laitteenä

Laitteenä is a Finnish noun form that means “as a device” or “in the role of a device.” It is the essive form of laite, used to describe how something is functioning or presented in a given context. The essive expresses a temporary state, role, or capacity, rather than a permanent identity, so laitteenä is used when an object is being described in its capacity as a device within a system, procedure, or description.

Morphology and use

The form laitteenä stems from laite with the essive suffix. In practice, the essive marks that the object is acting in the role of a device in a particular situation. Laitteenä appears in technical writing, manuals, specifications, and other formal or descriptive contexts where the function of an object is emphasized. The phrase is often found in sentences that outline how a component should be used or how it is designated within a process.

Relation to other forms

Finnish expresses similar ideas with different cases or with the translative. For example, the translative laitteeksi is used to indicate becoming or designation as a device (to become a device or to be designated as one), which contrasts with the essive laitteenä that describes the current role or state. Writers may choose between essive and translative forms depending on whether they describe a present role or a process of transformation.

See also

Finnish grammar, essive case, translative case, laite (device).