning.
Some modern terms have been synthesised rather than borrowed, for example:
:puhelin "telephone" (literally: "chatter" + instrument suffix "-in" to make "an instrument for chattering")
:tietokone "computer" (literally: "knowledge machine")
:levyke "diskette" (from levy "disc" + a diminutive -ke)
:sähköposti "email" (literally: "electrical mail")
:linja-auto "bus" (literally: route-car)
Neologisms are actively generated by the Language Planning Office and the media. They are widely adopted. One would actually give an old-fashioned or rustic impression using forms such as telefooni or kompuutteri when the neologism is widely adopted.
The first page of Abckiria (1543), the first book written in the Finnish language. The spelling of Finnish in the book had many inconsistencies: for example, the k sound could be represented by c, k or even g; the long u and the long i were represented by w and ij respectively, and ä was represented by e.
Finnish is written with the Swedish variant of the Latin alphabet that includes the distinct characters à and Ã, and also several characters not used in Finnish (including for example C, Q, Ã
). The Finnish orthography built upon the phoneme principle: each phoneme (meaningful sound) of the language is represented by exactly one grapheme (independent letter), and each grapheme represents almost exactly one phoneme. This makes the language easy for its speakers to spell, and facilitates learning to read and write. The rule of thumb for Finnish orthography is: write as you read, read as you write. However, morphemes retain their spelling despite sandhi.
Some orthographical notes:
*Long vowels and consonants are represented by double occurrences of the relevant graphemes. This causes no confusion, and permits these sounds to be written without having to nearly double the size of the alphabet to accommodate separate graphemes for long sounds.
*The grapheme h occurring before a consonant sounds slightly harder (initially breathy voiced, then voiceless) than when occurring before a vowel.
*Sandhi is not transcribed; the spelling of morphemes is immutable, e.g. tulen+pa .
*Some consonants (v, j, d) and all consonants occurring in (always medial) clusters do not have distinctive length, and consequently, their allophonic variation is not indicated in spelling, e.g. rajaan /rajaan/ (I limit) vs. raijaan /raijjaan/ (I haul).
*Pre-1900s texts and personal names use w for v. Both correspond to the same phoneme, the labiodental approximant , a v without the fricative ("hissing") quality of the English v.
*The letters ä [æ] and ö [ø], although written as umlauted a and o, do not represent phonological umlauts, and they are considered independent graphemes; the letter shapes have been copied from Swedish. An appropriate parallel from the Latin alphabet are the characters C and G (uppercase), which historically have a closer kinship than many other characters (G is a derivation of C) but are considered distinct letters, and changing one for the other will change meanings.
Although Finnish is almost completely written as it is spoken, there are a few differences:
* The n in nk is a velar nasal, as in English. As an exception to the phonetic principle, there is no g in ng, which is a long velar nasal as in English singalong.
* The gemination between words is not marked in writing.
* The double consonant in clitic is marked as a single consonant.
* Only comparative and superlative adjectives the letter m is used like in speech in word like parempi, but in other similar cases the letter n is used, like in onpa
* The /j/ after the letter i is very weak or there is no /j/ at all, but in writing it is used, example: urheilija. Indeed the j is not used in writing words with consonant gradation (like aion and some other (like läksiäiset))
* In speech there is no difference between the use of /i/ in words (like ajoittaa, but ehdottaa, but in writing there are quite simple rules: The i is written in words that consist two syllables and end in a or ä (sanoittaa), and in words that are old-stylish (innoittaa). The i is not written in words that consist two syllables and end in o or ö like (erottaa), words which do not have clear proto-word (hajottaa), and in words that are descriptive (häämöttää) or workaday by their style (rehottaa)
Graphemes ä and ö are sometimes converted in two ways, a and o, respectively and, ae and oe respectively. Finnish graphemes ä and ö are not umlauts like in German; conversion to ae and oe in Finnish language is less correct than in German language. Conversion to a and o is more common and almost universally used in email-addresses. Conversion ae and oe is rare but formally used in passports and equivalent situations. both conversion rules have minimal pairs.
The sounds š and ž are not a part of Finnish language itself and have been introduced somewhat artificially by a government regulation. Although they occur in some rare loanwords, their principal use is in the transcription of foreign names. For technical reasons or convenience, the graphemes sh and zh are often used in quickly or less carefully written texts instead of š and ž. This is a deviation from the phonetic principle, and as such is liable to cause confusion, but the damage is minimal as the transcribed words are foreign in any case. Finnish does not use the sounds z, š or ž, but for the sake of exactitude, they can be included in spelling. (The recommendation cites the Russian play Hovanshtshina as an example.) Many speakers pronounce all of them s, or distinguish only between s and š, because Finnish has no voiced sibilants.
The language may be identified by its distinctive lack of the letters b, c, f, q, w, x, z and å.
Väinö Linna: The Unknown Soldier; these words were also inscribed in the 20 mk note.
(Translation: "The benevolent sun watched them. By no means was it angry at them. Perhaps it even felt a kind of compassion towards them. Jolly good brothers.")
Sample sound of "Hyvää huomenta"
*(Hyvää) huomenta â Good morning
*(Hyvää) päivää â Good afternoon (literally "Good day")
*(Hyvää) iltapäivää â Good afternoon
*(Hyvää) iltaa â Good evening
*(Hyvää) yötä / Ãitä â Good night
*Terve! / Moro! â Hello!
*Hei! / Moi! â Hi!
*Heippa! / Moikka! / Hei hei! / Moi moi! â Bye!
*Nähdään â See you later (literally "will be seen")
*Näkemi(si)in / Hyvästi â Goodbye
*Hauska tutustua! â Nice to meet you
*Kiitos â Thank you
*Kiitos, samoin â Likewise
*Mitä kuuluu? â How are you / How you doing? (Not used among strangers.) (literally "What is heard?")
*Kiitos hyvää â I'm fine, thank you
*Tervetuloa! â Welcome!
Tietosanakirja, 11 volumes, 1909-1922, Finnish encyclopedia.
* kyllä â yes
* joo â yes (informal)
* ei â no
* en â I will not / I do not
* minä, sinä, hän(se) â I, you, he/she(it)
* me, te, he(ne) â we, you (two or more), they
* (minä) olen â I am
* (sinä) olet â you are
* (minä) en ole - I am not
* (sinä) et ole - You are not
* yksi, kaksi, kolme â one, two, three
* neljä, viisi, kuusi â four, five, six
* seitsemän, kahdeksan â seven, eight
* yhdeksän, kymmenen â nine, ten
* yksitoista, kaksitoista, kolmetoista â eleven, twelve, thirteen
* sata, tuhat, miljoona â hundred, thousand, million
* (minä) rakastan sinua â I love you
* anteeksi â forgive me, excuse me, sorry
* voitko auttaa â can you help
* apua! - help!
* voisit(te)ko auttaa â could you help
* missä on ... ? â where is ...?
* olen pahoillani â I'm sorry (apology)
* otan osaa â My condolences
* onnea â good luck
* totta kai/tietysti/toki â of course
* pieni hetki, pikku hetki, hetkinen â one moment please!
* odota â wait
* Suomi â Finland
* suomi/suomen kieli â Finnish language
* suomalainen â (noun) Finn; (adjective) Finnish
* En ymmärrä â I don't understand
* (Minä) ymmärrän â I understand
* ¹Ymmärrät(te)kö suomea? â Do you understand Finnish?
* ¹Puhut(te)ko englantia? â Do you speak English?
* Olen englantilainen / amerikkalainen / kanadalainen / australialainen / uusiseelantilainen / irlantilainen / skotlantilainen / walesilainen / ranskalainen / saksalainen / kiinalainen / japanilainen â I am English / American / Canadian / Australian / New Zealander / Irish / Scottish / Welsh / French / German / Chinese / Japanese
* ¹Olet(te)ko englantilainen? â Are you English?
* Missä (sinä) asut/¹Missä (te) asutte? â Where do you live?
¹ -te is added to make the sentence formal (T-V distinction). Otherwise, without the added "-te", it is informal. It is also added when talking to more than one person. The transition from second-person singular to second-person plural (teitittely) is a politeness pattern, advised by many "good manners guides". Elderly people, especially, expect it from strangers, whereas the younger might feel it to be too formal to the point of coldness. However, a learner of the language should not be excessively concerned about it. Omitting it is never offensive, but one should keep in mind that on formal occasions this custom may make a good impression.
* Finnish alphabet
* Finnish grammar
* Spoken Finnish
* Finland's language strife
* Karelian language
* Estonian language
* Finnish name
* Finnish cultural and academic institutes
* Finnish language on Ethnologue
* The Finnish language --- a list of resources
* Lexicon of Early Indo-European Loanwords Preserved in Finnish
* Proto-Uralic to Finnish (in IPA mostly migrated from X-SAMPA)
* English-Finnish-English Dictionary
* Collection of Finnish bilingual dictionaries
* Finnish Etymological Dictionary by Andras Rajki
* English-Finnish and Russian-Finnish Dictionary
* English-Finnish vocabulary quizzes
* The 2 253 possible forms of the Finnish noun kauppa 'shop'
* Discussion about the Finnish Language
To Do
This section lists the topics which need to be written or expanded (there are headings for all of these):
* This page:
** History: The history of the language, especially its written form and its official status
** Derivative suffixes
** External links
* Grammar page:
** Illative formation
** Noun plurals
** Noun stem types
** Adjectives, including comparison
** Postpositions and prepositions
** 5th infinitive
** Imperfect indicative for typeV and VI verbs
** Present participles, active and passive
** Past participle, passive
** Agent participle
** Passive, 2nd person imperatives
** 3rd person imperatives
** 1st person plural imperatives
** Ordinal numbers
** Names of numbers
* Spoken language page:
**important regional variations
-->
|
Finnish_language | Where is the Kven language spoken? | The Kven language is spoken in Northern Norway. | data/set5/a5 | Finnish_language
Finnish ( , or suomen kieli) is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland (92% Tilastokeskus - Väestö ) and by ethnic Finns outside of Finland. It is one of the official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a Finnish dialect, are spoken. The Kven language, a Finnish dialect spoken in Northern Norway, is an official minority language in Norway.
Finnish is the eponymous member of the Finno-Ugric language family and is typologically between fusional and agglutinative languages. It modifies and inflects the forms of nouns, adjectives, pronouns, numerals and verbs, depending on their roles in the sentence.
Finnish is a member of the Baltic-Finnic subgroup of the Finno-Ugric group of languages which in turn is a member of the Uralic family of languages. The Baltic-Finnic subgroup also includes Estonian and other minority languages spoken around the Baltic Sea.
Finnish demonstrates an affiliation with the Uralic languages in several respects including:
*Shared morphology:
:*case suffixes such as genitive -n, partitive -(t)a / -(t)ä ( Virtual Finland: Where do Finns come from?.
According to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, Finnish is classified as a level III language in terms of learning difficulty for native English speakers. Defense Language Institute
Areas in Southern Sweden with a Finnish-speaking population (2005)
Finnish is spoken by about six million people who reside mainly in Finland. There are also notable Finnish-speaking minorities in Sweden, Norway, Russia, Estonia, Canada, and the United States. The majority of the population of Finland, 91.51% , speak Finnish as their first language. The remainder speak Swedish (5.5%), Sami (Northern, Inari, Skolt) and other languages. It has achieved some popularity as a second language in Estonia.
Finnish is one of two official languages of Finland (the other being Swedish, spoken by 5.49% of the population Statistikcentralen - Befolkning ) and an official language of the European Union. It enjoys the status of an official minority language in Sweden. It is also one of the working languages of the Nordic Council. Under the Nordic Language Convention, citizens of the Nordic countries speaking Finnish have the opportunity to use their native language when interacting with official bodies in other Nordic countries without being liable to any interpretation or translation costs. Konvention mellan Sverige, Danmark, Finland, Island och Norge om nordiska medborgares rätt att använda sitt eget språk i annat nordiskt land, Nordic Council website. Retrieved on April 25, 2007. 20th anniversary of the Nordic Language Convention, Nordic news, February 22, 2007. Retrieved on April 25, 2007.
According to recent estimations, Proto-Uralic language arrived in Finland around 1900 BCE, soon to be developed into Proto-Finnic. The Balto-Finnic languages evolved from the Proto-Finnic language after Sámi was separated from it around 1500-1000 BCE. Current research indicates there were three or more Proto-Finnic dialects. The Baltic Finnic languages separated around the 1st century, but continued to influence each other. Therefore, the Eastern Finnish dialects are genetically Eastern Proto-Finnic, with many Eastern features, and the Southwestern Finnish dialects have many genuine Estonian influences.
Finland was annexed to Catholic Sweden in the Middle Ages. Prior to this, Finnish was an oral language. Even after, the language of larger-scale business was Middle Low German, the language of administration Swedish, and religious activities were held in Latin, leaving few possibilities for Finnish-speakers to use their mother tongue in situations other than daily chores.
The first known written example of Finnish comes from this era and was found in a German travel journal dating back to c.1450: Mynna tachton gernast spuho somen gelen Emyna dayda (Modern Finnish: "Minä tahdon kernaasti puhua suomen kieltä, [mutta] en minä taida"; English: "I willingly want to speak Finnish, [but] I cannot"). According to the travel journal, a Finnish bishop, whose name is unknown, was behind the above quotation.
Mikael Agricola, a 19th century drawing by Albert Edelfelt
The first comprehensive writing system for Finnish was created by Mikael Agricola, a Finnish bishop, in the 16th century. He based his orthography on Swedish, German, and Latin. His ultimate plan was to translate the Bible, but first he had to define rules on which the Finnish standard language still relies, particularly with respect to spelling. He also invented single-handedly many words such as armo meaning both "mercy" and "grace" (as in "from grace alone, not out of good works...") and vanhurskas "righteous". More than fifty percent of these words are still in use.
Agricola's written language was based on western dialects of Finnish, and his intention was that each phoneme should correspond to one letter. Yet, Agricola was confronted with many problems in this endeavor and failed to achieve uniformity. This is why he might use different signs for the same phonemes depending on the situation. For example he used dh or d to represent the voiced dental fricative (English th in this) and tz or z to represent the geminate unvoiced dental fricative (the th in thin). Additionally, Agricola might use gh or g to represent the voiced velar fricative and either ch, c or h for /h/. For example he wrote techtin against modern spelling tehtiin.
Later others revised Agricola's work, striving for a more phonemic system. Along the way, Finnish lost some of its phonemes. The sounds and disappeared from the standard language, surviving only in a small rural region in Western Finland. Elsewhere, traces of these phonemes persist as their disappearance gave Finnish dialects their distinct qualities. For example, became ht or tt (e.g. meþþä â mehtä, mettä) in the eastern dialects and in some western dialects. In the standard language, however, the effect of the lost phonemes is thus:
* became
* became
* became but only if the voiced velar fricative appeared originally between high labial vowels, otherwise lost entirely.
Modern Finnish punctuation, along with that of Swedish, uses the colon character (:) to separate the stem of the word and its grammatical ending in some cases (such as after abbreviations), where some other alphabetic writing systems would use an apostrophe. Suffixes are required for correct grammar, so this is often applied, e.g. EU:ssa "in the EU".
Elias Lönnrot as depicted in a 19th century caricature Lönnrot made several journeys to Karelia and Eastern Finland to collect folklore, from which he compiled the Kalevala.
In the 19th century Johan Vilhelm Snellman and others began to stress the need to improve the status of Finnish. Ever since the days of Mikael Agricola written Finnish had been used almost exclusively in religious contexts, but now Snellman's Hegelian nationalistic ideas of Finnish as a full-fledged national language gained considerable support. Concerted efforts were made to improve the status of the language and to modernize it, and by the end of the century Finnish had become a language of administration, journalism, literature, and science in Finland, along with Swedish.
The most important contributions to improving the status of Finnish were made by Elias Lönnrot. His impact on the development of modern vocabulary in Finnish was particularly crucial. In addition to compiling the Kalevala, he acted as an arbitrator in disputes about the development of standard Finnish between the proponents of western and eastern dialects, ensuring that the western dialects Agricola had preferred preserved their preeminent role, while many originally dialectical words from Eastern Finland were introduced to the standard language enriching it considerably. The first novel written in Finnish (and by a Finnish-speaker) was Seven Brothers, published by Aleksis Kivi in 1870.
