Comparison of Finnish and Estonian Numbers

Finnish and Estonian are both Uralic languages. They belong to the Finnic-Ugric subfamily. The similarity of the two languages is evident in a comparison of the numbers. Here are the numbers from one to ten in the two languages:

yksi üks

kaksi kaks

kolme kolm

neljä neli

viisi viis

kuusi kuus

seitsemän seitse

kahdeksan kaheksa

yhdeksän üheksa

kymmenen kümme

The high front rounded vowel is y in Finnish and ü in Estonian. Many of the Finnish numbers have word-final vowels, but the Estonian numbers for one to six end with consonants. All the Estonian numbers are shorter than the Finnish ones. However, despite the differences, it is clear that the Finnish and Estonian numbers are similar.

Poem (Cicadas Call)

Here is my latest poem, a sonnet. It was inspired by the sound of cicadas in the summer.

Cicadas Call

In days of hot summer cicadas call,

Announcing their presence with constant sound.

They have now awakened and impress all

With their vibrations across sky and ground.

How can such sound come from creatures so small?

How far and wide will their loud call surround?

Their call will only last until they fall,

And after they will no longer be found.

For years they just sleep under roots and rain,

Then they climb up trees towards sky and sun.

They wake from their sleep to share their refrain.

Weeks after they emerge, their work is done.

Although cicada calls fail to remain,

Their summer stay is forgotten by none.

Names of Romanian Cities

Many cities of Romania have separate Romanian and Hungarian names. The reason is that much of Romania used to be part of Hungary. After World War II, much of the former territory of Hungary was given to Romania. Here is a list of ten cities with their Romanian and Hungarian names:

Baia Mare Nagybánya

Bistrița Beszterce

Braşov Brassó

Cluj-Napoca Kolozsvár

Oradea Nagyvárad

Satu Mare Szatmár

Sibiu Nagyszeben

Sighişoara Segesvár

Târgu Mureş Marosvásárhely

Timişoara Temesvár

Many cities in Romania once belonged to Hungary. The Hungarian names of many cities are often quite different from the Romanian ones. This reflects their historical ties to Hungary and the Hungarian language.

German Diminutive Suffix

The German diminutive suffix is -chen. It can be attached to many nouns. The word Fischchen means little fish, Fensterchen means little window and Tischchen means little table. In many cases, however, the base is modified with a change in the vowel. Here are examples:

Baum Bäumchen (tree/little tree)

Blume/Blümchen (flower/little flower)

Brot Brötchen (bread/bread roll)

Glas/ Gläschen (glass/little glass)

Haus/Häuschen (house/little house)

Hund/Hündchen (dog/puppy)

Katz/ Kätzchen (cat/kitten)

Stadt/Städtchen (city/small city)

Vogel/Vögelchen (bird/little bird)

Wurst/Würstchen (sausage/little sausage)

The examples show a vowel change in the base. When the suffix is added, the high back vowel becomes high front, the mid back vowel becomes mid front, and the low central vowel becomes mid front. In all cases, the vowel becomes more advanced after suffixation. Modification of the vowel frequently occurs with the diminutive suffix -chen.