Kohtainensuffixi

Kohtainensuffixi is a term used in Finnish linguistics to describe the suffix -inen when it functions to derive adjectives that express locality, specificity, or contextual relation from a noun base connected to place, point, or instance. The concept highlights how the same suffix can yield words with nuanced meanings related to particular circumstances, rather than broad spatial meaning alone. The best-known example is kohtainen, formed from kohta “place, point” plus the suffix -inen, meaning “local,” “pertaining to a specific place or instance.”

In usage, the kohtainen suffix is part of the productive -inen family of Finnish adjective formation. It tends to create adjectives that encode a qualitative relation to a target noun, rather than simply describing physical location. The resulting adjectives can appear in formal or semi-formal language and may appear in phrases such as kohtainen ero, meaning a specific or particular difference. The suffix can interact with standard Finnish processes of vowel harmony and consonant gradation, and the derived adjectives inflect for case and number like other Finnish adjectives.

Relation to other suffixes is notable: -inen is a broad, productive suffix that forms many adjectives with varied meanings. Kohtainen is distinguished by its locational or contextual nuance, and it is often contrasted with paikallinen, which more strongly conveys geographic locality. In some grammars, kohtainen is treated as a paradigmatic example of how the -inen suffix can encode relation to a place or context rather than simple material or quality.

See also: Finnish suffixes, -inen, Finnish morphology, paikallinen.