Kieltosanana

Kieltosanana is a linguistic term used to describe a word or set of words that negates a proposition or expresses prohibition. In Finnish grammar, the more common term for this concept is kieltosana (singular) or kieltosanat (plural), and kieltosanana is often used informally to refer to the function rather than a specific word. The core idea is that a kieltosana marks the polarity of a clause as negative.

In Finnish, the primary mechanism of negation is the negative particle ei, which forms part of the finite verb phrase. The negation forms attach to the verb and are inflected for person: minä en, sinä et, hän ei, me emme, te ette, he eivät, followed by the main verb in its basic form (e.g., Minä en mene). For prohibitions, Finnish uses the negative imperative form Älä, as in Älä mene (Do not go). These forms illustrate how kieltosanana operates to invert or restrict the truth conditions of a statement.

Kieltosanana also encompasses other negation markers and constructions found in human languages, such as negative adverbs, negative pronouns, and pro-forms that negate entire clauses. Across languages, negation words function to alter polarity, scope, and emphasis, and they interact with tense, aspect, mood, and other syntactic elements.

In summary, kieltosanana refers broadly to the role of negation words in language—how they negate propositions, how they are formed and inflected in a given language, and how they contribute to the syntax and interpretation of negated statements.