SAYING SOMETHING
Thank goodness that, in Finnish, there is only one word for both “him” and “her”: It made
the recent visit of Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen a bit more diplomatic.
Recommended Stories
Vanhanen was speaking at the National Press Club on Monday, and, because his English isn’t perfect, he struggled with his remarks at various spots.
But when an audience member asked for his thoughts on the 2008 presidential election, Vanhanen was able to announce his nominee without announcing anything at all.
See, the word for “he” and “she” in Finnish is the same word: hän. So, in Finnish, Vanhanen diplomatically declared that he supports “hän” for president, thereby refusing to give attendees any insight into whether he’s backing the lone female candidate or any of the many men in the race.
Like Finland itself, a very neutral, cool move.
