yksikönmonikon

Yksikönmonikon is a term used in discussions of Finnish noun inflection to denote the plural form of a singular noun (yksikkö → monikko). The concept centers on how a word that exists in a single form is transformed into a form used for more than one referent, and how that plural form changes across different cases.

In Finnish, nouns have singular and plural forms for each case. The nominative plural is usually formed by adding the suffix -t to the stem, but many nouns show stem changes or irregular plural forms. The plural then also appears in other cases with corresponding endings, and some nouns modify their stem through consonant gradation or vowel changes. Examples of regular and irregular plurals include talo → talot and nainen → naiset. Understanding the plural involves recognizing the noun’s declension class, since different nouns follow different patterns in both number and case.

Examples of nominative plural forms: talo → talot, kukka → kukat, lapsi → lapset, nainen → naiset. Genitive plural forms include talojen, kukkien, lasten, naisten. These illustrate how the singular base ties to multiple plural endings across cases, sometimes with internal changes to the stem.

The term yskikönmonikon is not a fixed standard term in Finnish linguistics; it is sometimes used informally as shorthand for the concept of forming the plural from the singular. For formal descriptions, linguists typically speak of monikon taivutus or monikon muodostaminen.

See also: Finnish grammar, noun declension, plural, case endings.