Säätiösanan

Säätiösanan is a term used in Finnish linguistics and onomastics to refer to the word inside a foundation’s name that signals the institutional type, most often the element showing that the organization is a foundation. The concept is used to analyze how Finnish foundations are named and how their names convey organizational status.

Etymology and form: The term is formed from the compound säätiö (foundation) + sana (word). The base form is säätiösana; the genitive form is säätiösanan, which is the form used in phrases like "säätiösanan käyttö." The construction is typical of Finnish nominal compounds and illustrates how function words are combined to create precise naming units.

Function and scope: In onomastic analysis, säätiösana helps distinguish the part of a name that denotes the type of legal entity from other elements such as the founder’s name or the program focus. It is most often encountered in discussions of official names, foundations’ registries, and academic or cultural organizations that identify themselves as foundations.

Usage and examples: While not a formal category in everyday Finnish, the term appears in descriptive studies of name formation and in glossaries within linguistic research on Finnish proper names. Researchers may note how different typifying words—such as säätiö, yhdistys, osuuskunta—combine with personal or thematic elements to form a complete name.

See also: Säätiö; Onomastics; Finnish linguistics; Proper names.