Map of Finnish dialects
The dialects of Finnish are divided into two distinct groups, the Western dialects and the Eastern dialects. The dialects are almost entirely mutually intelligible and distinguished from each other by only minor changes in vowels, diphthongs and rhythm. For the most part, the dialects operate on the same phonology, grammar and vocabulary. There are only marginal examples of sounds or grammatical constructions specific to some dialect and not found in standard Finnish. Two examples are the voiced dental fricative found in Rauma dialect and the Eastern exessive case.
The classification of closely related dialects spoken outside of Finland is a politically sensitive issue that has been controversial since Finland's independence in 1917. This concerns specifically the Karelian language in Russia and Meänkieli in Sweden, the speakers of which are often considered oppressed minorities. Karelian is different enough from standard Finnish to have its own orthography. Meänkieli is a northern dialect entirely intelligible to speakers of any other Finnish dialect, which achieved its status as an official minority language in Sweden for historical and political reasons regardless of the fact that Finnish is an official minority language in Sweden, too.
The South-West dialects (lounaismurteet) are spoken in Finland Proper and Satakunta. Their typical feature is abbreviation of word-final vowels, and in many respects they resemble Estonian. The Tavastian dialects (hämäläismurteet) are spoken in Tavastia. They are closest to the standard language, but feature some slight vowel changes, such as the opening of diphthong-final vowels (tie â tiä, miekka â miakka, kuolisi â kualis). The Southern Ostrobothnian dialects (eteläpohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Southern Ostrobothnia. Their most notable feature is the pronunciation of 'd' as a tapped or even fully trilled /r/. The Middle and North Ostrobothnia dialects (keski- ja pohjoispohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Central and Northern Ostrobothnia. The Far-Northern dialects (peräpohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Lapland. The dialects spoken in the western parts of Lapland are recognizable by retention of old 'h' sounds in positions where they have disappeared from other dialects.
One of the Far-Northern dialects, Meänkieli, which is spoken on the Swedish side of the border, is taught in some Swedish schools as a distinct standardized language. The speakers of Meänkieli became politically separated from the other Finns when Finland was annexed to Russia in 1809. The categorization of Meänkieli as a separate language is controversial among the Finns, who see no linguistic criteria, only political reasons, for treating Meänkieli differently than other dialects of Finnish.
The Kven language is spoken in Finnmark and Troms, in Norway. Its speakers are descendants of Finnish emigrants to the region in the 18th and 19th centuries. Kven is an official minority language in Norway.
The Eastern dialects consist of the widespread Savonian dialects (savolaismurteet) spoken in Savo and nearby areas, and the South-Eastern dialects spoken now only in Finnish South Karelia. The South-Eastern dialects (kaakkoismurteet) were previously spoken also on the Karelian Isthmus and in Ingria. The Karelian Isthmus was evacuated during World War II and refugees were resettled all over Finland. Most of Ingrian Finns were deported to various parts of Russia and Estonia.
Palatalization, a common feature of Uralic languages, had been lost in Baltic-Finnic languages, but it has been reacquired by most of these languages, including Eastern Finnish, but not Western Finnish. In Finnish orthography, this is denoted with a 'j', e.g. vesj, cf. standard vesi.
The language spoken in the parts of Karelia that have not historically been under Swedish or Finnish rule is usually called the Karelian language, and it is considered to be more distant from standard Finnish than the Eastern dialects. Whether this language of Russian Karelia is a dialect of Finnish or a separate language is a matter of interpretation. However, the term Karelian dialects is often used colloquially to the Finnish South-Eastern dialects.
* Western dialects
**Southern-Western dialects
***Proper Southern-Western dialects
**** Northern dialect group
**** Southern dialect group
***Southern-Western middle dialects
****Pori region dialects
****Ala-Satakunta dialects
****dialects of Turku highlands
****Somero region dialects
****Western Uusimaa dialects
**Tavastian dialects
***Ylä-Satakunta dialects
***Heart Tavastian dialects
***Southern Tavastian dialects
***Southern-Eastern Tavastian dialects
****Hollola dialect group
****Porvoo dialect group
****Iitti dialect group
**Southern Botnian dialects
**Middle and Northern Botnian dialects
***Middle Botnian dialects
***Northern Botnian dialects
**Peräpohjola dialects
***Tornio dialects ("Meänkieli" in Sweden)
***Kemi dialects
***Kemijärvi dialects
***Jällivaara dialects ("Meänkieli" in Sweden)
***Ruija dialects ("Kven language" in Northern Norway)
*Eastern dialects
**Savonian dialects
***Northern Savonian dialects
***Southern Savonian dialects
***Middle dialects of Savonlinna region
***Eastern Savonian dialects or the dialects of North Karelia
***Kainuu dialects
***Central Finland dialects
***Päijänne Tavastia dialects
***Keuruu-Evijärvi dialects
***Savonian dialects of Värmland (Sweden)
**Southern-Eastern dialects
***Proper Southern-Eastern dialects
***Middle dialects of Lemi region
***Middle dialects of Sortavala region (now in Russia)
***Dialects of Ingria (in Russia) /ref>
There are two main varieties of Finnish used throughout the country. One is the "standard language" (yleiskieli), and the other is the "spoken language" (puhekieli). The standard language is used in formal situations like political speeches and newscasts. Its written form, the "book language" (kirjakieli), is used in nearly all written texts, not always excluding even the dialogue of common people in popular prose. The spoken language, on the other hand, is the main variety of Finnish used in popular TV and radio shows and at workplaces, and may be preferred to a dialect in personal communication.
Standard Finnish is prescribed by the Language Office of the Research Institute for the Languages of Finland and is the language used in official communication. The Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish (Nykysuomen sanakirja 1951â61), with 201,000 entries, was a prescriptive dictionary that defined official language. An additional volume for words of foreign origin (Nykysuomen sivistyssanakirja, 30,000 entries) was published in 1991. An updated dictionary, the Language Office Dictionary (Kielitoimiston sanakirja) was published in an electronic form in 2004 and in print in 2006. A descriptive grammar (Iso suomen kielioppi, Hakulinen, Auli et al. (2004): Iso suomen kielioppi. SKS:n toimituksia 950. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura. ISBN 951-746-557-2. 1,600 pages 1,600 pages) was published in 2004. There is also an etymological dictionary, Suomen sanojen alkuperä, published in 1992â2000, and a handbook of contemporary language (Nykysuomen käsikirja), and a periodic publication, Kielikello. Standard Finnish is used in official texts and is the form of language taught in schools. Its spoken form is used in political speech, newscasts, in courts, and in other formal situations. Nearly all publishing and printed works are in standard Finnish.
The spoken language has mostly developed naturally from earlier forms of Finnish, and spread from main cultural and political centres. The standard language, however, has always been a consciously constructed medium for literature. It preserves grammatical patterns that have mostly vanished from the colloquial varieties and, as its main application is writing, it features complex syntactic patterns that are not easy to handle when used in speech. The spoken language develops significantly faster, and the grammatical and phonological simplifications include also the most common pronouns and suffixes, which sum up to frequent but modest differences. Some sound changes have been left out of the formal language, such as the irregularization of some common verbs by assimilation, e.g. tule- â tuu- (although tule can be used in spoken language as well).
Written language certainly still exerts a considerable influence upon the spoken word, due to the fact that illiteracy is nonexistent and many Finns are avid readers. In fact, it is still not entirely uncommon to meet people who "talk like a book" (puhuvat kirjakieltä), although this is seen as pedantic. More common is the intrusion of typically book-like constructions into a colloquial discourse, as a kind of quote from written Finnish. It should also be noted that it is quite common to hear book-like and polished speech on radio or TV, and the constant exposure to such language tends to lead to the adoption of such constructions even in everyday language.
A prominent example of the effect of the standard language is the development of the consonant gradation form /ts : ts/ as in metsä : metsän, as this pattern was originally (1940) found natively only in the dialects of southern Karelian isthmus and Ingria. In fact, it has arisen from the spelling 'ts' for the dental fricative [θË], which has disappeared. In spoken language, a fusion of Western /tt : tt/ (mettä : mettän) and Eastern /ht : t/ (mehtä : metän) has been created: /tt : t/ (mettä : metän). Yleiskielen ts:n murrevastineet It is notable that neither of these are forms are identifiable as or originate from a specific dialect.
The orthography of the informal language follows that of the formal language. However, sometimes sandhi may be transcribed, especially the internal ones, e.g. menenpä â menempä. This never takes place in formal language.
:
Note that there are noticeable differences between dialects. These examples are mostly from the language as spoken in the capital area (Helsinki dialect or even Stadin slangi). Also note that here the formal language does not mean a language spoken in formal occasions but the standard language which exist practically only in written form.
Characteristic features of Finnish (common to other Finno-Ugric languages) are vowel harmony and an agglutinative morphology; due to the extensive use of the latter, words can be quite long.
The main stress is always on the first syllable, and it is articulated by adding approximately 100 ms more length to the stressed vowel. Stress does not cause any measurable modifications in vowel quality (very much unlike English). However, stress is not strong and words appear evenly stressed. In some cases, stress is so weak that the highest points of volume, pitch and other indicators of "articulation intensity" are not on the first syllable, although native speakers recognize the first syllable as a stressed syllable.
There are eight vowels, whose lexical and grammatical role is highly important, and which are unusually strictly controlled, so that there is almost no allophony. Vowels shown in the table below, followed by the IPA symbol when not identical. These are always different phonemes in the initial syllable; for noninitial syllable, see morphophonology below.
: 1 Although conventionally and conveniently written with the close-mid symbols , and , they are more accurately described as mid vowels ( , and ).
The usual analysis is that Finnish has long and short vowels and consonants as distinct phonemes. However, long vowels may be analyzed as a vowel followed by a chroneme, or also, that sequences of identical vowels are pronounced as "diphthongs". The quality of long vowels mostly overlaps with the quality of short vowels, with the exception of u, which is centralized with respect to uu; long vowels do not morph into diphthongs. There are eighteen phonemic diphthongs; like vowels, diphthongs do not have significant allophony.
Finnish has a consonant inventory of small to moderate size, where voicing is mostly not distinctive, and fricatives are scarce. Finnish has relatively few non-coronal consonants. Consonants are as follows, where consonants in parenthesis are found only in a few recent loans.
# is the equivalent of under weakening consonant gradation, and thus occurs only medially, or in non-native words; it is actually more of an alveolar tap rather than a true voiced stop, and the dialectal realization varies wildly; see main article.
# The glottal stop can only appear at word boundaries as a result of certain sandhi phenomena, and it is not indicated in spelling: e.g. 'let it be', orthographically anna olla. Moreover, this sound is not used in all dialects.
# The short velar nasal is an allophone of in , and the long velar nasal , written ng, is the equivalent of under weakening consonant gradation (type of lenition) and thus occurs only medially.
Almost all consonants have phonemic geminated forms. These are independent, but occur only medially when phonemic.
Independent consonant clusters are not allowed in native words, except for a small set of two-consonant syllable codas, e.g. 'rs' in karsta. However, due to a number of recently adopted loanwords using them, e.g. strutsi "ostrich", Finnish speakers can pronounce them, even if it is somewhat awkward.
As a Finno-Ugric language, it is somewhat special in two respects: loss of fricatives and loss of palatalization.
An interesting feature of Finnic phonology is the development of labial vowels in non-initial syllables. Proto-Uralic had only 'a' and 'i' and their vowel harmonic allophones in non-initial syllables; modern Finnish allows other vowels in non-initial syllables (they are uncommon, however, compared to 'a', 'ä' and 'i').
Palatalization is characteristic of Finno-Ugric languages, but Finnish has lost it. However, the Eastern dialects and the Karelian language have redeveloped a system of palatalization. For example, the Karelian word d'uuri , with a palatalized , is reflected by juuri in Finnish and Savo dialect vesj is vesi in standard Finnish.
Finnish has only two fricatives, namely and . All other fricatives are recognized as foreign, of which Finnish speakers can usually reliably distinguish and .
Finnish has several morphophonological processes between grammar ("logic") and phonology ("sounds") that require modification of the forms of words for daily speech. The most important processes are vowel harmony and consonant gradation.
Vowel harmony is a redundancy feature, which means that the feature [±back] is uniform within a word, and so it is necessary to interpret it only once for a given word. It is meaning-distinguishing in the initial syllable, and suffixes follow; so, if the listener hears [±back] in any part of the word, they can derive [±back] for the initial syllable. For example, tuote ("product") agglutinates to tuotteeseensa ("into his product"), where the final vowel becomes the back vowel 'a' (rather than the front vowel 'ä') because the initial syllable contains the back vowels 'uo'. This is especially notable because vowels 'a' and 'ä' are different, meaning-distinguishing phonemes, not interchangeable or allophonic. Finnish front vowels are not umlauts.
Consonant gradation is a lenition process for P, T and K, with the oblique stem "weakened" from the nominative stem, or vice versa. For example, tarkka "precise" has the oblique root tarka-, as in tarkan "of the precise". There is also another gradation pattern, which is older, and causes simple elision of T and K. However, it is very common since it is found in the partitive case marker: if V is a single vowel, V+ta â Va, e.g. *vanha+ta â vanhaa. Another instance is the imperative, which changes into a glottal stop in the singular but is shown as an overt 'ka' in plural, e.g. mene vs. menkää.
The morphosyntactic alignment is nominative-accusative; but there are two object cases: accusative and partitive. The contrast between the two is telic, where the accusative case denotes actions completed as intended (Ammuin hirven "I shot (killed) the elk"), and the partitive case denotes incomplete actions (Ammuin hirveä "I shot (at) the elk"). Often this is confused with perfectivity, but the only element of perfectivity that exists in Finnish is that there are some perfective verbs. Transitivity is distinguished by different verbs for transitive and intransitive, e.g. ratkaista "to solve something" vs. ratketa "to solve by itself". There are several frequentative and momentane verb categories.
Verbs gain personal suffixes for each person; these suffixes are grammatically more important than pronouns, which are often not used at all in standard Finnish. The infinitive is not the uninflected form but has a suffix -ta or -da; the closest one to an uninflected form is the third person singular indicative. There are four persons, first ("I, we"), second ("you (singular), you (plural)"), third ("s/he, they"). Also, the passive voice (sometimes called impersonal or indefinite) resembles a "fourth person" similar to e.g. English "people say/do/â¦". There are four tenses, namely present, past, perfect and pluperfect; the system mirrors the Germanic system. The future tense is not needed due to context and the telic contrast. For example, luen kirjan "I read a book (completely)" indicates a future, when luen kirjaa "I read a book (not yet complete)" indicates present.
Nouns may be suffixed with the markers for the aforementioned accusative case and partitive case, the genitive case, eight different locatives, and a few other cases. The case marker must be added not only to the main noun, but also to its modifiers; e.g. suure+ssa talo+ssa, literally "big-in house-in". Possession is marked with a possessive suffix; separate possessive pronouns are unknown. Pronouns gain suffixes just as nouns do.
Suomalaisen Sana-Lugun Coetus (1745) by Daniel Juslenius was the first comprehensive dictionary of the Finnish language with 16,000 entries.
:See the lists of Finnish words and words of Finnish origin at Wiktionary, the free dictionary and Wikipedia's sibling project.
Finnish extensively employs regular agglutination. It has a smaller core vocabulary than, for example, English, and uses derivative suffixes to a greater extent. As an example, take the word kirja "a book", from which one can form derivatives kirjain "a letter" (of the alphabet), kirje "a piece of correspondence, a letter", kirjasto "a library", kirjailija "an author", kirjallisuus "literature", kirjoittaa "to write", kirjoittaja "a writer", kirjuri "a scribe, a clerk", kirjallinen "something in written form", kirjata "to write down, register, record", kirjasin "a font", and others.
Here are some of the more common such suffixes. Which of each pair is used depends on the word being suffixed in accordance with the rules of vowel harmony.
