Part 15

III. It is used analogously to the adessive (No. IV), to express cessation from an occupation, game, or meal. =Miehet tulivat ongelta=, _the men came home from fishing_. =Tulimme päivälliseltä=, _we came from dinner_. =Lapset lakkasivat sokkosilta=, _the children stopped playing blind man’s buff_.

IV. The ablative denotes motion from a person or from his house. =Vierahat tulivat teiltä=, _the strangers came from you_. =Palvelija tuli isännältä=, _the servant came from his master_. Cf. =Ostin tavaroita kauppamieheltä=, _I bought some goods of the merchant_. So also =Minä sain äidiltäni kirjeen=, _I received a letter from my mother_. =Kysyivät häneltä=, _they asked of him_.

V. From the idea of separation the ablative comes to denote the person who loses anything or from whom anything is hidden, defended, etc. It becomes in fact very nearly what is called the ‘dativus incommodi’ in Latin Grammar. =Häneltä kuoli äiti=, _his mother died_ (_died from him_). =Ei Jumala kiellä lapsiltansa iloa=, _God does not forbid joy to his children_. =Ei tytär salaa äidiltänsä mitään=, _the daughter hides nothing from her mother_.

VI. The cause which prevents an action is put in the ablative. =Tyttö ei päässyt kotoa astiain pesulta=, _the maid could not leave the house because she had to wash the things_. =En jouda kesäisiltä kiirehiltä=, _I cannot come on account of the work that has to be done in summer_. =En voinut nukkua koiran haukunnalta=, _I could not sleep on account of the dogs barking_.

VII. The ablative is also used to denote the part or quality with respect to which anything is predicated of an object. =Hän on hyvä tavoiltansa=, _he has a good disposition_. =Munat ovat väriltään ja suuruudeltaan erilaisia=, _eggs are of different colours and sizes_. =Poika on iältään jo kymmenvuotias=, _the boy is ten years old_ (_in his life_). =Tyttö on solakka varreltaan=, _the girl has a graceful figure_. =Ukko on vielä ketterä jalalta=, _the old man is still quick-footed_. =Tunnen hänen näöltä=, _I know him by sight_. =Mies on Matti nimeltä=, _the man is Matthew by name_.

VIII. It is apparently to this use that must be traced such expressions as =maistua hyvältä=, =karvaalta=, _to taste good_ or _bitter_.

Verbs which express the impression made by an object on the senses are generally followed by an adjective in the ablative describing the nature of the sensation. If it is remembered that the distinction between the adjective and substantive is very slight, we may explain such a phrase as =näyttää kauniilta= as _looks with regard to beauty_, that is, _looks beautiful_.

Examples—=Hän näyti Saksalaiselta=, _he looked like a German_. =Miltä nyt tuntuu?= _how do you feel now?_ =Mansikka maistuu makealta=, _strawberries taste sweet_. =Se näyttää luonnollisemmalta=, _it seems more natural_.

_Allative._

I. The allative expresses motion on to or into the neighbourhood of an object. =Lapsi putosi lattialle=, _the child fell on to the floor_. =Tahdotteko viedä minun Uudelle Kadulle?= _will you show me the way to New Street?_ =Lähen Pohjolan tuville, Lapin lasten tanterille=, _I go to the dwellings of the North, to the plains of the Laplanders_.

II. It expresses also the external circumstances of an action when those circumstances are regarded as not already existing, but as to be entered on. =Koska saatte työnne alkeille?= _when will your work be begun?_ =Minä panen kankaan kuteille=, _I put the stuff to be woven_.

III. Like the adessive and ablative it is used of occupations, games, or meals, in which one engages, but always with the idea of entering on or beginning. =Menkäämme ongelle=, _let us go and fish_. =Emäntä on käskenyt ruoalle=, _the mistress of the house has asked us to dinner_. =Olen kutsuttu kahville=, _I am invited to take coffee_. =Lapset rupeevat piilosille=, _the children begin to play hide and seek_.

