Person in Finnish
-
Marja-Liisa Helasvuo
Abstract
The paper by Marja-Liisa Helasvuo and Lea Laitinen provides an overview to person marking in Finnish. It aims to contribute to resolving some of the long-standing confusions surrounding how person has been dealt with in Finnish grammar. In Finnish, the predicate verb agrees with the subject in person (1st, 2nd and 3rd) and number (singular : plural). The verb thus shows the same person as the nominal subject, and therefore, the nominal and the verbal person marking systems have usually not been discussed separately in Finnish linguistics (see for example Sulkala and Karjalainen 1992, Hakulinen and Karlsson 1979). Helasvuo and Laitinen show, however, that in colloquial varieties of Finnish the coding of person is more complicated. The verbal and nominal person marking systems intersect, but not in the straightforward manner assumed in mainstream Finnish linguistics. The connections between the two form an intricate network. Helasvuo and Laitinen demonstrate that the verbal person marking is not copied from the subject pronoun in a mechanical way, nor is the personal pronoun redundant. They therefore find it useful to present the nominal and verbal person marking systems as two different paradigmatic systems. They also discuss how the two systems interrelate on the syntagmatic level.
Abstract
The paper by Marja-Liisa Helasvuo and Lea Laitinen provides an overview to person marking in Finnish. It aims to contribute to resolving some of the long-standing confusions surrounding how person has been dealt with in Finnish grammar. In Finnish, the predicate verb agrees with the subject in person (1st, 2nd and 3rd) and number (singular : plural). The verb thus shows the same person as the nominal subject, and therefore, the nominal and the verbal person marking systems have usually not been discussed separately in Finnish linguistics (see for example Sulkala and Karjalainen 1992, Hakulinen and Karlsson 1979). Helasvuo and Laitinen show, however, that in colloquial varieties of Finnish the coding of person is more complicated. The verbal and nominal person marking systems intersect, but not in the straightforward manner assumed in mainstream Finnish linguistics. The connections between the two form an intricate network. Helasvuo and Laitinen demonstrate that the verbal person marking is not copied from the subject pronoun in a mechanical way, nor is the personal pronoun redundant. They therefore find it useful to present the nominal and verbal person marking systems as two different paradigmatic systems. They also discuss how the two systems interrelate on the syntagmatic level.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Abbreviations & transcription symbols vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- Introduction 1
- An introduction to Finnish spatial relations 11
-
Part I: Space and location
- Spatial axes in language and conceptualisation 21
- “I woke up from the sofa” 41
- Metonymy in locatives of state 67
-
Part II: The human perspective
- Body part names and grammaticalization 101
- On distinguishing between ‘recipient’ and ‘beneficiary’ in Finnish 129
- Oblique mentions of human referents in Finnish conversation 153
-
Part III: Person
- Person in Finnish 173
- Zero person in Finnish 209
- Passive — personal or impersonal? 233
- References 257
- Index of terms 277
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Abbreviations & transcription symbols vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- Introduction 1
- An introduction to Finnish spatial relations 11
-
Part I: Space and location
- Spatial axes in language and conceptualisation 21
- “I woke up from the sofa” 41
- Metonymy in locatives of state 67
-
Part II: The human perspective
- Body part names and grammaticalization 101
- On distinguishing between ‘recipient’ and ‘beneficiary’ in Finnish 129
- Oblique mentions of human referents in Finnish conversation 153
-
Part III: Person
- Person in Finnish 173
- Zero person in Finnish 209
- Passive — personal or impersonal? 233
- References 257
- Index of terms 277
