Diskurssiin

Diskurssiin is the illative singular form of the Finnish noun diskurssi, meaning discourse. In Finnish grammar, the illative marks direction into a destination or into a figurative space. Consequently, diskurssiin is used to indicate moving into or engaging with a discourse, or to refer to a particular discourse as a field of study or discussion. The term is common in academic Finnish and in analyses of communication, rhetoric, and social theory, where researchers refer to political discourse, media discourse, scientific discourse, and similar conceptions.

Grammar and forms: Diskurssi is a loanword from Latin discursus; the illative form is formed with the suffix -iin, yielding diskurssiin. Related forms include diskurssin (genitive), diskurssia (partitive), diskurssissa (inessive), diskurssiin (illative), diskurssista (elative). The illative can be used in combinations like "diskurssiin liittyvä" (related to the discourse) or "diskurssiin syventynyt" (engaged with the discourse).

Semantic note: The concept functions both literally as a spatial metaphor and figuratively as a field or regime of talk, norms, and practices that shape knowledge and power relations. In disciplines such as linguistics, sociology, and cultural studies, the phrase "into the discourse" signals analysis of how statements, arguments, and meanings are produced within particular discourses and how boundaries between discourses are drawn.

See also: discourse analysis; discursive turn; discursive psychology; linguistic pragmatics.