*-ja/jä : agent (one who does) (e.g. lukea "to read" â lukija "reader")
*-lainen/läinen: inhabitant of (either noun or adjective). Englanti "England" â englantilainen "English person or thing"; Venäjä â venäläinen "Russian person or thing".
*-sto/stö: collection of. For example: kirja "a book" â kirjasto "a library"; laiva "a ship" â laivasto "navy, fleet".
*-in: instrument or tool. For example: kirjata "to book, to file" â kirjain "a letter" (of the alphabet); vatkata "to whisk" â vatkain "a whisk, mixer".
*-uri/yri: an agent or instrument (kaivaa "to dig" â kaivuri "a digging machine"; laiva "a ship" â laivuri "shipper, shipmaster").
*-os/ös: result of some action (tulla "to come" â tulos "result, outcome"; tehdä "to do" â teos "a piece of work").
*-ton/tön: lack of something, "un-", "-less" (onni "happiness" â onneton "unhappy"; koti "home" â koditon "homeless").
*-llinen: having (the quality of) something (lapsi "a child" â lapsellinen "childish"; kauppa "a shop, commerce" â kaupallinen "commercial").
*-kas/käs: similar to -llinen (itse "self" â itsekäs "selfish"; neuvo "advice" â neuvokas "resourceful").
*-va/vä: doing or having something (taitaa "to be able" â taitava "skillful"; johtaa "to lead" â johtava "leading").
*-la/lä: a place related to the main word (kana "a hen" â kanala "a henhouse"; pappi "a priest" â pappila "a parsonage").
Verbal suffixes are extremely diverse; several frequentatives and momentanes differentiating causative, volitional-unpredictable and anticausative are found, often combined with each other, often denoting indirection. For example, hypätä "to jump", hyppiä "to be jumping", hypeksiä "to be jumping wantonly", hypäyttää "to make someone jump once", hyppyyttää "to make someone jump repeatedly" (or "to boss someone around"), hyppyytyttää "to make someone to cause a third person to jump repeatedly", hyppyytellä "to, without aim, make someone jump repeatedly", hypähtää "to jump suddenly" (in anticausative meaning), hypellä "to jump around repeatedly", hypiskellä "to be jumping repeatedly and wantonly", hyppimättä "without jumping", hyppelemättä "without jumping around". Often the diversity and compactness of this agglutination is illustrated with istahtaisinkohan "I wonder if I should sit down for a while" (from istua, "to sit, to be seated"):
*istua "to sit down"
*istun "I sit down" / istahtaa "to sit down for a while"
*istahdan "I sit down for a while"
*istahtaisin "I should sit down for a while"
*istahtaisinko "should I sit down for a while?"
*istahtaisinkohan "I wonder if I should sit down for a while"
Over the course of many centuries, the Finnish language has borrowed a great many words from a wide variety of languages, most from neighboring Indo-European languages. Indeed, some estimates put the core Proto-Uralic vocabulary surviving in Finnish at only around 300 word roots. Due to the different grammatical, phonological and phonotactic structure of the Finnish language, loanwords from Indo-European have been assimilated.
In general, the first loan words into Finno-Ugric languages seem to come from very early Indo-European languages, and later mainly from Iranian, Turkic, Baltic, Germanic, and Slavic languages. Furthermore, a certain group of very basic and neutral words exists in Finnish and other Finnic languages that are absent from other Finno-Ugric languages, but without a recognizable etymology from any known language. These words are usually regarded as the last remnant of the Nordic language spoken in Fennoscandia before the arrival of the proto-Finnic language. Words included in this group are e.g. jänis (hare), musta (black), mäki (hill), saari (island), suo (swamp) and niemi (cape). Also some place names, like Päijänne and Imatra, are probably before the proto-Finnic era. Häkkinen, Kaisa. Suomalaisten esihistoria kielitieteen valossa (ISBN 951-717-855-7). Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura 1996. See pages 166 and 173.
Often quoted loan examples are kuningas "king" and ruhtinas "prince, high ranking nobleman" from Germanic *kuningaz and *druhtinaz, but another example is äiti "mother", from Gothic aiþei, which is interesting because borrowing of close-kinship vocabulary is a rare phenomenon. The original Finnish emo occurs only in restricted contexts. There are other close-kinship words that are loaned from Baltic and Germanic languages (morsian "bride", armas "dear"). Examples of the ancient Iranian loans are vasara "hammer" from Avestan vadžra, vajra and orja "slave" from arya, airya "man" (the latter probably via similar circumstances as slave from Slav in many European languages).
More recently, Swedish has been a prolific source of borrowings, and also, the Swedish language acted as a proxy for European words, especially those relating to government. Present-day Finland belonged to the kingdom of Sweden from the 12th century and was ceded to Russia in 1809, becoming an autonomous Grand Duchy. Swedish was retained as the official language and language of the upper class even after this. When Finnish was accepted as an official language, it gained only legal "equal status" with Swedish, which persists even today. It is still the case today, though only about 5.5% of Finnish nationals, the Swedish-speaking Finns, have Swedish as their mother tongue. During the period of autonomy, Russian did not gain much ground as a language of the people or the government. Nevertheless, quite a few words were subsequently acquired from Russian (especially in older Helsinki slang) but not to the same extent as with Swedish. In all these cases, borrowing has been partly a result of geographical proximity.
Especially words dealing with administrative or modern culture came to Finnish from Swedish, sometimes reflecting the oldest Swedish form of the word (lag - laki, 'law'; län - lääni, 'province'; bisp - piispa, 'bishop'; jordpäron - peruna, 'potato'), and many more survive as informal synonyms in spoken or dialectal Finnish (e.g. likka, from Swedish flicka, 'girl', usually tyttö in Finnish).
Typical Russian loanwords are old or very old, thus hard to recognize as such, and concern everyday concepts, e.g. papu "bean", sini "(n.) blue" and pappi "priest". Notably, a few religious words such as Raamattu ("Bible") are borrowed from Russian, which indicates language contact preceding the Swedish era. This is mainly believed to be result of trade with Novgorod from the 9th century on and the Orthodox converting in the 13th century.
Most recently, and with increasing impact, English has been the source of new loanwords in Finnish. Unlike previous "geographical" borrowing, the influence of English is largely "cultural" and reaches Finland by many routes including: international business; music; film and TV (foreign films and programmes, excluding ones intended for a very young audience, are shown subtitled); literature; and, of course, the Web this is now probably the most important source of all non-face-to-face exposure to English.
The importance of English as the language of global commerce has led many non-English companies, including Finland's Nokia, to adopt English as their official operating language. Recently, it has been observed that English borrowings are also ousting previous borrowings, for example the switch from treffailla "to date" (from Swedish, träffa) to deittailla from English "to go for a date". Calques from English are also found, e.g. kovalevy (hard disk). Grammatical calques are also found, for example, the replacement of the impersonal (passiivi) with the English-style generic you, e. g. sä et voi "you cannot", instead of ei voi "one cannot".
However, this does not mean that Finnish is threatened by English. Borrowing is normal language evolution, and neologisms are coined actively not only by the government, but also by the media. Moreover, Finnish and English have a considerably different grammar, phonology and phonotactics, discouraging direct borrowing. English loan words in Finnish slang include for example pleikkari "PlayStation", hodari "hot dog", and hedari "headache", "headshot" or "headbutt". Often these loanwords are distinctly identified as slang or jargon, rarely being used in a negative mood or in formal language. Since English and Finnish grammar, pronunciation and phonetics differ considerably, most loan words are inevitably sooner or later calqued â translated into native Finnish â retaining the semantic meaning.
Some modern terms have been synthesised rather than borrowed, for example:
:puhelin "telephone" (literally: "chatter" + instrument suffix "-in" to make "an instrument for chattering")
:tietokone "computer" (literally: "knowledge machine")
:levyke "diskette" (from levy "disc" + a diminutive -ke)
:sähköposti "email" (literally: "electrical mail")
:linja-auto "bus" (literally: route-car)
Neologisms are actively generated by the Language Planning Office and the media. They are widely adopted. One would actually give an old-fashioned or rustic impression using forms such as telefooni or kompuutteri when the neologism is widely adopted.
The first page of Abckiria (1543), the first book written in the Finnish language. The spelling of Finnish in the book had many inconsistencies: for example, the k sound could be represented by c, k or even g; the long u and the long i were represented by w and ij respectively, and ä was represented by e.
Finnish is written with the Swedish variant of the Latin alphabet that includes the distinct characters à and Ã, and also several characters not used in Finnish (including for example C, Q, Ã
). The Finnish orthography built upon the phoneme principle: each phoneme (meaningful sound) of the language is represented by exactly one grapheme (independent letter), and each grapheme represents almost exactly one phoneme. This makes the language easy for its speakers to spell, and facilitates learning to read and write. The rule of thumb for Finnish orthography is: write as you read, read as you write. However, morphemes retain their spelling despite sandhi.
Some orthographical notes:
*Long vowels and consonants are represented by double occurrences of the relevant graphemes. This causes no confusion, and permits these sounds to be written without having to nearly double the size of the alphabet to accommodate separate graphemes for long sounds.
*The grapheme h occurring before a consonant sounds slightly harder (initially breathy voiced, then voiceless) than when occurring before a vowel.
*Sandhi is not transcribed; the spelling of morphemes is immutable, e.g. tulen+pa .
*Some consonants (v, j, d) and all consonants occurring in (always medial) clusters do not have distinctive length, and consequently, their allophonic variation is not indicated in spelling, e.g. rajaan /rajaan/ (I limit) vs. raijaan /raijjaan/ (I haul).
*Pre-1900s texts and personal names use w for v. Both correspond to the same phoneme, the labiodental approximant , a v without the fricative ("hissing") quality of the English v.
*The letters ä [æ] and ö [ø], although written as umlauted a and o, do not represent phonological umlauts, and they are considered independent graphemes; the letter shapes have been copied from Swedish. An appropriate parallel from the Latin alphabet are the characters C and G (uppercase), which historically have a closer kinship than many other characters (G is a derivation of C) but are considered distinct letters, and changing one for the other will change meanings.
Although Finnish is almost completely written as it is spoken, there are a few differences:
* The n in nk is a velar nasal, as in English. As an exception to the phonetic principle, there is no g in ng, which is a long velar nasal as in English singalong.
* The gemination between words is not marked in writing.
* The double consonant in clitic is marked as a single consonant.
* Only comparative and superlative adjectives the letter m is used like in speech in word like parempi, but in other similar cases the letter n is used, like in onpa
* The /j/ after the letter i is very weak or there is no /j/ at all, but in writing it is used, example: urheilija. Indeed the j is not used in writing words with consonant gradation (like aion and some other (like läksiäiset))
* In speech there is no difference between the use of /i/ in words (like ajoittaa, but ehdottaa, but in writing there are quite simple rules: The i is written in words that consist two syllables and end in a or ä (sanoittaa), and in words that are old-stylish (innoittaa). The i is not written in words that consist two syllables and end in o or ö like (erottaa), words which do not have clear proto-word (hajottaa), and in words that are descriptive (häämöttää) or workaday by their style (rehottaa)
Graphemes ä and ö are sometimes converted in two ways, a and o, respectively and, ae and oe respectively. Finnish graphemes ä and ö are not umlauts like in German; conversion to ae and oe in Finnish language is less correct than in German language. Conversion to a and o is more common and almost universally used in email-addresses. Conversion ae and oe is rare but formally used in passports and equivalent situations. both conversion rules have minimal pairs.
The sounds š and ž are not a part of Finnish language itself and have been introduced somewhat artificially by a government regulation. Although they occur in some rare loanwords, their principal use is in the transcription of foreign names. For technical reasons or convenience, the graphemes sh and zh are often used in quickly or less carefully written texts instead of š and ž. This is a deviation from the phonetic principle, and as such is liable to cause confusion, but the damage is minimal as the transcribed words are foreign in any case. Finnish does not use the sounds z, š or ž, but for the sake of exactitude, they can be included in spelling. (The recommendation cites the Russian play Hovanshtshina as an example.) Many speakers pronounce all of them s, or distinguish only between s and š, because Finnish has no voiced sibilants.
The language may be identified by its distinctive lack of the letters b, c, f, q, w, x, z and å.
Väinö Linna: The Unknown Soldier; these words were also inscribed in the 20 mk note.
(Translation: "The benevolent sun watched them. By no means was it angry at them. Perhaps it even felt a kind of compassion towards them. Jolly good brothers.")
Sample sound of "Hyvää huomenta"
*(Hyvää) huomenta â Good morning
*(Hyvää) päivää â Good afternoon (literally "Good day")
*(Hyvää) iltapäivää â Good afternoon
*(Hyvää) iltaa â Good evening
*(Hyvää) yötä / Ãitä â Good night
*Terve! / Moro! â Hello!
*Hei! / Moi! â Hi!
*Heippa! / Moikka! / Hei hei! / Moi moi! â Bye!
*Nähdään â See you later (literally "will be seen")
*Näkemi(si)in / Hyvästi â Goodbye
*Hauska tutustua! â Nice to meet you
*Kiitos â Thank you
*Kiitos, samoin â Likewise
*Mitä kuuluu? â How are you / How you doing? (Not used among strangers.) (literally "What is heard?")
*Kiitos hyvää â I'm fine, thank you
*Tervetuloa! â Welcome!
Tietosanakirja, 11 volumes, 1909-1922, Finnish encyclopedia.
* kyllä â yes
* joo â yes (informal)
* ei â no
* en â I will not / I do not
* minä, sinä, hän(se) â I, you, he/she(it)
* me, te, he(ne) â we, you (two or more), they
* (minä) olen â I am
* (sinä) olet â you are
* (minä) en ole - I am not
* (sinä) et ole - You are not
* yksi, kaksi, kolme â one, two, three
* neljä, viisi, kuusi â four, five, six
* seitsemän, kahdeksan â seven, eight
* yhdeksän, kymmenen â nine, ten
* yksitoista, kaksitoista, kolmetoista â eleven, twelve, thirteen
* sata, tuhat, miljoona â hundred, thousand, million
* (minä) rakastan sinua â I love you
* anteeksi â forgive me, excuse me, sorry
* voitko auttaa â can you help
* apua! - help!
* voisit(te)ko auttaa â could you help
* missä on ... ? â where is ...?
* olen pahoillani â I'm sorry (apology)
* otan osaa â My condolences
* onnea â good luck
* totta kai/tietysti/toki â of course
* pieni hetki, pikku hetki, hetkinen â one moment please!
* odota â wait
* Suomi â Finland
* suomi/suomen kieli â Finnish language
* suomalainen â (noun) Finn; (adjective) Finnish
* En ymmärrä â I don't understand
* (Minä) ymmärrän â I understand
* ¹Ymmärrät(te)kö suomea? â Do you understand Finnish?
* ¹Puhut(te)ko englantia? â Do you speak English?
* Olen englantilainen / amerikkalainen / kanadalainen / australialainen / uusiseelantilainen / irlantilainen / skotlantilainen / walesilainen / ranskalainen / saksalainen / kiinalainen / japanilainen â I am English / American / Canadian / Australian / New Zealander / Irish / Scottish / Welsh / French / German / Chinese / Japanese
* ¹Olet(te)ko englantilainen? â Are you English?
* Missä (sinä) asut/¹Missä (te) asutte? â Where do you live?
¹ -te is added to make the sentence formal (T-V distinction). Otherwise, without the added "-te", it is informal. It is also added when talking to more than one person. The transition from second-person singular to second-person plural (teitittely) is a politeness pattern, advised by many "good manners guides". Elderly people, especially, expect it from strangers, whereas the younger might feel it to be too formal to the point of coldness. However, a learner of the language should not be excessively concerned about it. Omitting it is never offensive, but one should keep in mind that on formal occasions this custom may make a good impression.