IV. From meaning motion into the neighbourhood of an object or to the house of anyone (e.g. =Meille tuli vieraita=, _guests came to see us_), it comes to be used as a dative to express the remote object of an action. =Äiti antoi kirjan pojallensa=, _the mother gave a book to her son_. =Jumala on laupias syntisille=, _God is merciful to sinners_. =Olen kiitollinen teille=, _I am obliged to you_; =olen ottanut itselleni vapauden=, _I have taken (for myself) the liberty_. =Minun on mahdoton määrätä aikaa takaisin tulolleni=, _I cannot fix the date of my return_.

V. The allative is sometimes, though rarely, used in the way described under the ablative IX. =Ilma näyttää kauniille=, _the weather looks fine_. Cf. Kal. xli. 23. =Jo kävi ilo ilolle=, =Riemu riemulle remahti=, =Tuntui soito soitannalle=, etc.

_Abessive._

The abessive expresses the absence of anything.

=Joka syyttä suuttuu, Se lahjatta leppyy=,

_He who is angry without a cause is reconciled without a reward_ (proverb).

=Joka kuritta kasvaa, Se kunniatta kuolee=,

_He who grows up without education dies without honour_ (proverb), =Olkaa huoletta=, _don’t trouble yourself_ (_be without care_). =Elä suihki sutsunatta, Eläkäräämi rätsinättä, Elä liiku liinaisetta= (Kal. xxiii. 215), _go not without raiment, wander not without a shirt, stray not without a kerchief_. =Vanhempien tiedotta=, _without the knowledge of one’s parents_. =Muitten avutta=, _without the help of others_.

For emphasis the particle =ilman= is placed before the abessive.

=Ilman tau’in tappamatta, Ottamatta oivan surman=,

_Without being slain by disease or taken by a natural death_ (Kal. xvi. 178, 9).

The use of the abessive of the third infinitive is particularly frequent, see below, p. 193.

_Essive._

I. The original use of the essive is locative, but this only survives in some adverbial expressions: =ulkona=, _out of doors_; =kaukana=, _far_; =luona=, _near_; =takana=, _behind_; =kotona=, _at home_; =läsnä olla=, _to be present_; =kokonansa=, _altogether_ (_in its entirety_); =keskenänne=, =keskenänsä=, etc., _between you, them_; and such expressions as =olla rannempana=, _to be near shore_; =olla sisempänä=, _to be inside_.

II. From this use comes that denoting a definite period of time during which something happens; =tänäpänä=, _to-day_; =huomenna=, _to-morrow_; =Maanantaina=, =Tiistaina=, etc., _on Monday, Tuesday,_ etc. =En ole maannut kolmena viimeisenä yönä=, _I have not slept there the last three nights_. =Ihmiset käyvät pyhänä kirkossa=, _people go to church on a Saint’s day_. =Eip’ on toiste tullutkana, Ei toiste sinä ikänä=, _She never came again, Never again in this life_ (Kal. v. 138). =Jo päivänä muutamana, huomenna moniahana= (Kal. v. 53).

III. From a metaphorical use of this local meaning the essive comes to denote the character or state in which the subject of a sentence is. It is used thus—

(1) As the predicate. =Isäni on pappina=, _my father is a priest_.

=Taivas köyhän kattona, Maantie permantona= (proverb),

_The sky is the roof of the poor man and the high road his floor_. =Mikä on asiana?= _what’s the matter?_

(2) As the appositional case.

=Minkä nuorena oppii Sen vanhana muistaa= (proverb),

_What one learns young one remembers when old_. =Nuorna vitsa väännettävä=, _one should bend the bough while it’s young_ (proverb). =Poikana minä en tuntenut häntä=, _as a boy I never knew him_.

_Translative._

I. The original meaning of the translative, like that of the illative and allative, seems to be motion to; but this only survives in a few adverbs. =Ulos=, _out of doors_ (‘foras’); =luoksi= or =luoʻ=, _to_; =taakse= or =taaʻ=, _backwards_; =sisemmäksi=, _inwards_; =rannemmaksi=, _nearer shore_.

II. In a temporal sense the translative is used to express the time in which a thing _is to be_ (not _was_) accomplished. =Poika rupesi palvelukseen vuodeksi=, _the boy entered service for a year_. =Hän jäi meille yöksi=, _he stayed with us for the night_ (the event, though in the past, is regarded from the point of view when it was future).

