omistussanaa

Omistussanaa is a term used in Finnish linguistics to describe the set of words and affixes that express possession within a noun phrase. The concept covers both morphological markers attached directly to the possessed noun and independent possessive pronouns or determiners that can accompany a noun.

Morphology and forms

In Finnish, possession is most often shown by suffixes attached to the possessed noun. For example, taloni means “my house,” where the suffix -ni marks the first-person singular possessor. Other forms follow the same pattern: talosi for “your house,” talonse for “his/her/its house,” talomme for “our house,” talonne for “your (plural) house.” The exact suffix depends on the possessor and vowel harmony rules. In addition to suffixal possession, Finnish can use independent possessive pronouns such as minun, sinun, hänen, meidän, teidän, heidän for emphasis or clarity, typically in combination with a noun in contexts where suffixation is not used or is insufficient for emphasis.

Usage and variation

The suffixal system is the default and most productive way to mark possession in Finnish. Independent possessive pronouns are common in emphasis, in contrastive contexts, or when the possessor is no longer implicit from the noun’s form. Possessive constructions interact with word order, emphasis, and discourse context, but the basic pattern remains suffixation on the possessed noun in standard sentences.

Relation to other terms

Omistussanaa is related to, but not identical with, terms such as omistuspronomini (possessive pronoun) and omistuslause (possessive construction) in Finnish grammar. Some grammars use omistussanaa as a broader label for possession-marking elements, encompassing both suffixes and independent pronouns.

See also

Finnish grammar, possessive suffix, possessive pronoun, vowel harmony.