* Finnish alphabet
* Finnish grammar
* Spoken Finnish
* Finland's language strife
* Karelian language
* Estonian language
* Finnish name
* Finnish cultural and academic institutes
* Finnish language on Ethnologue
* The Finnish language --- a list of resources
* Lexicon of Early Indo-European Loanwords Preserved in Finnish
* Proto-Uralic to Finnish (in IPA mostly migrated from X-SAMPA)
* English-Finnish-English Dictionary
* Collection of Finnish bilingual dictionaries
* Finnish Etymological Dictionary by Andras Rajki
* English-Finnish and Russian-Finnish Dictionary
* English-Finnish vocabulary quizzes
* The 2 253 possible forms of the Finnish noun kauppa 'shop'
* Discussion about the Finnish Language
To Do
This section lists the topics which need to be written or expanded (there are headings for all of these):
* This page:
** History: The history of the language, especially its written form and its official status
** Derivative suffixes
** External links
* Grammar page:
** Illative formation
** Noun plurals
** Noun stem types
** Adjectives, including comparison
** Postpositions and prepositions
** 5th infinitive
** Imperfect indicative for typeV and VI verbs
** Present participles, active and passive
** Past participle, passive
** Agent participle
** Passive, 2nd person imperatives
** 3rd person imperatives
** 1st person plural imperatives
** Ordinal numbers
** Names of numbers
* Spoken language page:
**important regional variations
-->
|
Finnish_language | For how long has the classification of dialects spoken outside of Finland been a controversial issue? | Since Finland's independence in 1917 | data/set5/a5 | Finnish_language
Finnish ( , or suomen kieli) is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland (92% Tilastokeskus - Väestö ) and by ethnic Finns outside of Finland. It is one of the official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a Finnish dialect, are spoken. The Kven language, a Finnish dialect spoken in Northern Norway, is an official minority language in Norway.
Finnish is the eponymous member of the Finno-Ugric language family and is typologically between fusional and agglutinative languages. It modifies and inflects the forms of nouns, adjectives, pronouns, numerals and verbs, depending on their roles in the sentence.
Finnish is a member of the Baltic-Finnic subgroup of the Finno-Ugric group of languages which in turn is a member of the Uralic family of languages. The Baltic-Finnic subgroup also includes Estonian and other minority languages spoken around the Baltic Sea.
Finnish demonstrates an affiliation with the Uralic languages in several respects including:
*Shared morphology:
:*case suffixes such as genitive -n, partitive -(t)a / -(t)ä ( Virtual Finland: Where do Finns come from?.
According to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, Finnish is classified as a level III language in terms of learning difficulty for native English speakers. Defense Language Institute
Areas in Southern Sweden with a Finnish-speaking population (2005)
Finnish is spoken by about six million people who reside mainly in Finland. There are also notable Finnish-speaking minorities in Sweden, Norway, Russia, Estonia, Canada, and the United States. The majority of the population of Finland, 91.51% , speak Finnish as their first language. The remainder speak Swedish (5.5%), Sami (Northern, Inari, Skolt) and other languages. It has achieved some popularity as a second language in Estonia.
Finnish is one of two official languages of Finland (the other being Swedish, spoken by 5.49% of the population Statistikcentralen - Befolkning ) and an official language of the European Union. It enjoys the status of an official minority language in Sweden. It is also one of the working languages of the Nordic Council. Under the Nordic Language Convention, citizens of the Nordic countries speaking Finnish have the opportunity to use their native language when interacting with official bodies in other Nordic countries without being liable to any interpretation or translation costs. Konvention mellan Sverige, Danmark, Finland, Island och Norge om nordiska medborgares rätt att använda sitt eget språk i annat nordiskt land, Nordic Council website. Retrieved on April 25, 2007. 20th anniversary of the Nordic Language Convention, Nordic news, February 22, 2007. Retrieved on April 25, 2007.
According to recent estimations, Proto-Uralic language arrived in Finland around 1900 BCE, soon to be developed into Proto-Finnic. The Balto-Finnic languages evolved from the Proto-Finnic language after Sámi was separated from it around 1500-1000 BCE. Current research indicates there were three or more Proto-Finnic dialects. The Baltic Finnic languages separated around the 1st century, but continued to influence each other. Therefore, the Eastern Finnish dialects are genetically Eastern Proto-Finnic, with many Eastern features, and the Southwestern Finnish dialects have many genuine Estonian influences.
Finland was annexed to Catholic Sweden in the Middle Ages. Prior to this, Finnish was an oral language. Even after, the language of larger-scale business was Middle Low German, the language of administration Swedish, and religious activities were held in Latin, leaving few possibilities for Finnish-speakers to use their mother tongue in situations other than daily chores.
The first known written example of Finnish comes from this era and was found in a German travel journal dating back to c.1450: Mynna tachton gernast spuho somen gelen Emyna dayda (Modern Finnish: "Minä tahdon kernaasti puhua suomen kieltä, [mutta] en minä taida"; English: "I willingly want to speak Finnish, [but] I cannot"). According to the travel journal, a Finnish bishop, whose name is unknown, was behind the above quotation.
Mikael Agricola, a 19th century drawing by Albert Edelfelt
The first comprehensive writing system for Finnish was created by Mikael Agricola, a Finnish bishop, in the 16th century. He based his orthography on Swedish, German, and Latin. His ultimate plan was to translate the Bible, but first he had to define rules on which the Finnish standard language still relies, particularly with respect to spelling. He also invented single-handedly many words such as armo meaning both "mercy" and "grace" (as in "from grace alone, not out of good works...") and vanhurskas "righteous". More than fifty percent of these words are still in use.
Agricola's written language was based on western dialects of Finnish, and his intention was that each phoneme should correspond to one letter. Yet, Agricola was confronted with many problems in this endeavor and failed to achieve uniformity. This is why he might use different signs for the same phonemes depending on the situation. For example he used dh or d to represent the voiced dental fricative (English th in this) and tz or z to represent the geminate unvoiced dental fricative (the th in thin). Additionally, Agricola might use gh or g to represent the voiced velar fricative and either ch, c or h for /h/. For example he wrote techtin against modern spelling tehtiin.
Later others revised Agricola's work, striving for a more phonemic system. Along the way, Finnish lost some of its phonemes. The sounds and disappeared from the standard language, surviving only in a small rural region in Western Finland. Elsewhere, traces of these phonemes persist as their disappearance gave Finnish dialects their distinct qualities. For example, became ht or tt (e.g. meþþä â mehtä, mettä) in the eastern dialects and in some western dialects. In the standard language, however, the effect of the lost phonemes is thus:
* became
* became
* became but only if the voiced velar fricative appeared originally between high labial vowels, otherwise lost entirely.
Modern Finnish punctuation, along with that of Swedish, uses the colon character (:) to separate the stem of the word and its grammatical ending in some cases (such as after abbreviations), where some other alphabetic writing systems would use an apostrophe. Suffixes are required for correct grammar, so this is often applied, e.g. EU:ssa "in the EU".
Elias Lönnrot as depicted in a 19th century caricature Lönnrot made several journeys to Karelia and Eastern Finland to collect folklore, from which he compiled the Kalevala.
In the 19th century Johan Vilhelm Snellman and others began to stress the need to improve the status of Finnish. Ever since the days of Mikael Agricola written Finnish had been used almost exclusively in religious contexts, but now Snellman's Hegelian nationalistic ideas of Finnish as a full-fledged national language gained considerable support. Concerted efforts were made to improve the status of the language and to modernize it, and by the end of the century Finnish had become a language of administration, journalism, literature, and science in Finland, along with Swedish.
The most important contributions to improving the status of Finnish were made by Elias Lönnrot. His impact on the development of modern vocabulary in Finnish was particularly crucial. In addition to compiling the Kalevala, he acted as an arbitrator in disputes about the development of standard Finnish between the proponents of western and eastern dialects, ensuring that the western dialects Agricola had preferred preserved their preeminent role, while many originally dialectical words from Eastern Finland were introduced to the standard language enriching it considerably. The first novel written in Finnish (and by a Finnish-speaker) was Seven Brothers, published by Aleksis Kivi in 1870.
Map of Finnish dialects
The dialects of Finnish are divided into two distinct groups, the Western dialects and the Eastern dialects. The dialects are almost entirely mutually intelligible and distinguished from each other by only minor changes in vowels, diphthongs and rhythm. For the most part, the dialects operate on the same phonology, grammar and vocabulary. There are only marginal examples of sounds or grammatical constructions specific to some dialect and not found in standard Finnish. Two examples are the voiced dental fricative found in Rauma dialect and the Eastern exessive case.
The classification of closely related dialects spoken outside of Finland is a politically sensitive issue that has been controversial since Finland's independence in 1917. This concerns specifically the Karelian language in Russia and Meänkieli in Sweden, the speakers of which are often considered oppressed minorities. Karelian is different enough from standard Finnish to have its own orthography. Meänkieli is a northern dialect entirely intelligible to speakers of any other Finnish dialect, which achieved its status as an official minority language in Sweden for historical and political reasons regardless of the fact that Finnish is an official minority language in Sweden, too.
The South-West dialects (lounaismurteet) are spoken in Finland Proper and Satakunta. Their typical feature is abbreviation of word-final vowels, and in many respects they resemble Estonian. The Tavastian dialects (hämäläismurteet) are spoken in Tavastia. They are closest to the standard language, but feature some slight vowel changes, such as the opening of diphthong-final vowels (tie â tiä, miekka â miakka, kuolisi â kualis). The Southern Ostrobothnian dialects (eteläpohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Southern Ostrobothnia. Their most notable feature is the pronunciation of 'd' as a tapped or even fully trilled /r/. The Middle and North Ostrobothnia dialects (keski- ja pohjoispohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Central and Northern Ostrobothnia. The Far-Northern dialects (peräpohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Lapland. The dialects spoken in the western parts of Lapland are recognizable by retention of old 'h' sounds in positions where they have disappeared from other dialects.
One of the Far-Northern dialects, Meänkieli, which is spoken on the Swedish side of the border, is taught in some Swedish schools as a distinct standardized language. The speakers of Meänkieli became politically separated from the other Finns when Finland was annexed to Russia in 1809. The categorization of Meänkieli as a separate language is controversial among the Finns, who see no linguistic criteria, only political reasons, for treating Meänkieli differently than other dialects of Finnish.
The Kven language is spoken in Finnmark and Troms, in Norway. Its speakers are descendants of Finnish emigrants to the region in the 18th and 19th centuries. Kven is an official minority language in Norway.
The Eastern dialects consist of the widespread Savonian dialects (savolaismurteet) spoken in Savo and nearby areas, and the South-Eastern dialects spoken now only in Finnish South Karelia. The South-Eastern dialects (kaakkoismurteet) were previously spoken also on the Karelian Isthmus and in Ingria. The Karelian Isthmus was evacuated during World War II and refugees were resettled all over Finland. Most of Ingrian Finns were deported to various parts of Russia and Estonia.
Palatalization, a common feature of Uralic languages, had been lost in Baltic-Finnic languages, but it has been reacquired by most of these languages, including Eastern Finnish, but not Western Finnish. In Finnish orthography, this is denoted with a 'j', e.g. vesj, cf. standard vesi.
The language spoken in the parts of Karelia that have not historically been under Swedish or Finnish rule is usually called the Karelian language, and it is considered to be more distant from standard Finnish than the Eastern dialects. Whether this language of Russian Karelia is a dialect of Finnish or a separate language is a matter of interpretation. However, the term Karelian dialects is often used colloquially to the Finnish South-Eastern dialects.
* Western dialects
**Southern-Western dialects
***Proper Southern-Western dialects
**** Northern dialect group
**** Southern dialect group
***Southern-Western middle dialects
****Pori region dialects
****Ala-Satakunta dialects
****dialects of Turku highlands
****Somero region dialects
****Western Uusimaa dialects
**Tavastian dialects
***Ylä-Satakunta dialects
***Heart Tavastian dialects
***Southern Tavastian dialects
***Southern-Eastern Tavastian dialects
****Hollola dialect group
****Porvoo dialect group
****Iitti dialect group
**Southern Botnian dialects
**Middle and Northern Botnian dialects
***Middle Botnian dialects
***Northern Botnian dialects
**Peräpohjola dialects
***Tornio dialects ("Meänkieli" in Sweden)
***Kemi dialects
***Kemijärvi dialects
***Jällivaara dialects ("Meänkieli" in Sweden)
***Ruija dialects ("Kven language" in Northern Norway)
*Eastern dialects
**Savonian dialects
***Northern Savonian dialects
***Southern Savonian dialects
***Middle dialects of Savonlinna region
***Eastern Savonian dialects or the dialects of North Karelia
***Kainuu dialects
***Central Finland dialects
***Päijänne Tavastia dialects
***Keuruu-Evijärvi dialects
***Savonian dialects of Värmland (Sweden)
**Southern-Eastern dialects
***Proper Southern-Eastern dialects
***Middle dialects of Lemi region
***Middle dialects of Sortavala region (now in Russia)
***Dialects of Ingria (in Russia) /ref>
There are two main varieties of Finnish used throughout the country. One is the "standard language" (yleiskieli), and the other is the "spoken language" (puhekieli). The standard language is used in formal situations like political speeches and newscasts. Its written form, the "book language" (kirjakieli), is used in nearly all written texts, not always excluding even the dialogue of common people in popular prose. The spoken language, on the other hand, is the main variety of Finnish used in popular TV and radio shows and at workplaces, and may be preferred to a dialect in personal communication.
Standard Finnish is prescribed by the Language Office of the Research Institute for the Languages of Finland and is the language used in official communication. The Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish (Nykysuomen sanakirja 1951â61), with 201,000 entries, was a prescriptive dictionary that defined official language. An additional volume for words of foreign origin (Nykysuomen sivistyssanakirja, 30,000 entries) was published in 1991. An updated dictionary, the Language Office Dictionary (Kielitoimiston sanakirja) was published in an electronic form in 2004 and in print in 2006. A descriptive grammar (Iso suomen kielioppi, Hakulinen, Auli et al. (2004): Iso suomen kielioppi. SKS:n toimituksia 950. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura. ISBN 951-746-557-2. 1,600 pages 1,600 pages) was published in 2004. There is also an etymological dictionary, Suomen sanojen alkuperä, published in 1992â2000, and a handbook of contemporary language (Nykysuomen käsikirja), and a periodic publication, Kielikello. Standard Finnish is used in official texts and is the form of language taught in schools. Its spoken form is used in political speech, newscasts, in courts, and in other formal situations. Nearly all publishing and printed works are in standard Finnish.
The spoken language has mostly developed naturally from earlier forms of Finnish, and spread from main cultural and political centres. The standard language, however, has always been a consciously constructed medium for literature. It preserves grammatical patterns that have mostly vanished from the colloquial varieties and, as its main application is writing, it features complex syntactic patterns that are not easy to handle when used in speech. The spoken language develops significantly faster, and the grammatical and phonological simplifications include also the most common pronouns and suffixes, which sum up to frequent but modest differences. Some sound changes have been left out of the formal language, such as the irregularization of some common verbs by assimilation, e.g. tule- â tuu- (although tule can be used in spoken language as well).
Written language certainly still exerts a considerable influence upon the spoken word, due to the fact that illiteracy is nonexistent and many Finns are avid readers. In fact, it is still not entirely uncommon to meet people who "talk like a book" (puhuvat kirjakieltä), although this is seen as pedantic. More common is the intrusion of typically book-like constructions into a colloquial discourse, as a kind of quote from written Finnish. It should also be noted that it is quite common to hear book-like and polished speech on radio or TV, and the constant exposure to such language tends to lead to the adoption of such constructions even in everyday language.
A prominent example of the effect of the standard language is the development of the consonant gradation form /ts : ts/ as in metsä : metsän, as this pattern was originally (1940) found natively only in the dialects of southern Karelian isthmus and Ingria. In fact, it has arisen from the spelling 'ts' for the dental fricative [θË], which has disappeared. In spoken language, a fusion of Western /tt : tt/ (mettä : mettän) and Eastern /ht : t/ (mehtä : metän) has been created: /tt : t/ (mettä : metän). Yleiskielen ts:n murrevastineet It is notable that neither of these are forms are identifiable as or originate from a specific dialect.
The orthography of the informal language follows that of the formal language. However, sometimes sandhi may be transcribed, especially the internal ones, e.g. menenpä â menempä. This never takes place in formal language.
