åskådarnas

Åskådarnas is the genitive plural form of the Swedish noun åskådare, meaning spectator or onlooker. It is used to express possession or association with a group of observers, translating roughly to “the spectators’” in English. The base plural definite form is åskådarna (the spectators); by adding the possessive suffix -s, the form becomes åskådarnas to indicate something belonging to the spectators.

Morphology and function: åskådare inflects as a regular feminine noun in plural. The genitive plural åskådarnas is formed from the plural definite åskådarna plus -s, and it typically precedes a following noun to form a possessive noun phrase, such as åskådarnas reaktioner (the spectators’ reactions) or åskådarnas åsikter (the spectators’ opinions). In routine prose, åskådarnas works as a determiner combined with the head noun of the possessive phrase.

Usage: The form is common in sports journalism, event reporting, theatre and concert reviews, and other narrative contexts where the reactions, opinions, or actions of a group of observers are being discussed. It foregrounds the collective perspective of the audience rather than individuals and is interchangeable with other possessive constructions when appropriate (for example, deras reaktioner, the spectators’ reactions, with deras referring to the spectators in context).

Examples:

- Åskådarnas reaktioner var blandade efter beslutet.

- Arenan fylldes av åskådarnas jubel och höga rop.

- Diskussionen tog fart när åskådarnas åsikter kom fram i debatten.

See also: åskådare, genitive case, Swedish possessive constructions.

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