I don't know why sometimes I get frightened

[venta]

After the recent HD disaster, I bought two new disks. If you're interested, I bought one of these for work and a portable one[*] which can live at home and come into work occasionally to get backed up.

Being a USB HD, it doesn't need much in the way of instructions. The first page is titled "Plug-and-Play Setup for Windows and Mac OS X". Fair enough.

The next page is "Installation Plug & Play pour Windows et Mac", then "Installazione plug & play in Windows e Mac". We go on... "Plug & Play-Einstellung fü Windows und Mac", Insalación plug and play para Windows y Mac", Instalacja plug-and-play w systemach Windows i Mac". You get the general idea. Even the Greek and Russian (which I don't have the inclincation to find all the html entities to type out) include the phrase "plug and play" in Latin characters.

Then we reach Finnish, the notorious problem child of the Scandinavian languages. "Kytke ja käytä -asennus Windows- ja Mac OS X -kättöjärjestelmille.

Just who let that language into Europe anyway ?

[*] Which actually also came from Overclockers, but they now seem to have stopped stocking it.

Comments

[lanfykins.livejournal.com]

I blame the Hungarians.

[uitlander.myopenid.com (from livejournal.com)]

I was about to say something very similar. And might also remind our learned colleague that Finno-Ugric (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finno-Ugric_languages) predates the Indo-European languages... now that she's dabbling in our domain I consider that level of pedantry fair game ;-)

[venta.livejournal.com]

In my defence, one of my colleagues agreed that Finnish's handling of technical terms differently to the rest of Europe is silly and they should just stop it.

And she's Finnish :)

[phlebas.livejournal.com]

You must admit "Kytke ja käytä" has a nice ring to it.

[venta.livejournal.com]

The nicest word was in the Turkish sentence relating to the HD's guarantee. I think "ürününüzü" is some form of the word for "product".

(edited because I cocked up the html first time)

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

ürününüzü

I seem to recall they played at Monsters of Rock back in '88.

[zotz]

That's astounding.

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Would be interesting to see what it is in Basque, the other curiosity isolate European language.

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

(btw I think it's a bit sociopolitically dubious to describe Finland as "Scandinavian", they don't usually much like it.)

[venta.livejournal.com]

Again, I ran that by my colleague and she was fine about it. Maybe she's just an unusually laid back Finn :)

[shrydar.livejournal.com]

My Finnish penfriend was, while happy to strongly recommend I never even attempt to learn his language due to aforementioned linguistic isolation from all bar Hungarian, most adamant about being Fennoscandian rather than Scandinavian.

[ringbark.livejournal.com]

If they don't like it, they shouldn't have the same style of cross on their flag as all the other Nordic countries. (Is "Nordic" OK?)

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

AFAIK Nordic is OK as that's purely a geographical term. But Scandinavian implies a sociocultural entity that many Finns don't want to be considered part of. (I guess because they resent their long years of quailing under Swedish hegemony.)

Flags can be a bit misleading sometimes, eg. one might think that Ireland and the Ivory Coast were closely linked.

[venta.livejournal.com]

I assume the Basque country must be full of techno-literate people who don't need instructions for a plug-and-play hard drive.

However, from the potentially interesting etymology corner: the Danish word for "connect" is "slut". As in:

Slut USB-kablet til disken (Connect USB cable to drive)

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

I guess that must be cognate with our verb "slot". Although whether our "slut" is also related to that, who can say¹.

---

1 Cue wimble and his amazing OED access.

[leathellin.livejournal.com]

Since wimble doesn't seem to be paying attention -

[Of doubtful origin: cf. G. (now dial.) schlutt, schlutte, schlutz, in sense 1. Forms having some resemblance in sound and sense also occur in the Scand. languages, as Da. slatte (? from LG.), Norw. slott, Sw. dial. slåta, but connexion is very doubtful.]

Where sense 1. is slmost the one you'd expect -
1. a. A woman of dirty, slovenly, or untidy habits or appearance; a foul slattern.
b. A kitchen-maid; a drudge. rare.
c. A troublesome or awkward creature. Obs.{em}

and 2 is - 2. a. A woman of a low or loose character; a bold or impudent girl; a hussy, jade.
b. In playful use, or without serious imputation of bad qualities.

Etc. etc. for several more examples none mentioning slots though.
There's
5. Special collocations, as {dag}slut's corner, a corner left uncleaned by a sluttish person; also fig.; slut-, slut's-hole, a place or receptacle for rubbish; also fig.; {dag}slut's-pennies, hard pieces in a loaf due to imperfect kneading of the dough; slut's wool, the fluff or dust left on the floor, etc., by a sluttish servant or person.

But it doesn't sound right.

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

I like slut's-pennies, I shall try and remember that.

[pm215]

Fact: many UK libraries have signed up to a scheme where you get free online access to the OED (from anywhere, not just in-library terminals) by going via an access page and entering your library card number.

(I think this is so fantastic I feel bound to advertise it to people at every opportunity.)

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Mm, Essex is one such. You can join it online from anywhere in the country, but unfortunately you have to physically go there to pick up the card that contains your secret login details. Which I haven't managed to get around to doing yet.

[neilh.livejournal.com]

And slut means stop in Swedish.

...and, at last, I've got somewhere to repeat (somewhat tangentially) a Swedish idea of a Finnish drinking song:

Nu

[ylla.livejournal.com]

Is there Icelandic? They're quite resistant to English borrowings and given to making up new old words for everything.

[venta.livejournal.com]

So are the French, alledgedly :)

No Icelandic, I'm afraid. They're obviously hanging out with the Basques, being ferociously competent.

[(Anonymous)]

What about Welsh - or Gaelic. They have their rights, too.