esittelysanan

Esittelysana is a Finnish linguistic term meaning an introductory word. It refers to a word or short phrase whose main function is to introduce or present something in discourse. The esittelysana signals to the listener what will be discussed next and helps to structure information by presenting a referent, a topic, or a statement.

In practice, esittelysanoja are often words or short phrases placed at the beginning of a clause. Common examples include demonstratives or pronouns such as this or that in Finnish translations or equivalents, for instance starting a sentence with a demonstrative like “Tämä on …” (This is …) or “Se on …” (That is …). In educational or explanatory writing, an esittelysana can also preface a term or concept to be defined or discussed, helping to introduce what follows.

Relation to other concepts: esittelysana is a functional label rather than a fixed grammatical class. It overlaps with discourse-level devices such as topic introduction and discourse markers, and it can be realized by different word classes depending on the framework being used (for example, pronouns, demonstratives, or short introductory phrases).

Limitations: the term is mainly used in Finnish-language linguistic literature and may be defined or categorized differently across sources. It is best understood as a functional concept describing words or phrases that introduce or present information to the listener.

See also: discourse marker, demonstrative, topic introduction, Finnish grammar.