elatiivimuotoihin

Elatiivimuotoihin refers to the plural and singular forms of the elative case in Finnish grammar. The elative is used to express origin, source, or movement away from a place or material. It answers questions such as where something comes from or what something is made of, for example, from a location or from a material.

Morphology and examples: In Finnish, the elative singular endings are typically -sta or -stä, depending on vowel harmony and the final consonants of the word. The elative plural endings are -ista or -istä. Examples:

- talosta (from the house) and taloista (from the houses)

- vedestä and vesistä (from water and from waters)

- kaupungista and kaupungeista (from the city and from the cities)

- puusta and puista (from wood and from woods)

- kivestä and kivistä (from stone and from stones)

Usage notes: The elative forms are used with nouns, pronouns, and certain adjectives when indicating origin or material. They are common after verbs of coming from, leaving, or being composed of something (for example, “tulen kotoa” is more typical than a strict elative form, but elative constructions appear in phrases such as “tornista alas” or “puusta rakennettu”). In material meanings, elative forms express the material something is made of, as in “keinivälineestä” (made of plastic) in certain contexts, though more common constructions exist in modern usage. Phonological variations can occur with consonant gradation or stem changes, but the elative endings -sta/-stä (singular) and -ista/-istä (plural) are the standard markers.

In summary, elatiivimuotoihin comprises the inflected forms used to express origin or material in Finnish, with distinct singular and plural endings and wide applicability across nouns, pronouns, and related forms.