Course language

"Learning the language will help you find a job. Learning the language will help you understand the culture. Learning the language will help you make friends. Learning the language, learning the language, learning the language…" Immigrants arriving in Finland are forcibly encouraged to learn Finnish so that their integration into society is efficient and painless, but how effective are the language courses that they choose?

Upon arriving in Finland and over the years that follow, immigrants can enrol on a number of different courses offering them the chance to further and improve their Finnish. Unemployed immigrants are automatically enrolled on language courses arranged by the Employment Office, others choose the University of Helsinki, some have personal tutors and there are many more from which to select, but either way they all become students again.

Whether the immigrant wants to learn the language or not, they may find themselves in a classroom with twenty other adults, each of whom has not been in a learning environment for at least a decade. When the teacher arrives and starts handing out homework and tests to student/parents/grandparents, the feeling of being back at school can become awkward and unnerving.

Having completed three languages courses myself, my own experiences were just as mixed as anybody else had. I found myself doing art classes, painting and drawing, because it was part of the course; it didn't teach me any Finnish, but my wife had something pretty to stick to the fridge. Many of the other extracurricular attempts were misguided and plain stupid, such as field trips to the middle of wintry nowhere, but it was positive that the teachers tried something new.

Age is a key factor in learning a new language, since the younger students are able to retain new information easier and are more likely to have the courage to practice their newfound skills overcoming any embarrassing mistakes, such as confusing the words for women's stockings and thermal underwear. However, age is not always the case since it also depends upon the student's willingness to participate and the method of teaching.

One of the most common complaints about the way Finnish is taught on courses is the obsessive focus upon grammar compared to vocabulary. "Some incorrect grammar here and there won't change the sentence too much, but not knowing a word does," believes Phil Schwarzmann, a 26-year-old American, "The grammar will be much, much easier once you know vocabulary and can use the grammar in sentences."

Phil has completed a number of courses and now has a tutor at work, who teaches him whatever he wants, "I concentrate on speaking and listening, while grammar is everything on the university courses." Kevin Mitchell, a 29-year-old Englishman, adds that there is too much writing and too much time spent sitting in a classroom, "A lot of what the teacher explains is not needed in everyday life, such as advanced grammar that is only used in Finnish writing, plus they teach it all in Finnish."

Many language courses fail to cover the topic of swear words and other daily slang that Finns use in conversation. We spent a whole day learning about the verb 'panna', but it wasn't until I was practising at home with my wife that I later learnt it didn't only mean 'to put'. Language courses teach a language, but they don't teach the language that Finns actually speak. For example, it took a long time to realise that very few Finns say 'minun nimeni', they shorten it to 'mun nime' - far simpler, but nobody ever taught me that.

Another criticism of language courses is the fact that they are purely taught in Finnish. "It's a million times easier to learn Finnish with the help of the English language," states Phil. "The University of Helsinki would offer lessons in English, but they need to cater to everyone, even non-English speakers, but I have only been in a class once where someone did not speak any English. You can't learn Finnish in Finnish when you don't know a damn thing about Finnish!"

Language course teachers often state that they are just following the course guide or curriculum set out for them, so they have to teach the redundant grammar in order for the students to pass the written exam, but they have to cover all the necessary points within the course duration because of this final exam. "They need to teach a bit slower," says Kevin, "Sometimes the teacher speaks too quickly and we can't understand anything, especially when you are doing a basic course and know nothing; that can be a problem."

Many of the students who have completed more than one course state that more speaking practice in the classroom would have been more beneficial, plus using the language outside of the classroom is essential. Tony Watts, a 26-year-old Brit, has lived in Finland for the last two years, "During that time my Finnish has improved the most. You have to use it, learning it from a book or even in a class isn't the same as actually using it."
One of the courses that Kevin attended included a month's work experience, which he encourages people to opt for, "You'll learn more useful spoken Finnish and it is very good practice," and he is not alone in his appraisal. Speaking Finnish in everyday life seems to be the key to developing your skills, since many of the courses falter in this area. Both Tony and David Cord, a 33-year-old American, believe that there should be more conversation-based courses on offer for those wanting to learn Finnish.

There are difficulties when testing the skills learnt on a language course in public, "The problem I usually face is the pronunciation, it can be complicated, which can then cause a misunderstanding with the person whom I am talking to. Sometimes it is also difficult if somebody realises I am English, then they'll want to try to speak English to me, which doesn't help when I am trying to practise speaking Finnish to them."

Many of the language courses try to teach Finnish to immigrants as though it was a high school class and this can be patronising to a group of adults. The texts in the books can be childish and boring, but Phil suggests that more effort should be put into making them more interesting, "Try to find something that interests you that you want to read, such as a Finnish newspaper, magazine or comic - you need to want to read something."

Ann Dee, a 26-year-old Indian, and Justin Titus, a 26-year-old American, are both on their first language course. Ann has started a three month two days a week class at the University Of Helsinki and is confident that it will help her communicate better, "It will help us know what is going on around us as everything here is in the local language." Justin's course is far more intensive, "This class is a six month course and is five days a week, seven hours a day; it is just Basic Finnish."

The purpose of Justin's course is to help him integrate into the Finnish community, "When I first moved here I found it difficult just to go shopping. In your home country, we take for granted how important communication and understanding is needed for the very basic parts of life." The realisation for better language skills comes when you receive the first electricity bill in Finnish, visit the doctor, attend your child's school play or read an instruction manual, as Justin said, "We take communication for granted."

Most Finnish language courses are based upon the 'level system'. For example, beginners are classed at Level 1 and the Employment Office believes that Level 3 is good enough to find a job, although some students consider the system flawed. "The system reflects my written Finnish, but not my spoken Finnish. I am meant to have level three written Finnish but I don't think that my spoken level is that high. I think there should be a change in the way that they grade you; they should maybe do an oral test as well as a written test. It would give a better overall picture of your level."

Despite the many criticisms of the language courses, everybody felt that learning Finnish would improve their chances of finding employment and integrating fully into the society, "You'll constantly be a visitor in a strange land if you don't learn it," states Phil.

Even though Finnish is classed as one of the hardest languages to master, with 2,253 possible forms of the Finnish noun 'kauppa', and experts saying that it will vanish by 2050, in the end learning a language is merely about commitment and realising that you have to use your butt muscles and study, which is what many immigrants are doing. On the other hand, it is strange that immigrants are not offered the chance to learn Finland's other official language, Swedish, which seems to be easier to learn, especially for the German speakers.