It also expresses a limit of time: =tämä kirja valmistuu jouluksi=, _the book will be ready by Christmas_. =Voinko saada ne ensi maanantaiksi?= _can I have them by next Monday?_

It is also used to express place in numerical order. =Ensiksi=, _first_, _in the first place_; =toiseksi=, _in the second place_.

III. The most frequent signification of the translative is metaphorical, viz. the state into which anyone or anything passes. It can be used thus after transitive and intransitive verbs. =Tulla köyhäksi=, _to become poor_. =Ilma ei muutu selkeäksi=, _the weather does not become clearer_. =Ne tulevat valmiiksi=, _they will be ready_. =Myrsky käy raivoisaksi=, _the storm grows high_. =Emäntä leipoi jauhot leiviksi=, _the housewife baked the flour into bread_. =Itse tuon sanoiksi virkkoi=, (frequent phrase in Kalevala), _himself thus put this into words_. =Kaupunki paloi tuhaksi=, _the town was burnt to ashes_.

It is also used as a complement after verbs of naming, calling, considering, perceiving, etc. (_v._ p. 201), the idea being that in consequence of the action of such verbs the object passes into a new state. =Kutsutte minun mestariksi ja Herraksi=, _ye call me master and Lord_. =Näkivät hänen kuolleeksi=, _they saw he was dead_. =Älkää pahaksi panko=, _don’t take it amiss_. =Tunnen itseni hyvin sairaaksi=, _I feel very ill_. The verb =pitää= is peculiar in always taking the essive, and not translative, after it. E.g. =Pitää jotakin häpeänä=, _to think a thing a shame_.

IV. It also expresses the purpose or use for which anything serves. =Hän kelpaa opettajaksi=, _he is fit for a schoolmaster_. =Mitä voin tehdä palvelukseksenne?= _what can I do for you (for your service)?_ =Olkoon tämä teille opiksi=, _let this be a lesson to you_. =Yhtiö lasten suojelemiseksi=, _a society for protecting children_. =Juon viiniä terveydekseni=, _I drink wine for my health_. =Juoda onneksi=, _to drink to some one’s health_.

By an extension of this use the translative is used almost like the essive (cf. the dative of the complement in Latin). =Se on hänelle häpeäksi=, _he ought to be ashamed of it_ (_it is for a shame to him_). Compare also =miksi?= _why?_

The translative can be used idiomatically in such phrases as _He speaks Finnish well for a foreigner_, or _considering that he is a foreigner_, =hän puhuu suomea hyvin ulkomaalaiseksi=. So too, =Laiva on purreksi hyvä kulkemaan=, _the ship goes well for a sailing-boat_. =Poika on liian viisas ikäiseksensä=, _the boy is very clever for his age_. A good example of this use is found in Kal. v. 63 ff. =Sileähk’ on silkaseksi=, =Kuleahka kuujaseksi=, =Evätöin emäkalaksi=, =Ihala imehnoksiki=, =Pää-rivatoin neitoseksi=, =Vyötöin veen on tyttöseksi, Korvitoin kotikanaksi=.

VI. This use is analogous to the adverbial use of the translative, which is frequent. For instance, =pahaksi= (or =kovaksi=), =hyväksi onneksi=, _fortunately, unfortunately_. =Osaksi=, _partly_. =Elää herroiksi=, _to live en grand seigneur_.

With this may be compared its use to express the language in which anything is written. =Kirja on käännetty suomeksi=, _the book is translated in Finnish_. So =Saksaksi=, _in German_; =Ruotsiksi=, _in Swedish_; =Venäjäksi=, _in Russian_.

_Comitative._

I. The comitative is used to express the person in whose company, or the object in connection with which an action takes place. It is always used in spoken Finnish in the plural, even if only one person or object is referred to, but in the old language and in printed books the singular is sometimes found. It nearly always takes a pronominal affix. =Mies meni pois vaimoinensa=, _the man went away with his wife_. =Vetivät verkon kaloinensa=, _they drew in the net with the fish_. =Otti lapsen äitinensä=, _he took the child with its mother_. =Kesä on tullut ihanine ilmoinensa=, _the summer is come with beautiful weather_. =Sata miestä miekkoinensa=, _a hundred men with their swords_ (Kal. xi. 100).

