Peilataan

Peilataan is a Finnish verb form meaning “is reflected” or “is mirrored.” It is the present passive form of peilata, the verb for reflection or mirroring. The sense can be literal, as when a surface reflects light, or figurative, as when social phenomena, opinions, or trends are described as reflected in another source or domain.

In Finnish, the passive voice is used to indicate that the agent performing the action is unknown or unimportant. When peilataan is used, the subject is typically the thing that is being reflected, and the agent is either omitted or introduced by a prepositional phrase, e.g., “mediassa” (in the media), “tilastoihin” (into the statistics), or “keskusteluun” (into the discussion).

Common contexts include media analysis, social science, and journalism, where authors argue that certain data or discourses “peilaavat” or “peilataan” aspects of society. The phrase often implies a correspondence or parallel between two domains.

Examples:

- Ilmastonmuutos peilataan mediassa.

- Mielipiteet peilataan tilastoihin.

- Arvot peilataan nykykeskusteluun.

Etymology and related forms: The lemma is peilata; the present passive is peilataan. Active forms include peilaan (I reflect), peilaat (you reflect), peilaa (he/she/it reflects), peilaamme, peilaatte, peilaavat. The term is primarily used in formal or analytic Finnish rather than everyday colloquial speech.