alkuperäiskielellä

Alkuperäiskielellä is a Finnish phrase meaning "in the original language." It is the inessive form, with the suffix -llä, of the compound alkperäiskieli, which denotes the native or original language of a text, person, or culture. The expression is used to indicate that content is presented in its original linguistic form rather than translated or dubbed.

The term is common in linguistic, literary, and media-related contexts as well as in library catalogs and scholarly writing. It helps distinguish between material that exists in its source language and material that has been translated. For example, one might say that a text is available alkuperäiskielellä or that a film's dialogue is presented in the original language. It can also appear in phrases describing sources or quotations that are cited alkuperäiskielellä.

In Finnish, alkuperäiskieli and äidinkieli (mother tongue) are related but not identical concepts. Äidinkieli refers to the language a person learned first or feels most fluent in, whereas alkup eräiskieli emphasizes the language of origin of a work or culture. The distinction matters in academic and cultural discussions where the precise original language of material is relevant.

Etymologically, the term combines alkuperäinen (original) and kieli (language), with the inessive suffix -llä marking the location or state of being in that language. The expression is neutral and formal, commonly found in scholarly, publishing, and media contexts when noting the linguistic status of a source.