korkeammankin

Korkeammankin is a nonstandard Finnish intensifier that appears primarily in literary and rhetorical contexts. It is used to express “even higher” or “even more so” in comparative constructions, and it is not considered part of everyday standard Finnish. The form is rare and its use tends to be stylistic, often giving a poetic or emphatic tone to the sentence.

Etymology and formation: The word is commonly described as a fused form built from the base adjective korkea (high) and its comparative korkeampi, together with the emphasis particle -kin. In practice, korkeammankin is analyzed as a heightened variant of the comparative that signals an extra degree of height, intensity, or significance. Because it is nonstandard, its exact morphological status can vary by author or era, and it is most often discussed as a literary device rather than a fixed part of the language.

Grammar and usage: Korkeammankin generally precedes the noun or the adjective it modifies, functioning as an attributive intensifier. It is most commonly found in written Finnish rather than in casual speech. Because of its marked stylistic character, it is typically restricted to poetry, rhetorical prose, or experimental fiction, where the author aims to heighten emphasis or create a particular voice. In standard prose, more conventional intensifiers or the ordinary comparative forms are usually preferred.

Examples:

- Korkeammankin näkymä tornin huipulta avautui. (An even higher view opened from the top of the tower.)

- Se oli korkeammankin vaativa tehtävä. (It was an even more demanding task.)

See also: Finnish grammar, -kin particle, comparative degree, literary devices.