Fundamentaalisiin

Fundamentaalisiin is a grammatical form in Finnish, the illative plural of the adjective fundamentaalinen, meaning “to fundamental” or “into fundamental.” It is used when directing attention or action toward fundamental aspects, ideas, or questions, and appears mainly in formal or analytical writing.

In Finnish, adjectives agree with the nouns they modify in number and case. The illative plural suffix -iin signals movement toward or into something in the plural. Therefore fundamentaalisiin appears in phrases where a plural noun in the illative case is implied, such as fundamentaalisiin kysymyksiin (into fundamental questions) or fundamentaalisiin periaatteisiin (into fundamental principles). On its own, the form is not a complete phrase; it must accompany a noun.

Etymology: fundamentaalinen derives from fundamentti (foundation), which in turn traces back to the Latin fundamentum. The word spread into Finnish via contact with other European languages, notably through German and Swedish loanwords that influenced the Finnish vocabulary for foundational concepts.

Usage notes: Fundamentaalisiin is most common in academic, philosophical, or critical discourse where speakers discuss foundational or essential elements. It is one of several forms of fundamentaalinen; the base form is used for attributive or predicative purposes, while fundamentaalisiin specifically marks the illative plural, pointing toward fundamental aspects in plural nouns.

See also: fundamentaalinen, fundamentti, illatiivi.

Example usage: Tutkimus käsittelee fundamentaalisiin kysymyksiin kohdistuvia oletuksia, eli kysymyksiä, jotka määrittelevät tutkimuksen perustan.