r/AskEurope • u/ATWK01 Portugal • 28d ago

Misc What is the chip on your country's shoulder?

A.K.A. the thing that people are still sensitive or insecure about, or feel the need to correct or overcome. A historical grievance, an ongoing issue, a cultural stereotype, etc.

For Portugal, it would be how irrelevant we are compared to the 16th century, or the fact that everyone confuses us with Spaniards or Brazilians. (Though it’s not as intense now that we’ve become a popular tourist hotspot.)

164 Upvotes

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245

u/bullet_bitten Finland 27d ago

We are Nordic, not Scandinavian.

And it's pronounced sauna, not sawwwna.

Perkele. Grumpy greetings from Finland.

61

u/Minnielle in 27d ago

Finns also really want to feel important so they're very proud if Finland gets mentioned anywhere. Even if an American celebrity wears something from Finland, that gets reported in the Finnish media.

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u/disneyvillain Finland 27d ago

Whenever Finland gets some coverage in international media, you can bet that a few days later Finnish media will run meta-articles about how the world covered the story. It's a bit embarrassing really.

Finland was mentioned on the BBC? Holy shit, stop the presses, all hands on deck, red alert

3

u/Which-Echidna-7867 Hungary 24d ago

We do the same :D And if a celebrity with arguably distant hungarian origins comes to the country, they’ll do interviews with them, force them to say a few hungarian words, etc. Really cringe.

20

u/Milosz0pl Poland 27d ago

same in Poland with Poland

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u/BowtiedGypsy 27d ago

How is it pronounced?

25

u/NikNakskes Finland 27d ago

Sau-na. Sau like in Saudi.

14

u/carlosdsf Frantuguês 27d ago edited 27d ago

So if I pronounce it according yo spanish pronunciation rules, it's mostly OK (the stress would be on the first a).

edit: https://fr.forvo.com/word/sauna/

OK, portuguese- and spanish-speakers would be fine.

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u/NikNakskes Finland 26d ago

Yes. That link was cool! But not French. Of course not... it wouldn't be french if it would come even close to being pronounced like it is written. Hehehe. Sorry. Don't throw croissants at me in revenge.

2

u/carlosdsf Frantuguês 26d ago

French sees "au" and read s it as "o".

3

u/zeviea United Kingdom 25d ago

They also have unpronounced letters coming out the oiseaux

(Okay that joke doesn't quite work)

2

u/carlosdsf Frantuguês 25d ago

I find it funny.

1

u/sherlock0109 Germany 25d ago

Okay nice we say it pretty much the same in Germany :D

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u/rudolf_waldheim Hungary 27d ago

At least we get that right.

11

u/amanset British and naturalised Swede 27d ago

In Finnish. Yes.

4

u/NikNakskes Finland 26d ago

Well yes. I suppose that was what he wanted to know.

5

u/CaptainPoset Germany 27d ago

so like the Americans' "sodee arabia"-pronunciation?

Probably better to describe it with the "ow" out of "now".

8

u/NikNakskes Finland 26d ago

Yeah... I realised that a little too late. Because duh it is the same letter group, so whoever says sooh-nah probably also says soodi. Oh well.

2

u/can-t_change_it 26d ago

Saudi is pronounced Saw-dee. 🤭

To help people who only speak English pronounce sauna properly, you should break it down as sow-nuh (sow as in "female pig", not as "to plant seeds") 😃

1

u/NikNakskes Finland 25d ago

Sow is a good one! And I'm gonna remember it for the next time I need it. If I ever need it.

I was combing through my brain for the right sound and all that came up was this Saudi Arabia commercial. The very last word of it to be precise. https://youtu.be/kDqTPT1SQbU?si=wpVpqwu3dI9hALJm

Yeah... well. Never mind. I'm gonna remember sow. That works a lot better than a random tv ad for a foreign nation that has its name pronounced differently already just in english.

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u/BowtiedGypsy 27d ago

What in the world, are you serious??? Iv never heard this hahaha

1

u/NikNakskes Finland 26d ago

:) yep. Sa-ow---nah. Kinda. It's hard to try and pick a phonetic option from english. But go ahead if you say sooh-nah. That's how you guys over there pronounce it, and that's fine too. It is your language.

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u/Toby_Forrester Finland 26d ago

Sau almost like in Sauron. Na almost like in Nazi. Sau-na.

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u/white1984 United Kingdom 27d ago

/ˈsɑu̯nɑ/, but if your an English speaker /ˈsaʊ.nə/ as in the middle sound is 'ow' in cow, not 'or' in Lorna

5

u/Mercy--Main EU - Spain - Madrid 27d ago

thing is, English speakers really don't pronounce "au", but more like "sowna"

6

u/BowtiedGypsy 27d ago

Saw (like chainsaw)

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u/Mercy--Main EU - Spain - Madrid 27d ago

that's what i said

4

u/BowtiedGypsy 27d ago

Sowna = downa Sow = soe

Sawna = sauna

2

u/sjintje United Kingdom 27d ago

I think he said sownaaa

5

u/thanatica Netherlands 27d ago

We have always pronounced it like that, simply because that's how we would naturally pronounce it, when written like that.

1

u/Q_159 24d ago

Interesting, in German you are "Skandinavien". Is Scandinavian something else, like comparing Great Britain/England/United Kingdom?

5

u/bullet_bitten Finland 24d ago

Scandinavia is first and foremost a linguistic and geographical entity, which Finland and Iceland are not a part of. Instead with Sweden, Norway and Denmark we five are Nordic. The three are Scandinavian, we five are Nordic.

It's kind of like saying to an Irishman they're British. Which is wrong. Or to a Scot they're English. Which is also wrong.