Ettälauseella

Ettälauseella is a term that appears in some discussions of Finnish sentence structure. It is formed from the noun ettälause (literally “one-clause sentence”) with the adessive suffix -lla, producing the adverbial form ettälauseella, roughly meaning “in an ettälause way” or “with a single clause.” The term is not part of standard Finnish grammar and has limited attestation outside specialized texts.

Definition: An ettälauseella construction denotes a monoclausal sentence—one that consists of a single finite clause and does not include embedded or coordinated clauses. In practice, it describes a style or analytical label rather than a distinct grammatical category.

Usage: In linguistic analysis, speakers may label a text as ettälauseella when the content is conveyed entirely within one main clause, though modifiers and adjuncts may appear. It is often contrasted with polylause or polysentential structures that involve multiple clauses.

Examples: Finnish examples of monoclausal sentences include “Kävin kaupassa” (I went to the store) and “Lunta satoi” (It was snowing). In ordinary Finnish prose, writers use a mix of mono- and multi-clause sentences, so ettälauseella is mainly a stylistic or analytical label rather than a routine grammatical category.

Relation: The standard Finnish term for such sentences is monoclausal or yksiklauselinen; ettälauseella is a rarely used label found in some niche discussions.

See also: monoclausal, polysentential sentences, Finnish grammar.