karakteriserast

Karakteriserast is a nynorsk form of the verb å karakterisere (to characterize). It marks the passive voice and is commonly used to describe how something is characterized or described by someone else. The form appears in formal and scholarly writing in Norwegian and is a standard feature of nynorsk.

Etymology and form: It is derived from karakterisere with the suffix -ast, a pattern found in some nynorsk passive constructions. It corresponds to the standard bokmål passive or perfect constructions such as er karakterisert or har blitt karakterisert, but in nynorsk the form karakteriserast is used in certain contexts to express is characterized or has been characterized.

Usage: Karakteriserast is used when the author attributes a particular characterization to a source or to general consensus without naming the agent. Example: Fenomenet karakteriserast som eit resultat av klimaendringar. In more explicit expressions one may write er karakterisert som or blir beskriven som.

Relation to related terms: It links to termen karakterisering (the act of characterizing) and to beskrivelse. In bokmål, the most common equivalents are er karakterisert or har blitt karakterisert som.

See also: Karakterisering, Beskrivelse, Norsk grammatikk, Nynorsk.

Notes: The form is primarily seen in nynorsk contexts; bokmål users typically use other passive forms.