Nominalisoidut

Nominalisoidut is a term used in linguistics to refer to nominalized forms that result when verbs or adjectives are converted into nouns. The concept is employed to describe a broad class of words or word forms that encode actions, events, processes, or properties as discrete noun-like units. The term is especially common in descriptions of Finnic languages and in typological discussions of nominalization across languages.

Morphology and derivation of nominalisoidut typically involve affixation or zero-derivation. In Finnish, nominalization can be achieved with suffixes such as -minen to form noun phrases that denote the action or process (for example, kirjoittaa “to write” → kirjoittaminen “writing”), and with agentive suffixes such as -ja/-jä (for example, kirjoittaja “writer”). Other languages use similar mechanisms, including participial forms or dedicated nominalizers, to convert clauses into noun-like units. Some systems also allow multiple layers of nominalization, yielding complex noun phrases from basic verbs or adjectives.

Syntax and semantics: Nominalisoidut often function as subjects or objects within sentences, can be modified by determiners or adjectives, and may bear tense, aspect, or-case markings in languages that provide them. They frequently carry aspectual or temporal nuance, indicating whether an action is completed, ongoing, or habitual, and they enable clause compression by turning subordinate clauses into single noun phrases.

Cross-linguistic notes: The phenomenon appears in many languages under different names, such as gerundive or participial nominalization in English, and various Finnic or Slavic nominalizers in other languages. The study of nominalisoidut sheds light on how languages balance clause structure and noun phrase symmetry.