Määräävissä

Määräävissä is a Finnish grammatical form described in some linguistic contexts as the inessive plural of the adjective määräävä, meaning "defining" or "determinative." In scholarly descriptions, the term is used when discussing determiner-like elements that specify reference within noun phrases. The root määräävä comes from the verb määrätä, “to determine” or “to prescribe.” As an adjective, määräävä inflects for number and case, including the inessive plural -issä, yielding määräävissä. This form corresponds to a plural noun in the inessive case and can be glossed loosely as “in the determinatives” or “in determinate [contexts].”

In practice, määräävissä appears mainly in academic or theoretical discussions rather than in everyday language. It is employed to label or analyze words and expressions that function to limit or specify reference in a noun phrase, akin to determiners in other languages. Such contexts often involve examining how demonstratives, possessives, and quantifiers contribute to definiteness and reference within Finnish syntax.

Notes: The term is not a standard entry in all Finnish grammars; rather, it surfaces in studies that focus on how determinitive elements interact with nouns and grammatical case. For broader understanding, compare määräävä as an adjective meaning “defining/determinative,” and consult general Finnish grammar discussions of noun phrases and definiteness.

See also: Finnish grammar, determiners, demonstratives, definiteness, noun phrases.