Modifikaatorina

Modifikaatorina is a grammatical function in Estonian grammar that designates a word or phrase acting to modify another element in a sentence. The form modifikaatorina is the essive case of the noun modifikaator, used to express the role or capacity of acting “as a modifier.” In analysis, this label helps describe how an element contributes information about another word or phrase.

Modifiers in Estonian include adjectives, adverbs, and various dependent clauses or phrases. Attributive modifiers, typically adjectives, describe the noun they accompany, as in punane auto (red car), where punane functions as a modifier of auto. Adverbial modifiers, such as kiiresti (quickly), modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, providing manner, degree, or time. Clause-based modifiers, including relative or subordinate clauses, also function as modifiers by restricting or specifying the meaning of a noun or a verb.

The term modifikaatorina is mainly a descriptive label used in linguistic analysis and grammar descriptions. It indicates the functional role of a word or phrase rather than a separate part of speech. In practice, you may encounter sentences where a word is analyzed as modifikaatorina, highlighting that its purpose is to modify another element, regardless of its syntactic category.

See also: modifikaator, essive case, attributive modifier, adverbial modifier.