:
Note that there are noticeable differences between dialects. These examples are mostly from the language as spoken in the capital area (Helsinki dialect or even Stadin slangi). Also note that here the formal language does not mean a language spoken in formal occasions but the standard language which exist practically only in written form.
Characteristic features of Finnish (common to other Finno-Ugric languages) are vowel harmony and an agglutinative morphology; due to the extensive use of the latter, words can be quite long.
The main stress is always on the first syllable, and it is articulated by adding approximately 100 ms more length to the stressed vowel. Stress does not cause any measurable modifications in vowel quality (very much unlike English). However, stress is not strong and words appear evenly stressed. In some cases, stress is so weak that the highest points of volume, pitch and other indicators of "articulation intensity" are not on the first syllable, although native speakers recognize the first syllable as a stressed syllable.
There are eight vowels, whose lexical and grammatical role is highly important, and which are unusually strictly controlled, so that there is almost no allophony. Vowels shown in the table below, followed by the IPA symbol when not identical. These are always different phonemes in the initial syllable; for noninitial syllable, see morphophonology below.
: 1 Although conventionally and conveniently written with the close-mid symbols , and , they are more accurately described as mid vowels ( , and ).
The usual analysis is that Finnish has long and short vowels and consonants as distinct phonemes. However, long vowels may be analyzed as a vowel followed by a chroneme, or also, that sequences of identical vowels are pronounced as "diphthongs". The quality of long vowels mostly overlaps with the quality of short vowels, with the exception of u, which is centralized with respect to uu; long vowels do not morph into diphthongs. There are eighteen phonemic diphthongs; like vowels, diphthongs do not have significant allophony.
Finnish has a consonant inventory of small to moderate size, where voicing is mostly not distinctive, and fricatives are scarce. Finnish has relatively few non-coronal consonants. Consonants are as follows, where consonants in parenthesis are found only in a few recent loans.
# is the equivalent of under weakening consonant gradation, and thus occurs only medially, or in non-native words; it is actually more of an alveolar tap rather than a true voiced stop, and the dialectal realization varies wildly; see main article.
# The glottal stop can only appear at word boundaries as a result of certain sandhi phenomena, and it is not indicated in spelling: e.g. 'let it be', orthographically anna olla. Moreover, this sound is not used in all dialects.
# The short velar nasal is an allophone of in , and the long velar nasal , written ng, is the equivalent of under weakening consonant gradation (type of lenition) and thus occurs only medially.
Almost all consonants have phonemic geminated forms. These are independent, but occur only medially when phonemic.
Independent consonant clusters are not allowed in native words, except for a small set of two-consonant syllable codas, e.g. 'rs' in karsta. However, due to a number of recently adopted loanwords using them, e.g. strutsi "ostrich", Finnish speakers can pronounce them, even if it is somewhat awkward.
As a Finno-Ugric language, it is somewhat special in two respects: loss of fricatives and loss of palatalization.
An interesting feature of Finnic phonology is the development of labial vowels in non-initial syllables. Proto-Uralic had only 'a' and 'i' and their vowel harmonic allophones in non-initial syllables; modern Finnish allows other vowels in non-initial syllables (they are uncommon, however, compared to 'a', 'ä' and 'i').
Palatalization is characteristic of Finno-Ugric languages, but Finnish has lost it. However, the Eastern dialects and the Karelian language have redeveloped a system of palatalization. For example, the Karelian word d'uuri , with a palatalized , is reflected by juuri in Finnish and Savo dialect vesj is vesi in standard Finnish.
Finnish has only two fricatives, namely and . All other fricatives are recognized as foreign, of which Finnish speakers can usually reliably distinguish and .
Finnish has several morphophonological processes between grammar ("logic") and phonology ("sounds") that require modification of the forms of words for daily speech. The most important processes are vowel harmony and consonant gradation.
Vowel harmony is a redundancy feature, which means that the feature [±back] is uniform within a word, and so it is necessary to interpret it only once for a given word. It is meaning-distinguishing in the initial syllable, and suffixes follow; so, if the listener hears [±back] in any part of the word, they can derive [±back] for the initial syllable. For example, tuote ("product") agglutinates to tuotteeseensa ("into his product"), where the final vowel becomes the back vowel 'a' (rather than the front vowel 'ä') because the initial syllable contains the back vowels 'uo'. This is especially notable because vowels 'a' and 'ä' are different, meaning-distinguishing phonemes, not interchangeable or allophonic. Finnish front vowels are not umlauts.
Consonant gradation is a lenition process for P, T and K, with the oblique stem "weakened" from the nominative stem, or vice versa. For example, tarkka "precise" has the oblique root tarka-, as in tarkan "of the precise". There is also another gradation pattern, which is older, and causes simple elision of T and K. However, it is very common since it is found in the partitive case marker: if V is a single vowel, V+ta â Va, e.g. *vanha+ta â vanhaa. Another instance is the imperative, which changes into a glottal stop in the singular but is shown as an overt 'ka' in plural, e.g. mene vs. menkää.
The morphosyntactic alignment is nominative-accusative; but there are two object cases: accusative and partitive. The contrast between the two is telic, where the accusative case denotes actions completed as intended (Ammuin hirven "I shot (killed) the elk"), and the partitive case denotes incomplete actions (Ammuin hirveä "I shot (at) the elk"). Often this is confused with perfectivity, but the only element of perfectivity that exists in Finnish is that there are some perfective verbs. Transitivity is distinguished by different verbs for transitive and intransitive, e.g. ratkaista "to solve something" vs. ratketa "to solve by itself". There are several frequentative and momentane verb categories.
Verbs gain personal suffixes for each person; these suffixes are grammatically more important than pronouns, which are often not used at all in standard Finnish. The infinitive is not the uninflected form but has a suffix -ta or -da; the closest one to an uninflected form is the third person singular indicative. There are four persons, first ("I, we"), second ("you (singular), you (plural)"), third ("s/he, they"). Also, the passive voice (sometimes called impersonal or indefinite) resembles a "fourth person" similar to e.g. English "people say/do/â¦". There are four tenses, namely present, past, perfect and pluperfect; the system mirrors the Germanic system. The future tense is not needed due to context and the telic contrast. For example, luen kirjan "I read a book (completely)" indicates a future, when luen kirjaa "I read a book (not yet complete)" indicates present.
Nouns may be suffixed with the markers for the aforementioned accusative case and partitive case, the genitive case, eight different locatives, and a few other cases. The case marker must be added not only to the main noun, but also to its modifiers; e.g. suure+ssa talo+ssa, literally "big-in house-in". Possession is marked with a possessive suffix; separate possessive pronouns are unknown. Pronouns gain suffixes just as nouns do.
Suomalaisen Sana-Lugun Coetus (1745) by Daniel Juslenius was the first comprehensive dictionary of the Finnish language with 16,000 entries.
:See the lists of Finnish words and words of Finnish origin at Wiktionary, the free dictionary and Wikipedia's sibling project.
Finnish extensively employs regular agglutination. It has a smaller core vocabulary than, for example, English, and uses derivative suffixes to a greater extent. As an example, take the word kirja "a book", from which one can form derivatives kirjain "a letter" (of the alphabet), kirje "a piece of correspondence, a letter", kirjasto "a library", kirjailija "an author", kirjallisuus "literature", kirjoittaa "to write", kirjoittaja "a writer", kirjuri "a scribe, a clerk", kirjallinen "something in written form", kirjata "to write down, register, record", kirjasin "a font", and others.
Here are some of the more common such suffixes. Which of each pair is used depends on the word being suffixed in accordance with the rules of vowel harmony.
*-ja/jä : agent (one who does) (e.g. lukea "to read" â lukija "reader")
*-lainen/läinen: inhabitant of (either noun or adjective). Englanti "England" â englantilainen "English person or thing"; Venäjä â venäläinen "Russian person or thing".
*-sto/stö: collection of. For example: kirja "a book" â kirjasto "a library"; laiva "a ship" â laivasto "navy, fleet".
*-in: instrument or tool. For example: kirjata "to book, to file" â kirjain "a letter" (of the alphabet); vatkata "to whisk" â vatkain "a whisk, mixer".
*-uri/yri: an agent or instrument (kaivaa "to dig" â kaivuri "a digging machine"; laiva "a ship" â laivuri "shipper, shipmaster").
*-os/ös: result of some action (tulla "to come" â tulos "result, outcome"; tehdä "to do" â teos "a piece of work").
*-ton/tön: lack of something, "un-", "-less" (onni "happiness" â onneton "unhappy"; koti "home" â koditon "homeless").
*-llinen: having (the quality of) something (lapsi "a child" â lapsellinen "childish"; kauppa "a shop, commerce" â kaupallinen "commercial").
*-kas/käs: similar to -llinen (itse "self" â itsekäs "selfish"; neuvo "advice" â neuvokas "resourceful").
*-va/vä: doing or having something (taitaa "to be able" â taitava "skillful"; johtaa "to lead" â johtava "leading").
*-la/lä: a place related to the main word (kana "a hen" â kanala "a henhouse"; pappi "a priest" â pappila "a parsonage").
Verbal suffixes are extremely diverse; several frequentatives and momentanes differentiating causative, volitional-unpredictable and anticausative are found, often combined with each other, often denoting indirection. For example, hypätä "to jump", hyppiä "to be jumping", hypeksiä "to be jumping wantonly", hypäyttää "to make someone jump once", hyppyyttää "to make someone jump repeatedly" (or "to boss someone around"), hyppyytyttää "to make someone to cause a third person to jump repeatedly", hyppyytellä "to, without aim, make someone jump repeatedly", hypähtää "to jump suddenly" (in anticausative meaning), hypellä "to jump around repeatedly", hypiskellä "to be jumping repeatedly and wantonly", hyppimättä "without jumping", hyppelemättä "without jumping around". Often the diversity and compactness of this agglutination is illustrated with istahtaisinkohan "I wonder if I should sit down for a while" (from istua, "to sit, to be seated"):
*istua "to sit down"
*istun "I sit down" / istahtaa "to sit down for a while"
*istahdan "I sit down for a while"
*istahtaisin "I should sit down for a while"
*istahtaisinko "should I sit down for a while?"
*istahtaisinkohan "I wonder if I should sit down for a while"
Over the course of many centuries, the Finnish language has borrowed a great many words from a wide variety of languages, most from neighboring Indo-European languages. Indeed, some estimates put the core Proto-Uralic vocabulary surviving in Finnish at only around 300 word roots. Due to the different grammatical, phonological and phonotactic structure of the Finnish language, loanwords from Indo-European have been assimilated.
In general, the first loan words into Finno-Ugric languages seem to come from very early Indo-European languages, and later mainly from Iranian, Turkic, Baltic, Germanic, and Slavic languages. Furthermore, a certain group of very basic and neutral words exists in Finnish and other Finnic languages that are absent from other Finno-Ugric languages, but without a recognizable etymology from any known language. These words are usually regarded as the last remnant of the Nordic language spoken in Fennoscandia before the arrival of the proto-Finnic language. Words included in this group are e.g. jänis (hare), musta (black), mäki (hill), saari (island), suo (swamp) and niemi (cape). Also some place names, like Päijänne and Imatra, are probably before the proto-Finnic era. Häkkinen, Kaisa. Suomalaisten esihistoria kielitieteen valossa (ISBN 951-717-855-7). Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura 1996. See pages 166 and 173.
Often quoted loan examples are kuningas "king" and ruhtinas "prince, high ranking nobleman" from Germanic *kuningaz and *druhtinaz, but another example is äiti "mother", from Gothic aiþei, which is interesting because borrowing of close-kinship vocabulary is a rare phenomenon. The original Finnish emo occurs only in restricted contexts. There are other close-kinship words that are loaned from Baltic and Germanic languages (morsian "bride", armas "dear"). Examples of the ancient Iranian loans are vasara "hammer" from Avestan vadžra, vajra and orja "slave" from arya, airya "man" (the latter probably via similar circumstances as slave from Slav in many European languages).
More recently, Swedish has been a prolific source of borrowings, and also, the Swedish language acted as a proxy for European words, especially those relating to government. Present-day Finland belonged to the kingdom of Sweden from the 12th century and was ceded to Russia in 1809, becoming an autonomous Grand Duchy. Swedish was retained as the official language and language of the upper class even after this. When Finnish was accepted as an official language, it gained only legal "equal status" with Swedish, which persists even today. It is still the case today, though only about 5.5% of Finnish nationals, the Swedish-speaking Finns, have Swedish as their mother tongue. During the period of autonomy, Russian did not gain much ground as a language of the people or the government. Nevertheless, quite a few words were subsequently acquired from Russian (especially in older Helsinki slang) but not to the same extent as with Swedish. In all these cases, borrowing has been partly a result of geographical proximity.
Especially words dealing with administrative or modern culture came to Finnish from Swedish, sometimes reflecting the oldest Swedish form of the word (lag - laki, 'law'; län - lääni, 'province'; bisp - piispa, 'bishop'; jordpäron - peruna, 'potato'), and many more survive as informal synonyms in spoken or dialectal Finnish (e.g. likka, from Swedish flicka, 'girl', usually tyttö in Finnish).
Typical Russian loanwords are old or very old, thus hard to recognize as such, and concern everyday concepts, e.g. papu "bean", sini "(n.) blue" and pappi "priest". Notably, a few religious words such as Raamattu ("Bible") are borrowed from Russian, which indicates language contact preceding the Swedish era. This is mainly believed to be result of trade with Novgorod from the 9th century on and the Orthodox converting in the 13th century.
Most recently, and with increasing impact, English has been the source of new loanwords in Finnish. Unlike previous "geographical" borrowing, the influence of English is largely "cultural" and reaches Finland by many routes including: international business; music; film and TV (foreign films and programmes, excluding ones intended for a very young audience, are shown subtitled); literature; and, of course, the Web this is now probably the most important source of all non-face-to-face exposure to English.
The importance of English as the language of global commerce has led many non-English companies, including Finland's Nokia, to adopt English as their official operating language. Recently, it has been observed that English borrowings are also ousting previous borrowings, for example the switch from treffailla "to date" (from Swedish, träffa) to deittailla from English "to go for a date". Calques from English are also found, e.g. kovalevy (hard disk). Grammatical calques are also found, for example, the replacement of the impersonal (passiivi) with the English-style generic you, e. g. sä et voi "you cannot", instead of ei voi "one cannot".
However, this does not mean that Finnish is threatened by English. Borrowing is normal language evolution, and neologisms are coined actively not only by the government, but also by the media. Moreover, Finnish and English have a considerably different grammar, phonology and phonotactics, discouraging direct borrowing. English loan words in Finnish slang include for example pleikkari "PlayStation", hodari "hot dog", and hedari "headache", "headshot" or "headbutt". Often these loanwords are distinctly identified as slang or jargon, rarely being used in a negative mood or in formal language. Since English and Finnish grammar, pronunciation and phonetics differ considerably, most loan words are inevitably sooner or later calqued â translated into native Finnish â retaining the semantic meaning.
Some modern terms have been synthesised rather than borrowed, for example:
:puhelin "telephone" (literally: "chatter" + instrument suffix "-in" to make "an instrument for chattering")
:tietokone "computer" (literally: "knowledge machine")
:levyke "diskette" (from levy "disc" + a diminutive -ke)
:sähköposti "email" (literally: "electrical mail")
:linja-auto "bus" (literally: route-car)
Neologisms are actively generated by the Language Planning Office and the media. They are widely adopted. One would actually give an old-fashioned or rustic impression using forms such as telefooni or kompuutteri when the neologism is widely adopted.
The first page of Abckiria (1543), the first book written in the Finnish language. The spelling of Finnish in the book had many inconsistencies: for example, the k sound could be represented by c, k or even g; the long u and the long i were represented by w and ij respectively, and ä was represented by e.
Finnish is written with the Swedish variant of the Latin alphabet that includes the distinct characters à and Ã, and also several characters not used in Finnish (including for example C, Q, Ã
). The Finnish orthography built upon the phoneme principle: each phoneme (meaningful sound) of the language is represented by exactly one grapheme (independent letter), and each grapheme represents almost exactly one phoneme. This makes the language easy for its speakers to spell, and facilitates learning to read and write. The rule of thumb for Finnish orthography is: write as you read, read as you write. However, morphemes retain their spelling despite sandhi.
