Noun_classification in Finnish

The noun classification system is simple in Finnish, and even simpler than that of English. The only classification factor of the Finnish nouns is the human / non human distinction. This can be observed through the usage of the third person singular pronouns.

se on pOydA - llA.

3sg.it.nom. be.pres.3sg. table.sg.-ade. 'It is on the table (Lehtinen 32).'

hAn on helsingi - ssA.

3sg.person.nom. be.pres.3sg. Helsinki -ine. 'He / She is in Helsinki (Lehtinen 32).'

As stated above, human / non human distinction is the only class-determining factor of the Finnish nouns, there is no gender distinction in Finnish. Then, the third person singular pronoun 'hAn' is interpreted either English 'he' or 'she' in Finnish.

In some languages with rich noun classification system, verbs take different forms according to the noun classes which the subject or the object belongs to. In Swahili, for example, different morphemes are attached to the verb root for the subject-verb and object-verb agreement, based on the noun classes the subject or the object belongs to. There is the subject-verb agreement system also in Finnish, but, as the examples above show, the verb 'ole (English 'to be') ' takes the same form regardless of the classes the subject belongs to.

In English, sometimes animals are referred to by 'he' or 'she,' the pronouns for persons. In Finnish, on the other hand, animals can never be referred to by 'hAn' or 'he,' the third person plural form of 'hAn,' and Lehtinen says even pets can never be referred to by 'hAn' or 'he (Lehtinen 32).'

Another reason for simplified noun classification system in Finnish is that Finnish has no classifiers.

In English, the classifier, 'a spoonful of,' for example, is used for sugar, and if a classifier is used for a noun, then the noun is uncountable in English. In Finnish, there is a distinction between countable nouns (objects) and the uncountable nouns (substance), but the case marking, not the classifier, is used for this distinction.

se on kuppi.

it.nom.sg. be.pres.3sg. cup.nom.sg. 'It is a cup (Lehtinen 16).'

se on kahvi - a.

it.nom.sg. be.pres.3sg. coffee-par. 'It is coffee (Lehtinen 16).'

As 'kuppi' (cup) is countable (objects) in Finnish, the nominative case is used as a predicate. 'Kahvi' (coffee) is, on the other hand, is uncountable (substance) and then, the partitive case singular, not the nominative case, is used for the predicate. The same thing happens to 'sokeri' (sugar), which in English, requires the classifier.

se on sokeri - a.

it.nom.sg. be.pres.3sg. sugar-par. 'It is sugar (Lehtinen 17).'

This objects / substance distinction, then, seems to be another classifying factor of the Finnish nouns. However, as the case system is used for the distinction of these two classes, these two facts below make this distinction unclear.

(1) The subject of the sentence needs to be in the nominative case even when substance is the subject, and

(2) countable nouns, objects, also take the partitive singular forms when preceded by the numerals.

se on maito -a.

it.nom.sg. be.pres.3sg. milk-par. 'It is milk (Lehtinen 17).'

In this example above, 'maito' (milk) is in the partitive case and shows that 'maito' is substance. In the example below, on the other hand,

maito on pOydA - llA.

milk.nom.sg. be.pres.3sg. table.sg. - ela. 'Milk is on the table (Lehtinen 17).'

'maito' is in the nominative case and behaves in the same way as objects do. There is, then, no way to distinguish between objects and substance either morphologically or syntactically.

Sometimes, the countable nouns, objects, behave similarly as substance does when followed by the numerals.

yksi oppilas tulee koulu - sta.

one student.nom.sg. come.3sg.(0) school-ela.

'One student is coming from school (Lehtinen 98).'

kuustitoista oppilas - ta tulee koulu - sta.

sixteen student.sg.-par. come.3sg.(0) school-ela.

'Sixteen students are coming from school (Lehtinen 98).'

In the example above, the countable nouns, objects, are treated in the same way as substance is morphologically, for 'oppilas-ta' above is in the partitive singular case.

As these examples above show, substance are sometimes treated in the same way as the countable nouns are, and objects behave the same way as substance does. Although the Finnish grammar makes a distinction between objects and substance, the distinction between them is not clear, for this distinction is made only on the basis of the case marking. Then, it can be concluded that objects / substance distinction fails to clearly classify the Finnish nouns.

keys

A: low, front, unrouded, lax vowel

O: low, front, rounded vowel

nom.: nominative

par.: partitive

ela.: elative

ade: adessive

ine: inessive

pres.: present

3sg.: third person singular

Works Cited

Lehtinen, Meri. Basic Course in Finnish Indiana University Publications, Uralic and Altaic series, Vol. 27. 1962. Bloomington.