vokatiivinen

Vokatiivinen, or vocative, is a grammatical category used for direct address in many languages. It designates the form used when speaking to a person or thing by name or title. The term comes from Latin vocativus, meaning call or call forth.

Languages with a dedicated vocative case often show forms that differ from the nominative. Latin provides one of the classic examples: Domine, the vocative of Dominus. Greek uses κύριε (Kyrie) in direct address to κύριος. In Slavic languages such as Polish or Ukrainian, noun endings typically change in the vocative to signal direct address.

Finnish linguistics uses vokatiivinen to refer to vocatives, but Standard Finnish has no productive vocative case. Direct address most often uses the name in the nominative, frequently with interjections or terms of endearment: Hei, Matti!; or with a title.

Usage and stylistic notes: Vocatives can convey familiarity, affection, or emphasis; use depends on language, register, and region. Some languages preserve formal versus informal vocatives; in others the form is limited or obsolete. In Finnish, the vocative is largely nonproductive in everyday speech but may appear in literary or historical contexts. See also: Vocative case, Address forms.