Some orthographical notes:
*Long vowels and consonants are represented by double occurrences of the relevant graphemes. This causes no confusion, and permits these sounds to be written without having to nearly double the size of the alphabet to accommodate separate graphemes for long sounds.
*The grapheme h occurring before a consonant sounds slightly harder (initially breathy voiced, then voiceless) than when occurring before a vowel.
*Sandhi is not transcribed; the spelling of morphemes is immutable, e.g. tulen+pa .
*Some consonants (v, j, d) and all consonants occurring in (always medial) clusters do not have distinctive length, and consequently, their allophonic variation is not indicated in spelling, e.g. rajaan /rajaan/ (I limit) vs. raijaan /raijjaan/ (I haul).
*Pre-1900s texts and personal names use w for v. Both correspond to the same phoneme, the labiodental approximant , a v without the fricative ("hissing") quality of the English v.
*The letters ä [æ] and ö [ø], although written as umlauted a and o, do not represent phonological umlauts, and they are considered independent graphemes; the letter shapes have been copied from Swedish. An appropriate parallel from the Latin alphabet are the characters C and G (uppercase), which historically have a closer kinship than many other characters (G is a derivation of C) but are considered distinct letters, and changing one for the other will change meanings.
Although Finnish is almost completely written as it is spoken, there are a few differences:
* The n in nk is a velar nasal, as in English. As an exception to the phonetic principle, there is no g in ng, which is a long velar nasal as in English singalong.
* The gemination between words is not marked in writing.
* The double consonant in clitic is marked as a single consonant.
* Only comparative and superlative adjectives the letter m is used like in speech in word like parempi, but in other similar cases the letter n is used, like in onpa
* The /j/ after the letter i is very weak or there is no /j/ at all, but in writing it is used, example: urheilija. Indeed the j is not used in writing words with consonant gradation (like aion and some other (like läksiäiset))
* In speech there is no difference between the use of /i/ in words (like ajoittaa, but ehdottaa, but in writing there are quite simple rules: The i is written in words that consist two syllables and end in a or ä (sanoittaa), and in words that are old-stylish (innoittaa). The i is not written in words that consist two syllables and end in o or ö like (erottaa), words which do not have clear proto-word (hajottaa), and in words that are descriptive (häämöttää) or workaday by their style (rehottaa)
Graphemes ä and ö are sometimes converted in two ways, a and o, respectively and, ae and oe respectively. Finnish graphemes ä and ö are not umlauts like in German; conversion to ae and oe in Finnish language is less correct than in German language. Conversion to a and o is more common and almost universally used in email-addresses. Conversion ae and oe is rare but formally used in passports and equivalent situations. both conversion rules have minimal pairs.
The sounds š and ž are not a part of Finnish language itself and have been introduced somewhat artificially by a government regulation. Although they occur in some rare loanwords, their principal use is in the transcription of foreign names. For technical reasons or convenience, the graphemes sh and zh are often used in quickly or less carefully written texts instead of š and ž. This is a deviation from the phonetic principle, and as such is liable to cause confusion, but the damage is minimal as the transcribed words are foreign in any case. Finnish does not use the sounds z, š or ž, but for the sake of exactitude, they can be included in spelling. (The recommendation cites the Russian play Hovanshtshina as an example.) Many speakers pronounce all of them s, or distinguish only between s and š, because Finnish has no voiced sibilants.
The language may be identified by its distinctive lack of the letters b, c, f, q, w, x, z and å.
Väinö Linna: The Unknown Soldier; these words were also inscribed in the 20 mk note.
(Translation: "The benevolent sun watched them. By no means was it angry at them. Perhaps it even felt a kind of compassion towards them. Jolly good brothers.")
Sample sound of "Hyvää huomenta"
*(Hyvää) huomenta â Good morning
*(Hyvää) päivää â Good afternoon (literally "Good day")
*(Hyvää) iltapäivää â Good afternoon
*(Hyvää) iltaa â Good evening
*(Hyvää) yötä / Ãitä â Good night
*Terve! / Moro! â Hello!
*Hei! / Moi! â Hi!
*Heippa! / Moikka! / Hei hei! / Moi moi! â Bye!
*Nähdään â See you later (literally "will be seen")
*Näkemi(si)in / Hyvästi â Goodbye
*Hauska tutustua! â Nice to meet you
*Kiitos â Thank you
*Kiitos, samoin â Likewise
*Mitä kuuluu? â How are you / How you doing? (Not used among strangers.) (literally "What is heard?")
*Kiitos hyvää â I'm fine, thank you
*Tervetuloa! â Welcome!
Tietosanakirja, 11 volumes, 1909-1922, Finnish encyclopedia.
* kyllä â yes
* joo â yes (informal)
* ei â no
* en â I will not / I do not
* minä, sinä, hän(se) â I, you, he/she(it)
* me, te, he(ne) â we, you (two or more), they
* (minä) olen â I am
* (sinä) olet â you are
* (minä) en ole - I am not
* (sinä) et ole - You are not
* yksi, kaksi, kolme â one, two, three
* neljä, viisi, kuusi â four, five, six
* seitsemän, kahdeksan â seven, eight
* yhdeksän, kymmenen â nine, ten
* yksitoista, kaksitoista, kolmetoista â eleven, twelve, thirteen
* sata, tuhat, miljoona â hundred, thousand, million
* (minä) rakastan sinua â I love you
* anteeksi â forgive me, excuse me, sorry
* voitko auttaa â can you help
* apua! - help!
* voisit(te)ko auttaa â could you help
* missä on ... ? â where is ...?
* olen pahoillani â I'm sorry (apology)
* otan osaa â My condolences
* onnea â good luck
* totta kai/tietysti/toki â of course
* pieni hetki, pikku hetki, hetkinen â one moment please!
* odota â wait
* Suomi â Finland
* suomi/suomen kieli â Finnish language
* suomalainen â (noun) Finn; (adjective) Finnish
* En ymmärrä â I don't understand
* (Minä) ymmärrän â I understand
* ¹Ymmärrät(te)kö suomea? â Do you understand Finnish?
* ¹Puhut(te)ko englantia? â Do you speak English?
* Olen englantilainen / amerikkalainen / kanadalainen / australialainen / uusiseelantilainen / irlantilainen / skotlantilainen / walesilainen / ranskalainen / saksalainen / kiinalainen / japanilainen â I am English / American / Canadian / Australian / New Zealander / Irish / Scottish / Welsh / French / German / Chinese / Japanese
* ¹Olet(te)ko englantilainen? â Are you English?
* Missä (sinä) asut/¹Missä (te) asutte? â Where do you live?
¹ -te is added to make the sentence formal (T-V distinction). Otherwise, without the added "-te", it is informal. It is also added when talking to more than one person. The transition from second-person singular to second-person plural (teitittely) is a politeness pattern, advised by many "good manners guides". Elderly people, especially, expect it from strangers, whereas the younger might feel it to be too formal to the point of coldness. However, a learner of the language should not be excessively concerned about it. Omitting it is never offensive, but one should keep in mind that on formal occasions this custom may make a good impression.
* Finnish alphabet
* Finnish grammar
* Spoken Finnish
* Finland's language strife
* Karelian language
* Estonian language
* Finnish name
* Finnish cultural and academic institutes
* Finnish language on Ethnologue
* The Finnish language --- a list of resources
* Lexicon of Early Indo-European Loanwords Preserved in Finnish
* Proto-Uralic to Finnish (in IPA mostly migrated from X-SAMPA)
* English-Finnish-English Dictionary
* Collection of Finnish bilingual dictionaries
* Finnish Etymological Dictionary by Andras Rajki
* English-Finnish and Russian-Finnish Dictionary
* English-Finnish vocabulary quizzes
* The 2 253 possible forms of the Finnish noun kauppa 'shop'
* Discussion about the Finnish Language
To Do
This section lists the topics which need to be written or expanded (there are headings for all of these):
* This page:
** History: The history of the language, especially its written form and its official status
** Derivative suffixes
** External links
* Grammar page:
** Illative formation
** Noun plurals
** Noun stem types
** Adjectives, including comparison
** Postpositions and prepositions
** 5th infinitive
** Imperfect indicative for typeV and VI verbs
** Present participles, active and passive
** Past participle, passive
** Agent participle
** Passive, 2nd person imperatives
** 3rd person imperatives
** 1st person plural imperatives
** Ordinal numbers
** Names of numbers
* Spoken language page:
**important regional variations
-->
|
Finnish_language | For how long has the classification of dialects spoken outside of Finland been a controversial issue? | The classification of dialects spoken outside of Finland has been a controversial issue since Finland's independence in 1917. | data/set5/a5 | Finnish_language
Finnish ( , or suomen kieli) is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland (92% Tilastokeskus - Väestö ) and by ethnic Finns outside of Finland. It is one of the official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a Finnish dialect, are spoken. The Kven language, a Finnish dialect spoken in Northern Norway, is an official minority language in Norway.
Finnish is the eponymous member of the Finno-Ugric language family and is typologically between fusional and agglutinative languages. It modifies and inflects the forms of nouns, adjectives, pronouns, numerals and verbs, depending on their roles in the sentence.
Finnish is a member of the Baltic-Finnic subgroup of the Finno-Ugric group of languages which in turn is a member of the Uralic family of languages. The Baltic-Finnic subgroup also includes Estonian and other minority languages spoken around the Baltic Sea.
Finnish demonstrates an affiliation with the Uralic languages in several respects including:
*Shared morphology:
:*case suffixes such as genitive -n, partitive -(t)a / -(t)ä ( Virtual Finland: Where do Finns come from?.
According to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, Finnish is classified as a level III language in terms of learning difficulty for native English speakers. Defense Language Institute
Areas in Southern Sweden with a Finnish-speaking population (2005)
Finnish is spoken by about six million people who reside mainly in Finland. There are also notable Finnish-speaking minorities in Sweden, Norway, Russia, Estonia, Canada, and the United States. The majority of the population of Finland, 91.51% , speak Finnish as their first language. The remainder speak Swedish (5.5%), Sami (Northern, Inari, Skolt) and other languages. It has achieved some popularity as a second language in Estonia.
Finnish is one of two official languages of Finland (the other being Swedish, spoken by 5.49% of the population Statistikcentralen - Befolkning ) and an official language of the European Union. It enjoys the status of an official minority language in Sweden. It is also one of the working languages of the Nordic Council. Under the Nordic Language Convention, citizens of the Nordic countries speaking Finnish have the opportunity to use their native language when interacting with official bodies in other Nordic countries without being liable to any interpretation or translation costs. Konvention mellan Sverige, Danmark, Finland, Island och Norge om nordiska medborgares rätt att använda sitt eget språk i annat nordiskt land, Nordic Council website. Retrieved on April 25, 2007. 20th anniversary of the Nordic Language Convention, Nordic news, February 22, 2007. Retrieved on April 25, 2007.
According to recent estimations, Proto-Uralic language arrived in Finland around 1900 BCE, soon to be developed into Proto-Finnic. The Balto-Finnic languages evolved from the Proto-Finnic language after Sámi was separated from it around 1500-1000 BCE. Current research indicates there were three or more Proto-Finnic dialects. The Baltic Finnic languages separated around the 1st century, but continued to influence each other. Therefore, the Eastern Finnish dialects are genetically Eastern Proto-Finnic, with many Eastern features, and the Southwestern Finnish dialects have many genuine Estonian influences.
Finland was annexed to Catholic Sweden in the Middle Ages. Prior to this, Finnish was an oral language. Even after, the language of larger-scale business was Middle Low German, the language of administration Swedish, and religious activities were held in Latin, leaving few possibilities for Finnish-speakers to use their mother tongue in situations other than daily chores.
The first known written example of Finnish comes from this era and was found in a German travel journal dating back to c.1450: Mynna tachton gernast spuho somen gelen Emyna dayda (Modern Finnish: "Minä tahdon kernaasti puhua suomen kieltä, [mutta] en minä taida"; English: "I willingly want to speak Finnish, [but] I cannot"). According to the travel journal, a Finnish bishop, whose name is unknown, was behind the above quotation.
Mikael Agricola, a 19th century drawing by Albert Edelfelt
The first comprehensive writing system for Finnish was created by Mikael Agricola, a Finnish bishop, in the 16th century. He based his orthography on Swedish, German, and Latin. His ultimate plan was to translate the Bible, but first he had to define rules on which the Finnish standard language still relies, particularly with respect to spelling. He also invented single-handedly many words such as armo meaning both "mercy" and "grace" (as in "from grace alone, not out of good works...") and vanhurskas "righteous". More than fifty percent of these words are still in use.
Agricola's written language was based on western dialects of Finnish, and his intention was that each phoneme should correspond to one letter. Yet, Agricola was confronted with many problems in this endeavor and failed to achieve uniformity. This is why he might use different signs for the same phonemes depending on the situation. For example he used dh or d to represent the voiced dental fricative (English th in this) and tz or z to represent the geminate unvoiced dental fricative (the th in thin). Additionally, Agricola might use gh or g to represent the voiced velar fricative and either ch, c or h for /h/. For example he wrote techtin against modern spelling tehtiin.
Later others revised Agricola's work, striving for a more phonemic system. Along the way, Finnish lost some of its phonemes. The sounds and disappeared from the standard language, surviving only in a small rural region in Western Finland. Elsewhere, traces of these phonemes persist as their disappearance gave Finnish dialects their distinct qualities. For example, became ht or tt (e.g. meþþä â mehtä, mettä) in the eastern dialects and in some western dialects. In the standard language, however, the effect of the lost phonemes is thus:
* became
* became
* became but only if the voiced velar fricative appeared originally between high labial vowels, otherwise lost entirely.
Modern Finnish punctuation, along with that of Swedish, uses the colon character (:) to separate the stem of the word and its grammatical ending in some cases (such as after abbreviations), where some other alphabetic writing systems would use an apostrophe. Suffixes are required for correct grammar, so this is often applied, e.g. EU:ssa "in the EU".
Elias Lönnrot as depicted in a 19th century caricature Lönnrot made several journeys to Karelia and Eastern Finland to collect folklore, from which he compiled the Kalevala.
In the 19th century Johan Vilhelm Snellman and others began to stress the need to improve the status of Finnish. Ever since the days of Mikael Agricola written Finnish had been used almost exclusively in religious contexts, but now Snellman's Hegelian nationalistic ideas of Finnish as a full-fledged national language gained considerable support. Concerted efforts were made to improve the status of the language and to modernize it, and by the end of the century Finnish had become a language of administration, journalism, literature, and science in Finland, along with Swedish.
The most important contributions to improving the status of Finnish were made by Elias Lönnrot. His impact on the development of modern vocabulary in Finnish was particularly crucial. In addition to compiling the Kalevala, he acted as an arbitrator in disputes about the development of standard Finnish between the proponents of western and eastern dialects, ensuring that the western dialects Agricola had preferred preserved their preeminent role, while many originally dialectical words from Eastern Finland were introduced to the standard language enriching it considerably. The first novel written in Finnish (and by a Finnish-speaker) was Seven Brothers, published by Aleksis Kivi in 1870.
Map of Finnish dialects
The dialects of Finnish are divided into two distinct groups, the Western dialects and the Eastern dialects. The dialects are almost entirely mutually intelligible and distinguished from each other by only minor changes in vowels, diphthongs and rhythm. For the most part, the dialects operate on the same phonology, grammar and vocabulary. There are only marginal examples of sounds or grammatical constructions specific to some dialect and not found in standard Finnish. Two examples are the voiced dental fricative found in Rauma dialect and the Eastern exessive case.
The classification of closely related dialects spoken outside of Finland is a politically sensitive issue that has been controversial since Finland's independence in 1917. This concerns specifically the Karelian language in Russia and Meänkieli in Sweden, the speakers of which are often considered oppressed minorities. Karelian is different enough from standard Finnish to have its own orthography. Meänkieli is a northern dialect entirely intelligible to speakers of any other Finnish dialect, which achieved its status as an official minority language in Sweden for historical and political reasons regardless of the fact that Finnish is an official minority language in Sweden, too.
