Tarkoitustensa

Tarkoitustensa is a Finnish grammatical form that translates roughly to "their purposes" or "the purposes of them." It is derived from the noun tarkoitus (purpose) and is formed with the genitive/possessive suffixes to indicate ownership by multiple subjects. In practice the form appears in contexts where speakers refer to the aims or objectives of more than one actor, such as organizations, groups, or cohorts.

Morphology and usage notes: In Finnish, possessive and genitive endings combine to express ownership and relation. Tarkoitustensa embodies both possession (their) and the genitive relationship to the noun tarkoitus. The construction is common in formal or written Finnish, including policy analysis, political commentary, and academic writing. It frequently co-occurs with phrases like tarkoitustensa mukaan ("according to their purposes") to anchor actions to the aims of the referenced actors.

Semantics and context: The term is primarily used for analytical or descriptive purposes, to discuss differences in aims between groups or to contrast stated intentions with actual outcomes. It can appear in discussions about strategy, negotiation, or organizational decision-making, where the focus is on what different actors are trying to achieve.

Example usage: Päätökset tehtiin heidän tarkoitustensa mukaan. Tämä osoitti, että niiden voimat ja tavoitteet erosivat, ja johti uudelleenkäsittelyyn. Common collocations include tarkoituksensa, tarkoitustensa mukaan, and related phrases that emphasize alignment or divergence of aims.

See also: tarkoitus, tarkoituksensa, tarkoitustensa.