yleislähtöön

Yleislähtöön is the illative form of the Finnish noun yleislähtö, a compound of yleis- meaning “general” or “public” and lähtö meaning “departure” or “starting point.” In Finnish grammar, illative marks movement into or toward something, so yleislähtöön literally means “to a general starting point” or “toward generalization,” depending on the context in which it is used. The term is primarily encountered in formal or analytical Finnish where a shift toward a general baseline is being discussed.

Etymology and form: The base is yleislähtö, a compound of yleis- and lähtö. Because lähtö ends with the vowel sound ö, the illative suffix appended is -öön, yielding yleislähtöön. This is an example of how Finnish compounding interacts with case endings to express directional meaning within a concept.

Usage: Yleislähtöön appears in planning, policy, and analytical texts when authors describe moving from a specific instance or case toward a broader, general starting point or framework. It helps distinguish actions or conclusions that apply broadly rather than to a single example.

Example: Suunnittelussa siirryttiin yleislähtöön. Translation: In planning, we moved toward a general starting point.

See also: illative case; yleislähtö; Finnish morphology and syntax.