Researcher of Spanish inspired by Basque language
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By Johanna Kippo in Madrid
The professor gently skims through the small book.
"The conjugation diagram of this auxiliary verb takes up fifty pages of the book", Timo Riiho sighs respectfully.
The topic of the thin manual is the complex grammar of the Basque language. The linguist truly admires its complicated, intricate structures.
"The interesting and captivating quality of Basque is that it seems very archaic. Not primitive in a negative sense, but it is a blast from the prehistoric past of European languages", he explains.
Languages that resembled Basque in their structures were pushed out of the Pyrenees and other parts of Europe, to be replaced by Indo-European languages.
Few Finns in addition to Riiho have stepped into the jungle of the Basque language. Maybe they should, because according to Riiho, when the origins of the Basque language are discussed, the unsubstantiated theory that Finnish and Basque are related is still brought up on occasion.
"Finns receive plenty of sympathy in the Basque country. I have held countless presentations all over the world, but the hospitality has been the most overflowing in the Basque country, up to outright pointlessness", Riiho laughs.
Riiho, who is on a leave of absence from his post as Professor of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Helsinki, is heading the Finnish Institute in Madrid, which concentrates on cultural affairs, for the third year running.
The job is a natural continuation to a fascination with Spain and the rest of the Latin world that began decades ago. His first contact came in the form of pirate novels that Riiho read as a young boy.
"In the books the Spanish were the bad guys and the pirates were the heroes. When I was little I dreamed I would become a pirate captain", Riiho recalls.
Instead of the seas, he acquainted himself with a growing number of languages, Spanish, Portuguese, and French, in addition to Basque. He also understands Catalan, "and then you have the normal English and German and so forth". As recognition for his work, he has received membership in the Spanish Royal Academy.
The institute is an excellent placeto observe how the Spanish and Finnish worlds meet each other. Although Finland’s image in Spain is good, and Finnish traditional and pop music is familiar, Riiho wishes that the image had more angles.
A lifestyle that focuses on enjoyment would naturally still be a much-needed export article to Finland. That particular lifestyle suits a sherry-lover like Riiho well.
The feasting on delicacies has also become a habit for elderly dog Bono, who saunters around the halls of the institute and happily joins Riiho for aperitifs in the nearby bars.
"Bono is already familiar with the routes and knows which bar to direct his steps to depending on what he wants. He gets treats from the tables that are piled high everywhere, starting with mussels."
Riiho feels that Finns should regard Spain as a modern and advanced country.
"I think it is a mistake when people in Finland talk about the Spanish mañanamentality. That things would always be left to wait, and there would never be any hurry. That is simply not true", he exclaims.
"People work hard here. Sometimes it has felt that despite everything, we will simply not succeed in organising some event because everything has been left to the last minute, but then, surprisingly enough, everything falls into place when people improvise."
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 13.4.2004
JOHANNA KIPPO / Helsingin Sanomat
