2.22.11 Adam Gets Fired Up

I am glad that you enjoyed it!
OT:
The Finnish language belongs to a different language family altogether and works in a totally different way to form expressions, in conjugation etc. It is not easy to learn because there is no support from your own language. I think only Finnish, Hungarian and Estonian are somewhat widely spoken languages from that family. There are several others in Russia but they are slowly vanishing, unfortunately. You may recognize some words that are loans from other languages, main sources for us have been Swedish and Russian, nowadays English.

Having been isolated in a way with our language we have opted for a wide range of language teaching at school. Everybody learns Swedish and English during their first 9 years at school and has nowadays an option to take a third one. If they continue with the three years before entering university at least one other language is obligatory. Most common additional language are German, Russian and French. For many people to study foreign languages is hard because they are so different but they do learn the basics.

Music is one of the motivators to evoke extra interest in languages. For example, I have come across astonishingly many German people who have started to study Finnish because of famous Finnish metal/hard rock bands. And for Finnish students the interest in music, cinema etc. is a push. Just what is needed to encourage to actually using the language you have learned at school and not be afraid of some mistakes (which is all too common for us).

I can't help but be amused at the workings of radio. I think those that note we of a certain age are simply not the desired demographic of radio in general are quite right....agism, as it pertains to women especially, is the last acceptable prejudice....if there were an official 'social' hierarchy, older women would be right at the bottom. Yet, how much of the dollars spent on music come directly, or indirectly in the form of presents etc, comes from this very demographic!! I would love to see what would happen if mothers, wives and grandmothers stopped purchasing music for their significant recipients and just purchased what THEY wanted for them self and their use only!! We would soon see some changes.

As a side comment....how many of those dj's and pd's are 'older' as well....only with a penis!

sorry...but as a lifelong feminist, I cringe at the denials that gender does not play in all this..and I am not specifically talking of homophobia but of the general degradation of all that is feminine....however that femininity is presented. sigh.

not meaning to post and run...but have to run....shower me with ??? and I will defend myself later! :-)

Cookie, I would love to read this too! I enjoy some occasional mind-numbing academic rambling, lol. (more so with Adam content of course)

LOL. I thought only people who HAD to read mind-numbing academic ramblings ever did so willingly, but I'm happy to share the joy. I've started a list of who wants to see this and I'll get back to you when I have it.