Finnfun

Rating:
Summary: A hillilarious look at Finnishness
Review: Bernhard Hillila's hilarious new book draws on lectures given at FinnFest USA '94 and '96. His lifelong Finnishness and attention to language, not to mention a penchant for puns and the good sense to laugh at himself, put him squarely in the tradition of Finnish-American humor, a tradition unknown only to those poor souls without Finnish relatives or friends. In the first section of the book, Hillila argues that "Finns are Fun Folks," supporting this radical notion with ample anecdotal evidence. In the second section, "Finnish is a Fun Language," Hillila recounts countless pronunciation bloopers caused when Americans try to speak a language that uses more vowels than consonants, or when Finnish speakers try their hand at talking "'merican." The third section, "Finglish is Even More Fun," shows how English has entered the Finnish language, not always through the front door. The book is well-written, informative and full of "funnies" for Finns and non-Finns alike.

Bernhard Hillila is currently professor emeritus of education at Valparaiso University. He has served as a pastor of bilinguial Suomi Synod congregations and was president of Suomi College and Theological Seminary in Hancock, Michigan. He has written numerous volumes of poetry and is author of the Penfield Press title, "The Sauna Is". Hillila was appointed Finnish performer of the year 1997 by the Finlandia Foundation.