Aside from consonant
gradation, which tells us the grade of each stem, nominal ending is another
important factor that may affect how cases are attached to the stem.
There are two types of
ending in this case: Words ending in a vowel and words ending in a consonant.
There are
four important forms to learn when encountering a new word. These forms are not
irregular, nor are they unpredictable. They are the foundations of all Kven nominals.
1. Grade 0
weak/strong stem (Nominative/basic form/dictionary form)
e.g. kirja (a book), raha (money), ratas (tire), laki (law)
2. Grade –1 weak stem
e.g. kirja-, raha-, ratas-, laji-
3. Grade +1
strong stem (not for all word)
e.g. rahha-, rathaa-, lakkii-
4. Partitive singular
e.g. kirjaa, rahhaa, ratasta, lakkii
|
Words ending in a vowel |
Words ending in a consonant |
|
-i -VV (words of one syllable, with two
vowels at the end. *V = vowel) -e -a,
-ä,
-o,
-ö,
-u, -y -nu, -ny, -lu, -ly, -su, -sy, -ru Exception: Comparative -mpi |
-et -nen -än -ton/-tön -as -is -us, -ys, -os, -ös, -es -uus -ut/-yt -el, -en, -er, or -ar -tar、-tär Exception: Superlative -in |