Edustajain

Edustajain is a historical or stylistic Finnish form, serving as the genitive plural of the noun edustaja (representative or delegate). It literally means “of the representatives” and is found in older texts, ceremonial language, and archival documents. It is not a separate entity or organization.

In contemporary standard Finnish, the genitive plural is edustajien. The form edustajain appears mainly in older orthography and in contexts aiming for a historical or formal tone—often in 19th- and early 20th-century writings, parliamentary records, or translations that preserve older language habits. It may appear in phrases such as edustajain kokouksen pöytäkirjat (the minutes of the representatives’ meeting) or edustajain puolesta (on behalf of the representatives).

Today, edustajain is primarily of linguistic and historical interest. It demonstrates how Finnish orthography and inflection have evolved, reflecting earlier conventions influenced by traditional or Swedish-language punctuation and styling. In modern usage, speakers would generally replace it with edustajien or employ other constructions to convey the same meaning.