When the comitative is combined with an attribute, the latter frequently ends in =n=, not =ne=. For instance, =järvet saoin saarinensa=, _lakes with a hundred islands_ (Kal. xxiv. 459). =Ei hänen sovi tulla tänne tuhmin tapoinensa=, _he ought not to come here with his foolish ways_. =Älä tule sisään likaisin jalkoinesi=, _don’t come in with your dirty feet_.

Copious examples of this case will be found in Kalevala, xxiv. 444-462. =Jää nyt pirtti terveheksi, Pirtti lautakattonesi=, etc.

_Instructive._

I. The instructive is used to express the instrument or the manner in which an action is performed. The instructive of substantives is chiefly used of parts of the body and in modern Finnish always in the plural. =Paljain jaloin=, _with bare legs, barelegged_. =Poika meni ulkos paljain päin=, _the boy went out bareheaded_. =Omin käsin=, _with one’s own hands_; =omin silmin=, _with one’s own eyes_. =Ristissä käsin=, _with hands crossed_. =Kaikki huonekalut ovat sikin sokin=, _all the furniture is topsy-turvy_. =Kulkea jalan=, _to go on foot_. =Alla päin=, _with one’s head hanging down_ (Kal. iii. 501 and following lines). =On meillä valta omin luvin tulla huoneesenne=, _we have authority to come into your room without asking leave_. =Kahden ynnä=, _both together_; =yksin mielin=, _with one accord_; =yksin syntyi Wäinämöinen=, _Wäinämöinen was born alone_.

It is noticeable that generally when this case is used, either a noun with an adjective is found or two nouns both in the instructive. Thus one can say =kissa repi ovea kynsin hampain=, whereas if only one word were used it would be better to use =kynsillä= _or_ =hampailla=.

The instructive rarely takes pronominal suffixes. Kal. ix. 507, 509, =En liiku omin lihoini ... En väiky omin väkini=.

II. The instructive of adjectives is frequently used adverbially to express manner.

(1) The instructive _singular_ of an adjective is used adverbially to qualify another adjective or adverb in the positive. =Tavattoman kaunis=, _exceedingly beautiful_; =kauhean ruma=, _horribly ugly_; =hyvin hyvä=, _very good_; =tämä yö oli hirveän pitkä=, _the night was terribly long_.

(2) The instrumental _plural_ of adjectives in the comparative or superlative is used to define verbs. =Puhu nopeammin=, _speak quicker_; =aurinko paistaa kirkkaammin=, _the sun shines brighter_.

III. The instructive plural is also used in a temporal sense, and denotes an indefinite or recurring period of time. Thus =linnut laulavat illoin=, =aamuin=, _the birds sing in the morning_, _in the evening_ (whereas if a definite morning or evening is meant the essive must be used). In this sense the termination =sin= is often used, which is really the instructive plural of an adjective with a nominative =nen= formed from the noun. Thus =me alamme työn aamuisin kello kahdeksasta=, _we begin to work at eight in the morning_. =Iltaisin rupeamme aikaisemmin maata=, _we go to led earlier in the evening_. =Hän tekee talvisin kauppamatkoja=, _he makes business journeys in the winter_. =Onko teillä tapa valvoa öisin?= _are you in the habit of not sleeping at night?_

This same ending is added to substantives in a sense somewhat analogous to the prolative. =Minä menen rautateisin=, _I go by rail_. =Sotaväki matkusti osaksi maisin osaksi merisin=, _the troops travelled partly by land, partly by sea_.

_Prolative._

This case is rarely used, and in fact has no sense when formed from any but substantives expressing some kind of local position. It expresses motion by or over anything, and is chiefly employed in adverbial expressions, and generally in the plural. =Tulla meritse tai maitse=, _to come by sea or land_. =Järven ranatse=, _along the shore of the lake_. =Niemen nenitse=, _round the promontory_. =Aalloitse=, _by sea_. =Minä kylvän kyyhättelen Luojan sormien lomitse=, _I sow by the finger of God_ (lit. through the interval of the fingers). Kal. ii. 297 =(Mehiläinen lenti) Otavaisten olkapäitse, Seitsentähty en selitse=, _(the bee flew) over the shoulder of the great bear, over the back of the seven stars_.

