Sõnalise

Sõnalise is the genitive singular form of the Estonian adjective sõnaline, which generally relates to words or word-related phenomena. The root sõna means “word,” and the suffix -line (-ine) marks an adjective meaning “pertaining to” or “characteristic of.” In linguistic and grammatical contexts, sõnaline is used to describe properties or concepts that concern words, lexical units, or word-level aspects of language.

In Estonian grammar, sõnaline appears as an attributive descriptor within phrases where the concept concerns words or lexical items rather than larger syntactic or discourse-level structures. The form sõnalise is produced when the adjective modifies a noun in the genitive case, or in other inflectional environments, as part of standard Estonian morphology.

Sõnalise is not a standalone technical term with a specialized theory; rather, it functions within linguistic descriptions to express a word-related or lexical dimension. It is distinct from terms that denote modality or medium, such as suuline (oral) and kirjalik (written). The use of sõnaline and its inflected forms is primarily found in educational, descriptive, or scholarly discussions of Estonian morphology and lexicology.

See also: Estonian language, Estonian grammar, morphology, lexeme, word formation.