Mänskliga

Mänskliga is a Swedish adjective form used to describe attributes, rights, or phenomena related to human beings. It is the plural indefinite form of the base adjective mänsklig and commonly appears before plural nouns, as in phrases such as mänskliga rättigheter (human rights) or mänskliga egenskaper (human traits). The word can take other inflected forms in agreement with number, definiteness, and gender: singular common mänsklig, singular neuter mänskligt; definite forms include den mänskliga and det mänskliga, while the plural definite form is de mänskliga.

Etymology and relation to other terms: Mänskliga stems from the noun människa, meaning “human being.” This noun itself derives from Old Norse and Germanic roots related to the concept of a person or man. The related noun mänsklighet signifies humanity or humanness as a quality or state, and is often used to discuss ethics, culture, or the human condition.

Usage and context: The form mänskliga is widespread in social, political, and cultural discourse in Swedish. It frequently appears in discussions about rights, dignity, and responsibilities that are considered universal to all people, such as in human rights debates or analyses of human behavior and emotions. While neutral in tone, the term can carry positive or normative connotations depending on context, especially when paired with values like justice, equality, and compassion.

See also: mänsklighet; människa; human rights in Swedish discourse; linguistic inflection of Swedish adjectives.