English piles little words in front: in the house, to the house, out of the house. Some languages skip those little words and stick the job on the tail of the noun instead.
Today we hunt for tails: endings that do the work of words like in, to and out of.
One clear tail set (Finnish):
| Form | What it means | What does the ending? |
|---|---|---|
| talo | house | base word (no ending job) |
| talossa | in the house | ending does the job of in |
| taloon | into the house | ending does the job of into |
| talosta | out of the house | ending does the job of out of |
Same stem, different tails. No separate little word needed. Keep this table in mind all lesson: it is the proof that endings can do the work.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Spot when a language works by changing word endings
- Listen carefully for where spoken words finish
- Decide which feels easier: extra little words, or extra endings
Flip the pet cards and listen across the languages. Your only job is to notice where each spoken word finishes (a short clean end, or a longer finish).
These pet cards are different dictionary words for the same animals. They are not the same tail trick as talo / talossa / taloon on the board. The board is the ending proof; the cards are ear training.
Four short clips. Listen all the way to the finish of each word. When a word ends, put your finger up. Then guess which language you heard.
Open your copy. Copy this board model carefully. Write each form and the plain-English job of the ending (or "base word" if there is no ending job yet).
| Form | Job of the ending |
|---|---|
| talo | base word: house |
| talossa | means in the house |
| taloon | means into the house |
Optional stretch if you finish early: invent one silly English "tail" on house (for fun only) and write what you pretend it means.
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