raakamuodossa

Raakamuodossa is a term used in Finnish linguistics to describe a word in its bare, uninflected form. It serves as the lemma or dictionary form of the word and is used as the basis for forming other inflected variants. The concept helps describe how words change when they are declined or conjugated.

For nouns, the raakamuoto is typically the form that appears in its basic citation form, usually the singular nominative, for example koira. All other cases and numbers—such as koiran (genitive) or koiraa (partitive)—include endings and are not raakamuodossa. For verbs, the raakamuoto often corresponds to the infinitive form, such as kirjoittaa or juosta, which are the forms entered in dictionaries. Other conjugated forms like kirjoitan, kirjoitat, or wrote forms are inflected by person, time, mood, and other grammatical categories.

The exact usage of the term can vary between grammars. In many sources, raakamuoto is used to distinguish the base form or lemma from the processed, affixed forms used in actual sentences. For adjectives, the raakamuoto can refer to the positive, base form before degree or case endings are added, though adjectives are typically treated as a separate inflection system from nouns and verbs.

In practical linguistics and lexicography, recognizing raakamuoto helps in organizing vocabulary, describing word formation, and linking related forms through derivation and inflection. It is closely related to, but distinct from, terms such as perusmuoto (base form) and infinitiivi (infinitive).

See also: perusmuoto, infinitiivi, taivutus, lingvistiikka.