# höyhen / sulka



## Gavril

According to wiktionary, _höyhen _simply means "feather", but _sulka _means 

"stiff feather in a bird's wings and tail"

Would you say that this is accurate? Here are some phrases for you to evaluate:

_keinotekoinen höyhen / sulka_

_hatara* höyhen / sulka_

_huomasin kallioon veistetyn höyhenemäisen / sulkamaisen kaavan

höyhen / sulka savua nousi junan savupiipusta_

Kiitos


*Käytän sanaa _hatara_ sanan _jäykkä_ vastakohtana -- sopiiko _hatara _tähän merkitykseen?


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## Grumpy Old Man

"According to wiktionary, _höyhen _simply means "feather", but _sulka _means 

"stiff feather in a bird's wings and tail"

Would you say that this is accurate?" - Yes.

"_keinotekoinen höyhen / sulka"  _OK.

"_hatara* höyhen / sulka"
Hatara_ isn't the right word here. A structure can be _hatara_, for example _hatara silta_ would be bridge that may collapse under heavy traffic. The opposite of _jäykkä_ could be _taipuisa_, but I'm inclined to think that _höyhen_ is automatically not rigid at all and thus an attribute such as _taipuisa_ seems superfluous. It could be used before _sulka_, though.

"_huomasin kallioon veistetyn höyhenemäisen / sulkamaisen kaavan"
Höynen*e*mäinen_ is wrong; _höyhenmäinen_ or _höyhenen kaltainen/näköinen_ would be correct. I think you sentence is based upon English words. It is of course possible to have a_ kaava_  inscribed in a rock, but since kaava translates as_ formula_ into English, I think you have a_ pattern _in mind. _Kaava_ is good for physics. _Pattern_ is _kuvio_ in Finnish. _Veistää_ is wrong here. You use a knife for _veistäminen_ and a soft enough material for that is usually wood. My suggestion:_ Huomasin kallioon hakatun sulkamaisen kuvion._ Or: _Huomasin, että kallioon oli hakattu sulkamainen kuvio._

"_höyhen / sulka savua nousi junan savupiipusta"
_Without the first word the sentence is perfect; I might omit _savu_ in _savupiipusta,_ though. I don't understand at all what purpose _höyhen / sulka_ serves at the beginning. It certainly doesn't make any kind of sense at all.

GOM


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## 880320

Grumpy Old Man said:


> "_höyhen / sulka savua nousi junan savupiipusta"
> _Without the first word the sentence is perfect; I might omit _savu_ in _savupiipusta,_ though. I don't understand at all what purpose _höyhen / sulka_ serves at the beginning. It certainly doesn't make any kind of sense at all.


This must be "plume of smoke" or "smoke plume" in English. (You can search http://railpictures.net/ for "plume" so you get the idea -- read the descriptions associated with the photos.) I don't know of a particularly good translation for "plume of smoke"; however, "savupilvi" would be an approximate one.


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## Gavril

880320 said:


> This must be "plume of smoke" or "smoke plume" in English. (You can search http://railpictures.net/ for "plume" so you get the idea -- read the descriptions associated with the photos.) I don't know of a particularly good translation for "plume of smoke"; however, "savupilvi" would be an approximate one.



"Plume of smoke" is exactly what I meant. According to the WSOY dictionary, this term is translated _savupatsas _("smoke column") -- does that sound accurate?

If you were to metaphorically compare a plume of smoke to a feather in Finnish, would you say _höyhenmainen savu(patsas)_, or _sulkamainen savu(patsas)_? (Or, perhaps _höyhenmuotoinen_ etc. would be better?)


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## 880320

Gavril said:


> "Plume of smoke" is exactly what I meant. According to the WSOY dictionary, this term is translated _savupatsas _("smoke column") -- does that sound accurate?
> 
> If you were to metaphorically compare a plume of smoke to a feather in Finnish, would you say _höyhenmainen savu(patsas)_, or _sulkamainen savu(patsas)_? (Or, perhaps _höyhenmuotoinen_ etc. would be better?)


"Savupatsas" does indeed sound quite accurate. The adjectives "höyhenmäinen" and "höyhenenmuotoinen", even "sulkamainen", could well be used to describe a "savupatsas" or "savu" as you've suggested. I don't see much of a difference between "höyhenmäinen" and "höyhenenmuotoinen"; however, "höyhenenmuotoinen" only refers to the shape of a feather while "höyhenmäinen" can in principle refer to any of its properties.


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