The South-West dialects (lounaismurteet) are spoken in Finland Proper and Satakunta. Their typical feature is abbreviation of word-final vowels, and in many respects they resemble Estonian. The Tavastian dialects (hämäläismurteet) are spoken in Tavastia. They are closest to the standard language, but feature some slight vowel changes, such as the opening of diphthong-final vowels (tie â tiä, miekka â miakka, kuolisi â kualis). The Southern Ostrobothnian dialects (eteläpohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Southern Ostrobothnia. Their most notable feature is the pronunciation of 'd' as a tapped or even fully trilled /r/. The Middle and North Ostrobothnia dialects (keski- ja pohjoispohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Central and Northern Ostrobothnia. The Far-Northern dialects (peräpohjalaiset murteet) are spoken in Lapland. The dialects spoken in the western parts of Lapland are recognizable by retention of old 'h' sounds in positions where they have disappeared from other dialects.
One of the Far-Northern dialects, Meänkieli, which is spoken on the Swedish side of the border, is taught in some Swedish schools as a distinct standardized language. The speakers of Meänkieli became politically separated from the other Finns when Finland was annexed to Russia in 1809. The categorization of Meänkieli as a separate language is controversial among the Finns, who see no linguistic criteria, only political reasons, for treating Meänkieli differently than other dialects of Finnish.
The Kven language is spoken in Finnmark and Troms, in Norway. Its speakers are descendants of Finnish emigrants to the region in the 18th and 19th centuries. Kven is an official minority language in Norway.
The Eastern dialects consist of the widespread Savonian dialects (savolaismurteet) spoken in Savo and nearby areas, and the South-Eastern dialects spoken now only in Finnish South Karelia. The South-Eastern dialects (kaakkoismurteet) were previously spoken also on the Karelian Isthmus and in Ingria. The Karelian Isthmus was evacuated during World War II and refugees were resettled all over Finland. Most of Ingrian Finns were deported to various parts of Russia and Estonia.
Palatalization, a common feature of Uralic languages, had been lost in Baltic-Finnic languages, but it has been reacquired by most of these languages, including Eastern Finnish, but not Western Finnish. In Finnish orthography, this is denoted with a 'j', e.g. vesj, cf. standard vesi.
The language spoken in the parts of Karelia that have not historically been under Swedish or Finnish rule is usually called the Karelian language, and it is considered to be more distant from standard Finnish than the Eastern dialects. Whether this language of Russian Karelia is a dialect of Finnish or a separate language is a matter of interpretation. However, the term Karelian dialects is often used colloquially to the Finnish South-Eastern dialects.
* Western dialects
**Southern-Western dialects
***Proper Southern-Western dialects
**** Northern dialect group
**** Southern dialect group
***Southern-Western middle dialects
****Pori region dialects
****Ala-Satakunta dialects
****dialects of Turku highlands
****Somero region dialects
****Western Uusimaa dialects
**Tavastian dialects
***Ylä-Satakunta dialects
***Heart Tavastian dialects
***Southern Tavastian dialects
***Southern-Eastern Tavastian dialects
****Hollola dialect group
****Porvoo dialect group
****Iitti dialect group
**Southern Botnian dialects
**Middle and Northern Botnian dialects
***Middle Botnian dialects
***Northern Botnian dialects
**Peräpohjola dialects
***Tornio dialects ("Meänkieli" in Sweden)
***Kemi dialects
***Kemijärvi dialects
***Jällivaara dialects ("Meänkieli" in Sweden)
***Ruija dialects ("Kven language" in Northern Norway)
*Eastern dialects
**Savonian dialects
***Northern Savonian dialects
***Southern Savonian dialects
***Middle dialects of Savonlinna region
***Eastern Savonian dialects or the dialects of North Karelia
***Kainuu dialects
***Central Finland dialects
***Päijänne Tavastia dialects
***Keuruu-Evijärvi dialects
***Savonian dialects of Värmland (Sweden)
**Southern-Eastern dialects
***Proper Southern-Eastern dialects
***Middle dialects of Lemi region
***Middle dialects of Sortavala region (now in Russia)
***Dialects of Ingria (in Russia) /ref>
There are two main varieties of Finnish used throughout the country. One is the "standard language" (yleiskieli), and the other is the "spoken language" (puhekieli). The standard language is used in formal situations like political speeches and newscasts. Its written form, the "book language" (kirjakieli), is used in nearly all written texts, not always excluding even the dialogue of common people in popular prose. The spoken language, on the other hand, is the main variety of Finnish used in popular TV and radio shows and at workplaces, and may be preferred to a dialect in personal communication.
Standard Finnish is prescribed by the Language Office of the Research Institute for the Languages of Finland and is the language used in official communication. The Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish (Nykysuomen sanakirja 1951â61), with 201,000 entries, was a prescriptive dictionary that defined official language. An additional volume for words of foreign origin (Nykysuomen sivistyssanakirja, 30,000 entries) was published in 1991. An updated dictionary, the Language Office Dictionary (Kielitoimiston sanakirja) was published in an electronic form in 2004 and in print in 2006. A descriptive grammar (Iso suomen kielioppi, Hakulinen, Auli et al. (2004): Iso suomen kielioppi. SKS:n toimituksia 950. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura. ISBN 951-746-557-2. 1,600 pages 1,600 pages) was published in 2004. There is also an etymological dictionary, Suomen sanojen alkuperä, published in 1992â2000, and a handbook of contemporary language (Nykysuomen käsikirja), and a periodic publication, Kielikello. Standard Finnish is used in official texts and is the form of language taught in schools. Its spoken form is used in political speech, newscasts, in courts, and in other formal situations. Nearly all publishing and printed works are in standard Finnish.
The spoken language has mostly developed naturally from earlier forms of Finnish, and spread from main cultural and political centres. The standard language, however, has always been a consciously constructed medium for literature. It preserves grammatical patterns that have mostly vanished from the colloquial varieties and, as its main application is writing, it features complex syntactic patterns that are not easy to handle when used in speech. The spoken language develops significantly faster, and the grammatical and phonological simplifications include also the most common pronouns and suffixes, which sum up to frequent but modest differences. Some sound changes have been left out of the formal language, such as the irregularization of some common verbs by assimilation, e.g. tule- â tuu- (although tule can be used in spoken language as well).
Written language certainly still exerts a considerable influence upon the spoken word, due to the fact that illiteracy is nonexistent and many Finns are avid readers. In fact, it is still not entirely uncommon to meet people who "talk like a book" (puhuvat kirjakieltä), although this is seen as pedantic. More common is the intrusion of typically book-like constructions into a colloquial discourse, as a kind of quote from written Finnish. It should also be noted that it is quite common to hear book-like and polished speech on radio or TV, and the constant exposure to such language tends to lead to the adoption of such constructions even in everyday language.
A prominent example of the effect of the standard language is the development of the consonant gradation form /ts : ts/ as in metsä : metsän, as this pattern was originally (1940) found natively only in the dialects of southern Karelian isthmus and Ingria. In fact, it has arisen from the spelling 'ts' for the dental fricative [θË], which has disappeared. In spoken language, a fusion of Western /tt : tt/ (mettä : mettän) and Eastern /ht : t/ (mehtä : metän) has been created: /tt : t/ (mettä : metän). Yleiskielen ts:n murrevastineet It is notable that neither of these are forms are identifiable as or originate from a specific dialect.
The orthography of the informal language follows that of the formal language. However, sometimes sandhi may be transcribed, especially the internal ones, e.g. menenpä â menempä. This never takes place in formal language.
:
Note that there are noticeable differences between dialects. These examples are mostly from the language as spoken in the capital area (Helsinki dialect or even Stadin slangi). Also note that here the formal language does not mean a language spoken in formal occasions but the standard language which exist practically only in written form.
Characteristic features of Finnish (common to other Finno-Ugric languages) are vowel harmony and an agglutinative morphology; due to the extensive use of the latter, words can be quite long.
The main stress is always on the first syllable, and it is articulated by adding approximately 100 ms more length to the stressed vowel. Stress does not cause any measurable modifications in vowel quality (very much unlike English). However, stress is not strong and words appear evenly stressed. In some cases, stress is so weak that the highest points of volume, pitch and other indicators of "articulation intensity" are not on the first syllable, although native speakers recognize the first syllable as a stressed syllable.
There are eight vowels, whose lexical and grammatical role is highly important, and which are unusually strictly controlled, so that there is almost no allophony. Vowels shown in the table below, followed by the IPA symbol when not identical. These are always different phonemes in the initial syllable; for noninitial syllable, see morphophonology below.
: 1 Although conventionally and conveniently written with the close-mid symbols , and , they are more accurately described as mid vowels ( , and ).
The usual analysis is that Finnish has long and short vowels and consonants as distinct phonemes. However, long vowels may be analyzed as a vowel followed by a chroneme, or also, that sequences of identical vowels are pronounced as "diphthongs". The quality of long vowels mostly overlaps with the quality of short vowels, with the exception of u, which is centralized with respect to uu; long vowels do not morph into diphthongs. There are eighteen phonemic diphthongs; like vowels, diphthongs do not have significant allophony.
Finnish has a consonant inventory of small to moderate size, where voicing is mostly not distinctive, and fricatives are scarce. Finnish has relatively few non-coronal consonants. Consonants are as follows, where consonants in parenthesis are found only in a few recent loans.
# is the equivalent of under weakening consonant gradation, and thus occurs only medially, or in non-native words; it is actually more of an alveolar tap rather than a true voiced stop, and the dialectal realization varies wildly; see main article.
# The glottal stop can only appear at word boundaries as a result of certain sandhi phenomena, and it is not indicated in spelling: e.g. 'let it be', orthographically anna olla. Moreover, this sound is not used in all dialects.
# The short velar nasal is an allophone of in , and the long velar nasal , written ng, is the equivalent of under weakening consonant gradation (type of lenition) and thus occurs only medially.
Almost all consonants have phonemic geminated forms. These are independent, but occur only medially when phonemic.
Independent consonant clusters are not allowed in native words, except for a small set of two-consonant syllable codas, e.g. 'rs' in karsta. However, due to a number of recently adopted loanwords using them, e.g. strutsi "ostrich", Finnish speakers can pronounce them, even if it is somewhat awkward.
As a Finno-Ugric language, it is somewhat special in two respects: loss of fricatives and loss of palatalization.
An interesting feature of Finnic phonology is the development of labial vowels in non-initial syllables. Proto-Uralic had only 'a' and 'i' and their vowel harmonic allophones in non-initial syllables; modern Finnish allows other vowels in non-initial syllables (they are uncommon, however, compared to 'a', 'ä' and 'i').
Palatalization is characteristic of Finno-Ugric languages, but Finnish has lost it. However, the Eastern dialects and the Karelian language have redeveloped a system of palatalization. For example, the Karelian word d'uuri , with a palatalized , is reflected by juuri in Finnish and Savo dialect vesj is vesi in standard Finnish.
Finnish has only two fricatives, namely and . All other fricatives are recognized as foreign, of which Finnish speakers can usually reliably distinguish and .
Finnish has several morphophonological processes between grammar ("logic") and phonology ("sounds") that require modification of the forms of words for daily speech. The most important processes are vowel harmony and consonant gradation.
Vowel harmony is a redundancy feature, which means that the feature [±back] is uniform within a word, and so it is necessary to interpret it only once for a given word. It is meaning-distinguishing in the initial syllable, and suffixes follow; so, if the listener hears [±back] in any part of the word, they can derive [±back] for the initial syllable. For example, tuote ("product") agglutinates to tuotteeseensa ("into his product"), where the final vowel becomes the back vowel 'a' (rather than the front vowel 'ä') because the initial syllable contains the back vowels 'uo'. This is especially notable because vowels 'a' and 'ä' are different, meaning-distinguishing phonemes, not interchangeable or allophonic. Finnish front vowels are not umlauts.
Consonant gradation is a lenition process for P, T and K, with the oblique stem "weakened" from the nominative stem, or vice versa. For example, tarkka "precise" has the oblique root tarka-, as in tarkan "of the precise". There is also another gradation pattern, which is older, and causes simple elision of T and K. However, it is very common since it is found in the partitive case marker: if V is a single vowel, V+ta â Va, e.g. *vanha+ta â vanhaa. Another instance is the imperative, which changes into a glottal stop in the singular but is shown as an overt 'ka' in plural, e.g. mene vs. menkää.
The morphosyntactic alignment is nominative-accusative; but there are two object cases: accusative and partitive. The contrast between the two is telic, where the accusative case denotes actions completed as intended (Ammuin hirven "I shot (killed) the elk"), and the partitive case denotes incomplete actions (Ammuin hirveä "I shot (at) the elk"). Often this is confused with perfectivity, but the only element of perfectivity that exists in Finnish is that there are some perfective verbs. Transitivity is distinguished by different verbs for transitive and intransitive, e.g. ratkaista "to solve something" vs. ratketa "to solve by itself". There are several frequentative and momentane verb categories.
Verbs gain personal suffixes for each person; these suffixes are grammatically more important than pronouns, which are often not used at all in standard Finnish. The infinitive is not the uninflected form but has a suffix -ta or -da; the closest one to an uninflected form is the third person singular indicative. There are four persons, first ("I, we"), second ("you (singular), you (plural)"), third ("s/he, they"). Also, the passive voice (sometimes called impersonal or indefinite) resembles a "fourth person" similar to e.g. English "people say/do/â¦". There are four tenses, namely present, past, perfect and pluperfect; the system mirrors the Germanic system. The future tense is not needed due to context and the telic contrast. For example, luen kirjan "I read a book (completely)" indicates a future, when luen kirjaa "I read a book (not yet complete)" indicates present.
Nouns may be suffixed with the markers for the aforementioned accusative case and partitive case, the genitive case, eight different locatives, and a few other cases. The case marker must be added not only to the main noun, but also to its modifiers; e.g. suure+ssa talo+ssa, literally "big-in house-in". Possession is marked with a possessive suffix; separate possessive pronouns are unknown. Pronouns gain suffixes just as nouns do.
Suomalaisen Sana-Lugun Coetus (1745) by Daniel Juslenius was the first comprehensive dictionary of the Finnish language with 16,000 entries.
:See the lists of Finnish words and words of Finnish origin at Wiktionary, the free dictionary and Wikipedia's sibling project.
Finnish extensively employs regular agglutination. It has a smaller core vocabulary than, for example, English, and uses derivative suffixes to a greater extent. As an example, take the word kirja "a book", from which one can form derivatives kirjain "a letter" (of the alphabet), kirje "a piece of correspondence, a letter", kirjasto "a library", kirjailija "an author", kirjallisuus "literature", kirjoittaa "to write", kirjoittaja "a writer", kirjuri "a scribe, a clerk", kirjallinen "something in written form", kirjata "to write down, register, record", kirjasin "a font", and others.
Here are some of the more common such suffixes. Which of each pair is used depends on the word being suffixed in accordance with the rules of vowel harmony.
*-ja/jä : agent (one who does) (e.g. lukea "to read" â lukija "reader")
*-lainen/läinen: inhabitant of (either noun or adjective). Englanti "England" â englantilainen "English person or thing"; Venäjä â venäläinen "Russian person or thing".
*-sto/stö: collection of. For example: kirja "a book" â kirjasto "a library"; laiva "a ship" â laivasto "navy, fleet".
*-in: instrument or tool. For example: kirjata "to book, to file" â kirjain "a letter" (of the alphabet); vatkata "to whisk" â vatkain "a whisk, mixer".
*-uri/yri: an agent or instrument (kaivaa "to dig" â kaivuri "a digging machine"; laiva "a ship" â laivuri "shipper, shipmaster").
*-os/ös: result of some action (tulla "to come" â tulos "result, outcome"; tehdä "to do" â teos "a piece of work").
*-ton/tön: lack of something, "un-", "-less" (onni "happiness" â onneton "unhappy"; koti "home" â koditon "homeless").
*-llinen: having (the quality of) something (lapsi "a child" â lapsellinen "childish"; kauppa "a shop, commerce" â kaupallinen "commercial").
