Määritekäsitteeseen

Määritekäsitteeseen is a term found in Finnish linguistic discussions, formed from määrite meaning modifier or attributive property, and käsite meaning concept. The expression is used to describe a theoretical idea in which a modifying element helps define or limit the scope of a concept within a description. As such, it sits at the interface of semantics and syntax, particularly in analyses of noun phrases and how referential meaning is constructed in language without a dedicated definite article.

The core idea is that a määrite (modifier) can contribute to the specification of the concept being referred to, shaping how listeners interpret which entity or situation is being described. In studies of Finnish, where articles do not mark definiteness in the same way as many other languages, researchers often examine how attributive adjectives, demonstratives, possessives, or other modifiers interact with a base concept to produce a determinate interpretation. The notion of a määritekäsitteeseen thus provides a lens for examining how description and reference are coordinated within noun phrases.

In practice, the term is used in theoretical discussions and contrasts with constructions that rely on bare nouns or explicit demonstratives to achieve referential grounding. It is most relevant to fields such as semantics, syntax-semantics interfaces, and Finnish language studies, where the relationship between modifiers and concepts informs broader questions about definiteness, reference, and meaning.

See also: noun phrase, determiner, definiteness, Finnish grammar, semantics.