Perifraattisten

Perifraattisten is a Finnish linguistic term referring to periphrastic constructions—grammatical expressions in which meaning such as tense, aspect, mood, or voice is expressed with multiple words or with auxiliary and non-finite forms rather than by a single inflected verb. In Finnish grammar discussions, perifraattisten denotes the set of expressions that rely on auxiliary elements or participial forms to convey temporal or aspectual meaning.

The concept is used to distinguish periphrastic forms from synthetically inflected verbs. Perifraattiset constructions often involve an auxiliary verb combined with a non-finite form, such as a participle, to form tenses like the perfect or ongoing aspects. For example, in English the periphrastic forms have eaten or am going, and in Finnish a comparable structure appears in phrases like olen syönyt (I have eaten), where the auxiliary olla (to be) combines with a past participle to express perfect aspect.

Cross-linguistically, perifraattisten is part of broader discussions of periphrase in typology and historical linguistics, illustrating how languages encode temporal and evidential information through analytic strategies rather than solely through verb inflection. The precise definition and scope of perifraattisten can vary by theoretical framework, but the core idea is consistent: periphrastic constructions use multi-word or auxiliary-plus-participle forms to express grammatical meaning.

See also: Periphrase (linguistics), Finnish grammar, Verb morphology, Grammaticalization of auxiliaries.