Taivutuksena

Taivutuksena is a Finnish linguistic term meaning “as an inflection” or “in the inflected form.” It refers to a specific grammatical form that a word takes in a sentence, as distinct from its lemma or dictionary form. The term is formed from taivutus, meaning inflection, with the suffix -na, which in Finnish can express function or role, roughly translating to “as” or “in the role of.”

Usage and scope: In linguistic descriptions, taivutuksena is used to indicate the exact inflected form of a word being discussed or cited. It commonly appears in grammar explanations, dictionaries, and scholarly texts to illustrate how a word changes across cases, numbers, tenses, or other grammatical categories. The expression helps to present concrete examples of inflection without altering the base word.

Examples: Sanan “kissa” taivutuksena nominatiivin yksikkö on “kissa”; taivutuksena genetiivin yksikkö on “kissan”; taivutuksena nominatiivin monikko on “kissat.” Verbin “kirjoittaa” taivutuksena muoto on “kirjoitan” (minä-formi, present). Such examples show how taivutuksena is used to specify a particular inflected form for explanation or reference.

See also: inflection, Finnish grammar, declension, conjugation.