ääniltä

ääniltä is the elative plural form of the Finnish noun ääni, meaning sound or voice. It denotes origin or source from multiple sounds or voices and is used when referring to what comes from those voices. The basic forms are: ääni (singular), äänet (nominative plural), and ääniltä (elative plural, “from the voices”). This is a standard feature of Finnish case grammar, where the elative marks origin or source.

In usage, ääniltä can be literal or figurative. Literally, it refers to sounds or voices as the source of something heard: for example, Kokouksen ääniltä kuului epävarmuutta ("from the voices of the meeting, uncertainty could be heard"). Figuratively, it can refer to statements, opinions, or influences expressed by a group: Lehdistön ääniltä kuului ristiriitaisia tulkintoja tapahtuneesta ("from the press’ voices, there were divergent interpretations of the event"). The form tends to appear in formal or written Finnish, including journalism and literature; in everyday speech speakers more often use other constructions, such as referencing specific speakers or using the partitive or genitive constructions with ääni.

Notes and related forms: ääni has multiple meanings (sound, tone, voice). ääniltä is specifically the elative plural and should not be confused with the nominative äänet (voices) or other cases like ääniä (partitive plural). The use of ääniltä highlights a collective origin from several voices rather than a single source.

See also: ääni, äänet, Finnish elative case.