ssapäätteellä

ssapäätteellä is a term used in some Finnish linguistic discussions to describe a pattern in which suffixes that begin with the letter s attach to stems in a way that creates noticeable s-s sequences in the surface form. The concept is most often invoked when explaining how the locative/essive suffixes -ssa/-ssä (and related -lla/-llä forms) interact with a word’s ending, producing forms where s appears in succession.

Etymology and usage

The name combines the Finnish word päätteellä, meaning “on the suffix,” with the initial s of the suffixes beginning with s, highlighting the point where the suffix starts with s. The idea is descriptive rather than a fixed grammatical category; it is a heuristic used to discuss orthographic and phonotactic outcomes of suffix attachment in Finnish.

Examples

Common illustrations include talo (house) with the locative suffix -ssa, forming talossa, where the -ssa part contributes a prominent s sequence to the word. Another example is kissa (cat) with -ssa, yielding kissassa. These forms show how suffixes starting with s can create surface clusters of s that are noticeable to learners and analysts.

Notes

ssapäätteellä is not a universally standardized label across all grammars. Some grammars describe the same phenomena using other terminology or focus on the broader behavior of the locative suffixes rather than naming a specific pattern. It remains a helpful, descriptive way to discuss surface s-Clusters resulting from attaching s-initial suffixes.

See also

Finnish grammar, locative and essive cases, suffixation in Finnish.