*-kas/käs: similar to -llinen (itse "self" â itsekäs "selfish"; neuvo "advice" â neuvokas "resourceful").
*-va/vä: doing or having something (taitaa "to be able" â taitava "skillful"; johtaa "to lead" â johtava "leading").
*-la/lä: a place related to the main word (kana "a hen" â kanala "a henhouse"; pappi "a priest" â pappila "a parsonage").
Verbal suffixes are extremely diverse; several frequentatives and momentanes differentiating causative, volitional-unpredictable and anticausative are found, often combined with each other, often denoting indirection. For example, hypätä "to jump", hyppiä "to be jumping", hypeksiä "to be jumping wantonly", hypäyttää "to make someone jump once", hyppyyttää "to make someone jump repeatedly" (or "to boss someone around"), hyppyytyttää "to make someone to cause a third person to jump repeatedly", hyppyytellä "to, without aim, make someone jump repeatedly", hypähtää "to jump suddenly" (in anticausative meaning), hypellä "to jump around repeatedly", hypiskellä "to be jumping repeatedly and wantonly", hyppimättä "without jumping", hyppelemättä "without jumping around". Often the diversity and compactness of this agglutination is illustrated with istahtaisinkohan "I wonder if I should sit down for a while" (from istua, "to sit, to be seated"):
*istua "to sit down"
*istun "I sit down" / istahtaa "to sit down for a while"
*istahdan "I sit down for a while"
*istahtaisin "I should sit down for a while"
*istahtaisinko "should I sit down for a while?"
*istahtaisinkohan "I wonder if I should sit down for a while"
Over the course of many centuries, the Finnish language has borrowed a great many words from a wide variety of languages, most from neighboring Indo-European languages. Indeed, some estimates put the core Proto-Uralic vocabulary surviving in Finnish at only around 300 word roots. Due to the different grammatical, phonological and phonotactic structure of the Finnish language, loanwords from Indo-European have been assimilated.
In general, the first loan words into Finno-Ugric languages seem to come from very early Indo-European languages, and later mainly from Iranian, Turkic, Baltic, Germanic, and Slavic languages. Furthermore, a certain group of very basic and neutral words exists in Finnish and other Finnic languages that are absent from other Finno-Ugric languages, but without a recognizable etymology from any known language. These words are usually regarded as the last remnant of the Nordic language spoken in Fennoscandia before the arrival of the proto-Finnic language. Words included in this group are e.g. jänis (hare), musta (black), mäki (hill), saari (island), suo (swamp) and niemi (cape). Also some place names, like Päijänne and Imatra, are probably before the proto-Finnic era. Häkkinen, Kaisa. Suomalaisten esihistoria kielitieteen valossa (ISBN 951-717-855-7). Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura 1996. See pages 166 and 173.
Often quoted loan examples are kuningas "king" and ruhtinas "prince, high ranking nobleman" from Germanic *kuningaz and *druhtinaz, but another example is äiti "mother", from Gothic aiþei, which is interesting because borrowing of close-kinship vocabulary is a rare phenomenon. The original Finnish emo occurs only in restricted contexts. There are other close-kinship words that are loaned from Baltic and Germanic languages (morsian "bride", armas "dear"). Examples of the ancient Iranian loans are vasara "hammer" from Avestan vadžra, vajra and orja "slave" from arya, airya "man" (the latter probably via similar circumstances as slave from Slav in many European languages).
More recently, Swedish has been a prolific source of borrowings, and also, the Swedish language acted as a proxy for European words, especially those relating to government. Present-day Finland belonged to the kingdom of Sweden from the 12th century and was ceded to Russia in 1809, becoming an autonomous Grand Duchy. Swedish was retained as the official language and language of the upper class even after this. When Finnish was accepted as an official language, it gained only legal "equal status" with Swedish, which persists even today. It is still the case today, though only about 5.5% of Finnish nationals, the Swedish-speaking Finns, have Swedish as their mother tongue. During the period of autonomy, Russian did not gain much ground as a language of the people or the government. Nevertheless, quite a few words were subsequently acquired from Russian (especially in older Helsinki slang) but not to the same extent as with Swedish. In all these cases, borrowing has been partly a result of geographical proximity.
Especially words dealing with administrative or modern culture came to Finnish from Swedish, sometimes reflecting the oldest Swedish form of the word (lag - laki, 'law'; län - lääni, 'province'; bisp - piispa, 'bishop'; jordpäron - peruna, 'potato'), and many more survive as informal synonyms in spoken or dialectal Finnish (e.g. likka, from Swedish flicka, 'girl', usually tyttö in Finnish).
Typical Russian loanwords are old or very old, thus hard to recognize as such, and concern everyday concepts, e.g. papu "bean", sini "(n.) blue" and pappi "priest". Notably, a few religious words such as Raamattu ("Bible") are borrowed from Russian, which indicates language contact preceding the Swedish era. This is mainly believed to be result of trade with Novgorod from the 9th century on and the Orthodox converting in the 13th century.
Most recently, and with increasing impact, English has been the source of new loanwords in Finnish. Unlike previous "geographical" borrowing, the influence of English is largely "cultural" and reaches Finland by many routes including: international business; music; film and TV (foreign films and programmes, excluding ones intended for a very young audience, are shown subtitled); literature; and, of course, the Web this is now probably the most important source of all non-face-to-face exposure to English.
The importance of English as the language of global commerce has led many non-English companies, including Finland's Nokia, to adopt English as their official operating language. Recently, it has been observed that English borrowings are also ousting previous borrowings, for example the switch from treffailla "to date" (from Swedish, träffa) to deittailla from English "to go for a date". Calques from English are also found, e.g. kovalevy (hard disk). Grammatical calques are also found, for example, the replacement of the impersonal (passiivi) with the English-style generic you, e. g. sä et voi "you cannot", instead of ei voi "one cannot".
However, this does not mean that Finnish is threatened by English. Borrowing is normal language evolution, and neologisms are coined actively not only by the government, but also by the media. Moreover, Finnish and English have a considerably different grammar, phonology and phonotactics, discouraging direct borrowing. English loan words in Finnish slang include for example pleikkari "PlayStation", hodari "hot dog", and hedari "headache", "headshot" or "headbutt". Often these loanwords are distinctly identified as slang or jargon, rarely being used in a negative mood or in formal language. Since English and Finnish grammar, pronunciation and phonetics differ considerably, most loan words are inevitably sooner or later calqued â translated into native Finnish â retaining the semantic meaning.
Some modern terms have been synthesised rather than borrowed, for example:
:puhelin "telephone" (literally: "chatter" + instrument suffix "-in" to make "an instrument for chattering")
:tietokone "computer" (literally: "knowledge machine")
:levyke "diskette" (from levy "disc" + a diminutive -ke)
:sähköposti "email" (literally: "electrical mail")
:linja-auto "bus" (literally: route-car)
Neologisms are actively generated by the Language Planning Office and the media. They are widely adopted. One would actually give an old-fashioned or rustic impression using forms such as telefooni or kompuutteri when the neologism is widely adopted.
The first page of Abckiria (1543), the first book written in the Finnish language. The spelling of Finnish in the book had many inconsistencies: for example, the k sound could be represented by c, k or even g; the long u and the long i were represented by w and ij respectively, and ä was represented by e.
Finnish is written with the Swedish variant of the Latin alphabet that includes the distinct characters à and Ã, and also several characters not used in Finnish (including for example C, Q, Ã
). The Finnish orthography built upon the phoneme principle: each phoneme (meaningful sound) of the language is represented by exactly one grapheme (independent letter), and each grapheme represents almost exactly one phoneme. This makes the language easy for its speakers to spell, and facilitates learning to read and write. The rule of thumb for Finnish orthography is: write as you read, read as you write. However, morphemes retain their spelling despite sandhi.
Some orthographical notes:
*Long vowels and consonants are represented by double occurrences of the relevant graphemes. This causes no confusion, and permits these sounds to be written without having to nearly double the size of the alphabet to accommodate separate graphemes for long sounds.
*The grapheme h occurring before a consonant sounds slightly harder (initially breathy voiced, then voiceless) than when occurring before a vowel.
*Sandhi is not transcribed; the spelling of morphemes is immutable, e.g. tulen+pa .
*Some consonants (v, j, d) and all consonants occurring in (always medial) clusters do not have distinctive length, and consequently, their allophonic variation is not indicated in spelling, e.g. rajaan /rajaan/ (I limit) vs. raijaan /raijjaan/ (I haul).
*Pre-1900s texts and personal names use w for v. Both correspond to the same phoneme, the labiodental approximant , a v without the fricative ("hissing") quality of the English v.
*The letters ä [æ] and ö [ø], although written as umlauted a and o, do not represent phonological umlauts, and they are considered independent graphemes; the letter shapes have been copied from Swedish. An appropriate parallel from the Latin alphabet are the characters C and G (uppercase), which historically have a closer kinship than many other characters (G is a derivation of C) but are considered distinct letters, and changing one for the other will change meanings.
Although Finnish is almost completely written as it is spoken, there are a few differences:
* The n in nk is a velar nasal, as in English. As an exception to the phonetic principle, there is no g in ng, which is a long velar nasal as in English singalong.
* The gemination between words is not marked in writing.
* The double consonant in clitic is marked as a single consonant.
* Only comparative and superlative adjectives the letter m is used like in speech in word like parempi, but in other similar cases the letter n is used, like in onpa
* The /j/ after the letter i is very weak or there is no /j/ at all, but in writing it is used, example: urheilija. Indeed the j is not used in writing words with consonant gradation (like aion and some other (like läksiäiset))
* In speech there is no difference between the use of /i/ in words (like ajoittaa, but ehdottaa, but in writing there are quite simple rules: The i is written in words that consist two syllables and end in a or ä (sanoittaa), and in words that are old-stylish (innoittaa). The i is not written in words that consist two syllables and end in o or ö like (erottaa), words which do not have clear proto-word (hajottaa), and in words that are descriptive (häämöttää) or workaday by their style (rehottaa)
Graphemes ä and ö are sometimes converted in two ways, a and o, respectively and, ae and oe respectively. Finnish graphemes ä and ö are not umlauts like in German; conversion to ae and oe in Finnish language is less correct than in German language. Conversion to a and o is more common and almost universally used in email-addresses. Conversion ae and oe is rare but formally used in passports and equivalent situations. both conversion rules have minimal pairs.
The sounds š and ž are not a part of Finnish language itself and have been introduced somewhat artificially by a government regulation. Although they occur in some rare loanwords, their principal use is in the transcription of foreign names. For technical reasons or convenience, the graphemes sh and zh are often used in quickly or less carefully written texts instead of š and ž. This is a deviation from the phonetic principle, and as such is liable to cause confusion, but the damage is minimal as the transcribed words are foreign in any case. Finnish does not use the sounds z, š or ž, but for the sake of exactitude, they can be included in spelling. (The recommendation cites the Russian play Hovanshtshina as an example.) Many speakers pronounce all of them s, or distinguish only between s and š, because Finnish has no voiced sibilants.
The language may be identified by its distinctive lack of the letters b, c, f, q, w, x, z and å.
Väinö Linna: The Unknown Soldier; these words were also inscribed in the 20 mk note.
(Translation: "The benevolent sun watched them. By no means was it angry at them. Perhaps it even felt a kind of compassion towards them. Jolly good brothers.")
Sample sound of "Hyvää huomenta"
*(Hyvää) huomenta â Good morning
*(Hyvää) päivää â Good afternoon (literally "Good day")
*(Hyvää) iltapäivää â Good afternoon
*(Hyvää) iltaa â Good evening
*(Hyvää) yötä / Ãitä â Good night
*Terve! / Moro! â Hello!
*Hei! / Moi! â Hi!
*Heippa! / Moikka! / Hei hei! / Moi moi! â Bye!
*Nähdään â See you later (literally "will be seen")
*Näkemi(si)in / Hyvästi â Goodbye
*Hauska tutustua! â Nice to meet you
*Kiitos â Thank you
*Kiitos, samoin â Likewise
*Mitä kuuluu? â How are you / How you doing? (Not used among strangers.) (literally "What is heard?")
*Kiitos hyvää â I'm fine, thank you
*Tervetuloa! â Welcome!
Tietosanakirja, 11 volumes, 1909-1922, Finnish encyclopedia.
* kyllä â yes
* joo â yes (informal)
* ei â no
* en â I will not / I do not
* minä, sinä, hän(se) â I, you, he/she(it)
* me, te, he(ne) â we, you (two or more), they
* (minä) olen â I am
* (sinä) olet â you are
* (minä) en ole - I am not
* (sinä) et ole - You are not
* yksi, kaksi, kolme â one, two, three
* neljä, viisi, kuusi â four, five, six
* seitsemän, kahdeksan â seven, eight
* yhdeksän, kymmenen â nine, ten
* yksitoista, kaksitoista, kolmetoista â eleven, twelve, thirteen
* sata, tuhat, miljoona â hundred, thousand, million
* (minä) rakastan sinua â I love you
* anteeksi â forgive me, excuse me, sorry
* voitko auttaa â can you help
* apua! - help!
* voisit(te)ko auttaa â could you help
* missä on ... ? â where is ...?
* olen pahoillani â I'm sorry (apology)
* otan osaa â My condolences
* onnea â good luck
* totta kai/tietysti/toki â of course
* pieni hetki, pikku hetki, hetkinen â one moment please!
* odota â wait
* Suomi â Finland
* suomi/suomen kieli â Finnish language
* suomalainen â (noun) Finn; (adjective) Finnish
* En ymmärrä â I don't understand
* (Minä) ymmärrän â I understand
* ¹Ymmärrät(te)kö suomea? â Do you understand Finnish?
* ¹Puhut(te)ko englantia? â Do you speak English?
* Olen englantilainen / amerikkalainen / kanadalainen / australialainen / uusiseelantilainen / irlantilainen / skotlantilainen / walesilainen / ranskalainen / saksalainen / kiinalainen / japanilainen â I am English / American / Canadian / Australian / New Zealander / Irish / Scottish / Welsh / French / German / Chinese / Japanese
* ¹Olet(te)ko englantilainen? â Are you English?
* Missä (sinä) asut/¹Missä (te) asutte? â Where do you live?
¹ -te is added to make the sentence formal (T-V distinction). Otherwise, without the added "-te", it is informal. It is also added when talking to more than one person. The transition from second-person singular to second-person plural (teitittely) is a politeness pattern, advised by many "good manners guides". Elderly people, especially, expect it from strangers, whereas the younger might feel it to be too formal to the point of coldness. However, a learner of the language should not be excessively concerned about it. Omitting it is never offensive, but one should keep in mind that on formal occasions this custom may make a good impression.
* Finnish alphabet
* Finnish grammar
* Spoken Finnish
* Finland's language strife
* Karelian language
* Estonian language
* Finnish name
* Finnish cultural and academic institutes
* Finnish language on Ethnologue
* The Finnish language --- a list of resources
* Lexicon of Early Indo-European Loanwords Preserved in Finnish
* Proto-Uralic to Finnish (in IPA mostly migrated from X-SAMPA)
* English-Finnish-English Dictionary
* Collection of Finnish bilingual dictionaries
* Finnish Etymological Dictionary by Andras Rajki
* English-Finnish and Russian-Finnish Dictionary
* English-Finnish vocabulary quizzes
* The 2 253 possible forms of the Finnish noun kauppa 'shop'
* Discussion about the Finnish Language
To Do
This section lists the topics which need to be written or expanded (there are headings for all of these):
* This page:
** History: The history of the language, especially its written form and its official status
** Derivative suffixes
** External links
* Grammar page:
** Illative formation
** Noun plurals
** Noun stem types
** Adjectives, including comparison
** Postpositions and prepositions
** 5th infinitive
** Imperfect indicative for typeV and VI verbs
** Present participles, active and passive
** Past participle, passive
** Agent participle
** Passive, 2nd person imperatives
** 3rd person imperatives
** 1st person plural imperatives
** Ordinal numbers
** Names of numbers
* Spoken language page:
**important regional variations
-->
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.