Nominaalipäätteinen

Nominaalipäätteinen is a Finnish linguistic term used to describe adjectives and other words that end with the nominal suffix -inen, which forms adjectives from nouns. These words typically express material, origin, or a characteristic related to the base noun. The concept highlights how the suffix -inen signals a relation to or composition from a noun, rather than from a verb or other word class.

Formation and morphology

Nominaalipäätteinen adjectives are created by adding the suffix -inen to a noun stem, with adjustments for phonology as needed. Common examples include kivinen (stone or stone-made), puinen (wooden), and teräksinen (steel or made of steel). These adjectives inflect like other Finnish adjectives and agree with the noun in number and case, e.g., kivinen talo (stone house), kivisen talon (of the stone house).

Usage and semantics

The primary function is to describe material, composition, or characteristic derived from the noun. They are widely used in everyday Finnish to convey what something is made of or to characterize a noun by a material or inherent quality. The suffix can also carry figurative meanings in some contexts, though the literal sense of material or attribute is most common.

Notes

Some nominaalipäätteinen forms are highly productive, while others are fixed or specialized. The boundary between nominal-origin adjectives and adjectives formed by other derivational processes can be fluid in historical and dialectal usage. See also Finnish morphology and the -inen adjective family for related forms and inflection patterns.