mukaillen

Mukaillen is a Finnish adverbial form meaning “in imitation of” or “in the manner of.” It is used to indicate that an action, style, or interpretation follows a model or source rather than being original. The term is common in literary, musicological, and critical writing and can describe how something is created or presented.

The word is derived from the verb mukailla, “to imitate,” with the adverbial suffix -en, producing a phrase that marks manner rather than quotation. In sentences, mukaillen typically accompanies verbs or noun phrases: for example, “Kappale on sävelletty mukaillen 1800-luvun klassista muotoa” (The piece was composed in imitation of the classical form from the 19th century).

In nuance, mukaillen emphasizes stylistic alignment with a source rather than a precise reconstruction; it signals an interpretive or stylistic adaptation. A related term is jäljittelevä, which more directly conveys imitation. In contemporary Finnish, mukaillen tends to appear in formal or descriptive contexts, such as analysis, criticism, or historical description, and is less common in casual speech.

See also: jäljittely, tyylin mukaan.