Ilmauksena

Ilmauksena is a Finnish grammatical form meaning “as an expression” or “in the form of an expression.” It is derived from the noun ilmaus, which means expression or phrase, and the suffix -na, which in Finnish often marks a role or manner. The result is a way to indicate that something is presented or described in a particular expression or formulation rather than in plain prose.

Usage and function

Ilmauksena is used primarily in linguistic, mathematical, or formal writing to specify how something is expressed or represented. It signals paraphrase or representation of content in a defined form. In practice, it is placed after the entity being described: for example, “lause voidaan esittää ilmauksena 2x + 3y” means that the sentence can be presented as the expression 2x + 3y. It is often found in academic or analytical contexts where exact formulation matters.

Relation to related terms

The term is closely related to ilmaus (expression) and lauseke (mathematical expression). It contrasts with more general phrasing such as “sanottu,” “muodostettu,” or “muodossa,” by emphasizing the formal expression used to convey a concept. In many cases, ilmauksena serves a similar function to English “expressed as” or “in the form of” in technical statements.

See also

Ilmaus, lauseke, muoto. These terms cover expression, mathematical expressions, and form, which are commonly encountered alongside ilmauksena in Finnish texts.

References

Syntactic and mathematical discussions in Finnish dictionaries and grammar references describe ilmauksena as a formal way to indicate representation in a specified expression.