Koskevatsanaa

Koskevatsanaa is a term used in theoretical linguistics and discourse analysis to denote a word that carries the main topical or relevant meaning in a discourse unit. The term is typically discussed in relation to information structure, focus, and topicalization.

Etymology: The form combines Finnish koskeva, meaning relevant or pertaining, and sana, meaning word. The compound mirrors Finnish practices of coining functional categories by combining existing roots.

Definition and function: In discourse analysis, koskevatsanaa signals the central referent or topic around which a sentence or clause is organized. It often aligns with focus or given/new information patterns and can influence the placement of discourse markers or verb forms. In written texts, such words may be identified through context, emphasis, or salience measures such as high term relevance.

Identification and usage: Researchers may identify koskevatsanaa by examining topical cues, prosody, and syntactic position; in corpus studies, prominent keywords with high salience may be treated as koskevatsanaa. It is distinct from general keywords in computational linguistics, though overlaps can occur.

Example: In the sentence “Kissa on pöydällä, ja koira seuraa sitä,” if the discussion centers on the cat, “Kissa” functions as the koskevatsanaa.

Notes: The term is not widely standardized and is mainly used in discussions of Finnish-language discourse and some theoretical accounts of information structure. As a result, practical definitions vary across authors.

See also: information structure, topicalization, focus.