sanojen

Sanojen is the genitive plural form of sana, the Finnish noun meaning "word." It is used to express possession or association with words, roughly corresponding to "of the words" or "the words’" in English. Sanojen frequently appears in noun phrases that describe features, relations, or qualities of words, such as their meaning, usage, or order.

Morphology and usage: In Finnish, genitive plural is marked with the suffix -en for many nouns; for sana the form becomes sanojen. This form signals that the noun it modifies is part of a larger entire or relationship, for example in phrases like sanojen merkitys (the meaning of the words) or sanojen käyttö (the use of words). Sanojen can appear after numerals, adjectives, or other nouns, and it agrees with the rest of the noun phrase in case, not in number alone.

Examples and context: Common uses include discussing linguistic features or teaching materials, such as "sanojen merkitys" or "sanojen järjestys lauseessa" (the order of words in a sentence). In translations, sanojen is often rendered as "of the words" or as a possessive-like construction, depending on context.

Relation to other forms: sanojen contrasts with sanoja or sanat, which are the nominative forms for "the words" (plural) and "word" (singular) respectively. The genitive plural sanojen is a standard tool in Finnish for indicating relationships involving multiple words.

See also: Finnish grammar, genitive case, noun declension.