alhaisempien

Alhaisempien is a Finnish grammatical form, the genitive plural of the comparative adjective alhaisempi, meaning “lower” or “more inferior.” It does not stand alone as a word; it functions as a modifier that precedes a noun in a genitive construction, indicating that the noun belongs to a group that is comparatively more low or subordinate.

In Finnish, adjectives agree with the noun they modify in number and case, so alhaisempien appears whenever the referent noun is plural and in the genitive case. A typical usage is to form phrases such as alhaisempien ryhmien oikeudet, meaning “the rights of the lower groups,” or alhaisempien maiden markkinat, meaning “the markets of the lower countries.” Here, alhaisempien modifies ryhmien or maiden, both plural in the genitive, while the head noun is in its own case.

Etymology and related forms: alhaisempien derives from the base adjective alhainen (low, humble), combining the comparative suffix -empi to yield alhaisempi, whose genitive plural ends in -ien. Related forms include the positive alhainen, the comparative alhaisempi, and the superlative alhaisimmat. The genitive singular form of the comparative would be alhaisemmän, while other cases have their own endings.

Usage notes: alhaisempien is more common in written or formal contexts such as sociological, political, or analytic writing. In everyday speech, speakers may opt for simpler constructions, such as using the non-genitive comparative with a different phrasing or choosing a less marked expression like alemmat or alhaisemmat in appropriate contexts.