maininnalla

Maininnalla is a Finnish grammatical form taken from the noun maininta, which means mention or reference. The adessive form maininnalla functions as an instrumental or manner marker, conveying that an action is performed with a mention, by reference, or in a metalinguistic sense. In linguistic discussions, maininnalla is treated as an example of how Finnish nouns can take the -lla suffix to express means or mode.

Etymology and morphology: The form is built from the base maininta with the suffix -lla, a common way in Finnish to indicate “with” or “by means of.” While the word can appear in formal or technical texts, its use is not part of everyday spoken Finnish and is mainly encountered in discussions of morphology, syntax, or stylistics.

Semantic notes: The primary reads of maininnalla center on referential or metatextual meaning—performing an action with a mention or by reference. It is not a direct equivalent of praise or kehu, which belongs to a different semantic domain. In practice, maininnalla tends to occur in academic writing, language descriptions, or nuanced literary prose where the author wants to signal the role of mention rather than direct assertion.

Usage considerations: Its interpretation is context-dependent, and native speakers may vary in comfort with the form. In many situations, more common expressions such as viitaten or mainiten may be preferred to convey similar ideas. When used, maininnalla can add a formal or stylistic nuance to the sentence.

See also: maininta, viittaus, kehu, ylistys, Finnish grammar, adessive case.