THE ADJECTIVE.

Most of the peculiarities of the Finnish Adjective have been already noticed. The various rules for its concord with a substantive have been given on p. 128 f., and rules for the cases used after comparatives and superlatives on pp. 136 & 143. With reference, however, to this latter subject, it may be as well to recapitulate the rules.

_Comparative._ After an adjective in the comparative can be used:—

I. The word =kuin=, followed by the substantive in the proper case. =Oletkos sinä suurempi kuin meidän isämme Abraham?= _art thou greater than our father Abraham?_

II. Or else the word =kuin= is omitted and the substantive is put in the partitive. The sentence quoted above from the Bible might have been equally well written—=Oletkos sinä suurempi meidän isäämme Abrahamia?=

III. Such expressions as ‘it is better to,’ and the like, are rendered by =parempi on= (_or_ =olisi=), with the first infinitive. =Parempi on nöyränä olla=, _it is better to be humble_.

_The superlative_ can be used either absolutely, or with some word depending on it in such phrases as ‘_the greatest of kings_’. Such a word is put either in the partitive or in the elative, with very little difference in the meaning. The elative, however, implies reference to a more definite class than the partitive. =Suurin kuninkaita= is _greatest of kings_; but =suurin kuninkaista=, _the greatest of the kings_.

Not only are adjectives and substantives declined in exactly the same manner, but the distinction between them is very slight. The same form is sometimes used both as a noun and an adjective e.g. =lysti=, =ikävä=, or adjectives are used in cases which seem to imply that they have a substantival meaning; =Olla lujassa=, _to be firm_; =olla kylmillä=, _to be cold_. Some substantives can be compared, as if they were adjectives. =Rannempi=, _nearer shore_, =mielellämmin=, _more agreeably_; so too =syrjempi= (=syrjä=), =talvempana=, =keväämpänä=, popular expressions for _later in winter_ or _spring_. =Minä jätän illemmäksi=, _I leave it till later in the evening_.

PRONOUNS.

_Personal Pronouns._

The personal pronouns are always employed when there is any emphasis on them in English; otherwise, they are mostly omitted, the termination of the verb indicating the person with sufficient clearness. Thus one says, =Minä olen sen tehnyt, et sinä=, _I did it, not you_; but =Tahtoisin lähteä huomenna, jos ette pane vastaan=, _I should like to leave to-morrow if you have no objection_.

If the subject of _both_ a principal and subordinate sentence is a pronoun of the first or second person, it is always omitted in the subordinate sentence. =Ottakaa mitä tahdotte=, _take what you like_. =Hän sanoi ettei tunne tätä miestä=, _he said he did not know the man_.

=Sinä= and =Te= are used with much the same distinction as =Du= and =Sie= in German, that is to say, the plural is used out of politeness when speaking with anyone but inferiors or intimate friends.

_Possessive Pronouns._

There are no pronominal adjectives in Finnish corresponding to _my_, _thy_, etc. Their place is supplied (_a_) by the genitive of the personal pronoun, (_b_) more frequently by the pronominal affixes.

When the possessive pronoun is emphatic, both the genitive and the affix are used, and in the Bible this construction is frequent, even when there is no particular emphasis. As a rule, however, the affix alone is sufficient in the 1st and 2nd persons.

The affix of the 3rd person, however, is used alone only when it refers to the subject of the principal verb; for instance, =Hän ei nähnyt vaimoansa=, _he has not seen his wife_; but =Ettekö nähneet hänen vaimoansa?= _have you not seen his wife?_ Similarly, _He has not seen his_ (another person’s) _wife_ must be rendered, =Hän ei nähnyt hänen vaimoansa=.

Such a sentence as _that is mine_ is rendered by =Se on minun=. =Ei minun oppini ole minun=, _my doctrine is not mine_.

