Tarkoitettuantava

Tarkoitettuantava is a hypothetical term used in theoretical discussions of Finnish semantics to describe a potential category that would encode actions understood as both intended and benefactive. The expression is not part of standard Finnish grammar and is not widely attested in authoritative reference works. It tends to appear in experimental or speculative linguistics discussions rather than in descriptive grammars.

Etymology and sense: The term combines tarkoitettu, meaning “intended,” with antava, from antaa, meaning “giving.” In a theoretical sense, tarkoitettuantava would describe events or acts that are designed to provide something to a recipient, combining intention with a beneficiary orientation. It is proposed as a way to capture complex pragmatic nuances that involve both purpose and benefit.

Usage and realization: As a speculative category, tarkoitettuantava could be used to describe phrases or clauses that express both the intention to give and the benefactive aspect, potentially through specialized adverbials, compounding, or analytic constructions. An illustrative (fictional) example might be: “Yritys toteutti tarkoitettuantavan lahjoituksen saajalle.” However, such usage is not standard Finnish and would require careful definition, corpus evidence, and cross-linguistic comparison to be considered legitimate in scholarly work.

Relation to existing concepts: The idea aligns with established topics such as benefactive constructions and intentionality in linguistics. If adopted, tarkoitettuantava would function as a descriptive label for a specific pragmatic-semantic combination rather than as a separate grammatical mood or tense. Critics caution that introducing a new term without clear criteria and empirical support can lead to ambiguity without substantial data.

See also: Finnish grammar, benefactive constructions, intentionality in linguistics.