Määräsuffix

Määräsuffix is a linguistic term referring to a type of suffix that indicates a specific grammatical case or relationship within a sentence. These suffixes are attached to the end of a noun, pronoun, or adjective to modify its function. In many languages, including Finnish and Hungarian, määräsuffixes play a crucial role in expressing grammatical relationships that might otherwise be handled by prepositions or word order in other languages.

The function of a määräsuffix is to define the role of a word in relation to other words. For instance, a suffix might indicate possession, location, direction, or the recipient of an action. The specific meaning conveyed depends entirely on the suffix itself and the language it belongs to. The concept is closely related to grammatical cases, and in languages with extensive case systems, määräsuffixes are the primary mechanism for marking these cases.

Examples of grammatical functions expressed by määräsuffixes include the genitive case (indicating ownership), the dative case (indicating the indirect object), the locative cases (indicating position or direction), and many others. The presence and variety of määräsuffixes significantly influence the grammatical structure and flexibility of a language. Understanding these suffixes is essential for comprehending the syntax and semantics of languages that utilize them extensively.