--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Brian M. Scott" <BMScott@...>
wrote:
> At 8:29:28 PM on Saturday, May 10, 2003, Peter P wrote:
>
> >>> And Nokia? Well, that is easy. If you are at Nokia´s
> >>> payroll, you must say that "olen Nokialla", of course.
>
> > If I were there I would say 'in Nokia's payroll' as I do
> > in English
>
> The normal English idiom is 'on Nokia's payroll'. You can
> also say 'in Nokia's pay', though this sounds a little
> old-fashioned.
>
> Brian
A Finn might say `olen Nokialla töissä' or 'olen töissä Nokialla'.
This would translate into, 'I am in the works at Nokia'. In English
(Western Canada) we would probably express this same idea as, `I work
for Nokia', or;
I am employed at Nokia
I am employed by Nokia
I am under contract to Nokia
I am on staff at Nokia
I am in the employ of Nokia
I have employment at Nokia
The bucks come from Nokia
I am in the pay of Nokia
I am on the payroll at Nokia
I am in Nokia's payroll
Nokia employs me
etc.
It would seem that we have some choice in prepositions.
Also I am not sure what the normal English idiom is. There is more
that one version of English including the ones spoken in American
accents, Australian, German, Indian, Canadian, Japanese, Irish and
several in the UK, to mention just a few. Some countries use English
as an official language and are therefore inclined to set some rules
on its usage, presumably for the benefit of the legislators, lawyers,
academics, business people and others who regularly need to
communicate unambiguously. As English evolves and branches more and
more I can foresee ever increasing sets of rules or idioms that
differ from each other.
PeterP