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That's 'Sir James Cathey': UMass prof honored by Finland
BY PHYLLIS LEHRER STAFF WRITER

Daily Hampshire Gazette

[ Originally published on: Tuesday, May 29, 2007 ]

AMHERST - A career in an uncommon language deserves a unique award, and James Cathey has both.

Cathey, who teaches Finnish at the University of Massachusetts, was recognized for his contribution to the language and culture of Finland with the Order of the White Rose, knight first class, from the Finnish government.

The order was presented recently by the New York consul general, who holds ambassadorial rank at the UMass chancellor's residence.

The medal features an etched rose in the center of a white enamel cross separated by gold filigree. The medal hangs from a blue silk ribbon that features a rosette.

Cathey is modest about the honor, which has only been presented to three others in the country.

For 'longevity'

"I think it's a longevity award. I've been teaching Finnish for 30 years," said Cathey, who joined the UMass faculty in 1967, his first teaching post.

Sitting in his Herter Hall office with Finnish posters prominent on the walls, shelves crammed with Scandinavian texts, including his own works, Cathey spoke of his interest in language and Finnish in particular.

However, he didn't start with languages, but rather chemistry. He earned a degree from Oregon State.

"The more I studied chemistry, the less interested I was in the nuts and bolts. I didn't want to stand in a lab. I liked linguistics," said Cathey, who lives in Pelham with his wife, Sigrit Schutz. The couple have two grown daughters, Christina and Anja.

"I come from a German American background. My relatives spoke German. I was interested in German language, it's history and how it diverged," he said. That led to a master's in German from the University of Washington at Seattle.

Languages galore

But he didn't stop there. He learned Swedish, then Icelandic. He reasoned if he could read Swedish, he could do Danish and Norwegian. He earned a doctorate in Scandinavian languages from the University of Washington. When he joined UMass, he taught Swedish and Icelandic sagas.

The interest in Finnish began when a UMass colleague offered a class in 1969. He enrolled.

"I was interested in the language and kept doing it."

He then traveled to Finland and took courses in Iinguistics.

"I said, 'I could teach this,' and offered a course. The best way to learn is to teach," said Cathey. UMass is only one of 11 universities in the country that offer Finnish.

The Finnish language has a lot of roots never seen before, he said. The structure of the language is different. It takes a different mind set and but it could be could learned, said Cathey, who has written four books, numerous articles and reviews and is a member of professional societies.

Enrollment is "modest" in his classes. He said he has taught several hundred students over the years. A few students enroll because of Finnish relatives, while others are interested.

"Many students went to live in Finland," said Cathey, who has also taught at Harvard and Yale universities.

Those students who traveled there joined 5 million Finnish speakers, he said. The Danish and Norwegian languages have 4 million speakers each, and 279,000 people speak Icelandic.

Finns came to the United States, with many settling in Michigan to work in iron mines. Others settled in Massachusetts, in Rockport and Fitchburg.

The Finns translate everything into their native language, he said. They are extremely gifted in languages, according to Cathey. The educated Finns all learn English. A major concern is that they, as well as the Danes, Swedes and Norwegians, only speak their respective languages in their own country.

"If they want to get out, they have to learn another language," he said.

Besides the language, Cathey is well versed in history and culture. Finland was part of Sweden until 1809, which led to national awakening of the language.

Beside teaching, Cathey has served as resident director of the university's program with nine German institutions.

His work took him to Germany on four separate occasions, spending a year each time.

He said he will retire after next year.

Cathey spoke of the importance of learning languages.

"People in the United States are aware of the need for language but don't do it; they are not serious. They assume everyone speaks English. We need to start early. Americans think they can pick up any language, but you have to study and learn a language. You can learn, 'Where is the train station?' but you don't know the answer."