Kertojalla

Kertojalla is a term encountered in Finnish-language discussions of storytelling and narration. It is formed from the root of the verb kertoa, “to tell,” and the noun kertoja, “narrator,” with the adessive suffix -lla, which can yield a literal sense of “on the narrator” or “by the storyteller.” In standard Finnish, kertojalla is primarily a stylistic or poetic construction rather than a common everyday label.

In linguistic and folkloristic usage, kertojalla can denote the role or position of a storyteller within a narrative or oral tradition. A kertojalla is typically imagined as the person who preserves and transmits communal memory, legends, genealogies, and moral lessons. The storyteller may perform in public gatherings, employ dramatization and audience interaction, and act as a conduit between the community and its past. The exact duties and status of a kertojalla vary across regions and traditions.

In contemporary writing and media, kertojalla is sometimes used as a fictional or metafictional designation. Authors and creators may use the term to signal a narrator whose perspective, reliability, or agenda shapes the story. In such contexts, kertojalla functions as a narrative device that foregrounds the act of telling itself, rather than merely reporting events.

Related terms include kertoja (narrator), kertomus (story), and kerronta (narration). The concept of kertojalla remains relatively specialized, appearing mainly in literary analysis, folklore studies, and Finnish-language creative works rather than as a standard category in everyday language.