määräävä

Määräävä is a Finnish linguistic term used to describe a class of modifiers that determine or restrict the reference of a noun in a noun phrase. Derived from the verb määrätä “to determine, to prescribe,” the term is used in descriptive Finnish grammar and linguistic analyses rather than in everyday speech. A määräävä modifier narrows the referent by specifying quantity, identity, or proximity.

In practice, the category typically includes numerals (kolme, kaksi), demonstratives (tämä, tuo), and possessives (oman, minun) that appear directly before the noun and influence which entity is being talked about. Adjunct adjectives with a restrictive sense can also function as määrääviä in some analyses.

Examples: "kolme taloa" uses the numeral to specify how many houses; "tuo auto" uses the demonstrative to indicate which car; "oman koiran" indicates possession and identity. The modifier agrees with the noun in case and number, following standard Finnish adjective and determiner-inflection rules.

In Finnish pedagogy, distinguishing määrääviä modifiers from other attribute words helps learners interpret referents in discourse and avoid ambiguity. The term is primarily used in academic texts and language descriptions rather than in everyday conversation.

See also: determiner, numeral, demonstrative, possessive, Finnish grammar.