_It is I_ is rendered by =minä olen=.

The affixes =ni=, =si=, =nsa=, etc. have a simple possessive sense when added to nouns, but they are added to a variety of other words under circumstances which render it impossible to translate them by the possessive pronoun in English. It would appear that they simply denote that the pronoun which they represent is to be taken in connection with the word to which they are added. When the two ideas of House and I are taken together this naturally means ‘my house,’ but other combinations have to be rendered in a different manner.

I. In old Finnish, particularly in the Bible, they are added to the cases of the personal pronouns for emphasis. =Tutkikaat raamatuita, sillä niissä te luulette teillenne ijankaikkisen elämän olevan=, _search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal life_ (S. John v. 39). =Puhukaan itse hänestänsä=, _let him speak for himself_ (S. John ix. 21). =Että te rakastaisitte teitänne keskenänne=, _that ye might love one another_ (S. John xiii. 34). This use is found chiefly in the western dialect of Finnish.

II. They are similarly added to various adjectives. =En minä ole yksinäni=, _am not alone_. Cf. the use of =hyvänsä= with pronouns. Similarly in such phrases as =rakastakaa toinen toistanne=, etc. (_vide_ p. 171). =Olkoon sinänsä=, _let it be_; =olla semmoisenansa=, _to be like it_ or _him_; =jättää työ siksensä=, _to leave one’s work as it is_. =Hän on suorastansa hullu=, _he is a perfect fool_. Cf. =mieleiseni=, _agreeable to me_.

III. They are very commonly added to postpositions (_vide_ p. 203 ff.), or to adverbs (which however are mostly cases of nouns or adjectives). =Ainoastansa=, =kokonansa=; =yhtenään=, =yleensä=.

IV. They are also added to infinitives and participles in many constructions (_vide_ pp. 184-200).

_Demonstrative Pronouns._

The demonstrative pronouns are as follows:—

=Tämä=, _this_, is used of both persons and things. =Nämä talot ovat minun=, _these houses are mine_. =Tällä miehellä ei ole rahaa=, _this man has no money_. =Tuo=, _that_, is also used of both persons and things. =Tuo tyttö on kaunis=, _that girl is good-looking_. =Tuo ei ole oikein=, _that is not correct_.

=Se= is used of the third person if anything but a human being is spoken of. =Missä on koira? Se ei ole huoneessa=, _where is the dog? He’s not in the room_. =Ne kalat ovat pienet=, _these fish are small_. =Mitä pidätte siitä=, _what do you think of it?_ In popular language and in the Kalevala it is also used as the equivalent of =hän=. =Se puhuu totta=, _he speaks the truth_. =Se mies joka paikkansa pitää= (proverb), _he is a man who keeps his place_. It is also used adjectively to emphasize a word, and often corresponds to our article. =Se koira vinkasi johon kalikka kävi=, _the dog who is hit howls_ (proverb).

_Reflexive Pronouns._

The reflexive pronoun in Finnish is supplied by the oblique cases of =Itse=, _self_, always with the addition of the proper possessive affix. The genitive, however, is rarely used, and only with prepositions. =Ostin itselleni hatun=, _I bought myself a hat_. =Itsestänsä paha pappi saarnaa= (proverb), _a bad priest preaches about himself_. =Tunne itsesi=, _know thyself_. =Auta itseäsi ja jumala sinua auttaa=, _help yourself and God will help you_. _Vide_ below (p. 170) for other uses of this word =itse=.

The genitive of the reflexive pronoun is supplied by the adjective =oma=, _own_, corresponding to the Russian =свой=. The noun qualified by this adjective takes the proper pronominal affix. =Minä otin oman osani, ja hän ei sinun osaasi ottanut vaan oman osansa=, _I took my share, and he did not take your share, but his own share_. =Oma= has not always the reflexive meaning, but is used simply for emphasis as ‘my own,’ etc. in English. =Tämä on minun oma taloni=, _this is my own cottage_. =Omat on virret oppimani, omat saamani sanaiset.= It is also used without reference to a definite subject to mean ‘one’s own.’

=Omat maat makuisimmat Omat metsät mieluisimmat.=