Erityismuotiset

Erityismuotiset is a term used in Finnish linguistics to denote forms that do not conform to regular inflectional patterns. In descriptive grammars, the category collects irregular or exceptional inflectional forms whose morphology requires special treatment in paradigms. These forms can appear across word classes, including nouns, adjectives, verbs, pronouns, and numerals, and often arise from stem alternations, suppletion, phonological changes, loanword adaptation, or dialectal and historical developments.

The concept is not universally fixed; different grammars may handle it in different ways. Some descriptions treat erityismuotiset forms as irregular variants within a general paradigm, while others designate them as a separate sub-class. The designation is primarily a tool for explaining irregularities in analysis, documentation, and language teaching, and it is especially relevant in historical linguistics and dialectology.

In practice, erityismuotiset forms are listed or described alongside regular forms in dictionaries and grammars to account for their occurences in actual language use. They help explain phenomena such as non-standard pluralization, irregular verb endings, or altered adjective forms, particularly in older texts or regional varieties.

Notes: the exact inventory of forms labeled erityismuotiset depends on the grammar, dialect, and historical period under study, so there is no single universal list. See also Finnish morphology, irregular inflection, and suppletion.