-lain

Ingrian

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *-lainen. Cognates include Finnish -lainen and Estonian -lane.

The sense "kind of" developed separately, ultimately from a combination of Old Swedish slagh +‎ -in, probably via Finnish -lainen.

Pronunciation

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /-lɑi̯ne/, [-ɫɑi̯n]
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /-lɑi̯n/, [-ɫɑi̯n]

Suffix

-lain (front vowel variant -läin)

1. Used to form ethnonyms from plural ethnonyms and names of locations.

   ‎ižorat (“Ingrians”) + ‎-lain → ‎ižoralain (“Ingrian”)

2. Used to form nouns for people that are characterised by the suffixed noun.

   ‎api (“help”) + ‎-lain → ‎apilain (“helper”)

3. Used to form adjectives indicating a smaller degree of a quality; kind of

   ‎yks (“one, same”) + ‎-lain → ‎yhenlain (“similar”)

Usage notes

• In its oblique forms, this suffix always carries secondary stress in polysyllabic words.
• When used in the sense "kind of", the suffix not always follows vowel harmony:

  ‎min (“of what?”) (front vocalic) + ‎-lain → ‎millain, milläin (“what kind of?”) (front or back vocalic)

• Note that due to assimilation, the suffix may take the form -llain when following a word originally ending in -n:

  ‎kaiken (“all”) (genitive) + ‎-lain → ‎kaikellain (“all kinds of”)

Declension

Declension of -lain (type 1/kärpäin, no gradation)
	singular	plural
nominative	-lain	-laiset
genitive	-laisen	-laisiin
partitive	-laista, -laist	-laisia
illative	-laisee	-laisii
inessive	-laisees	-laisiis
elative	-laisest	-laisist
allative	-laiselle	-laisille
adessive	-laiseel	-laisiil
ablative	-laiselt	-laisilt
translative	-laiseks	-laisiks
essive	-laisenna, -laiseen	-laisinna, -laisiin
exessive1)	-laisent	-laisint
1) obsolete *) the accusative corresponds with either the genitive (sg) or nominative (pl) **) the comitative is formed by adding the suffix -ka? or -kä? to the genitive.

Derived terms

Ingrian terms suffixed with -lain

References

• Arvo Laanest (1966) “Ижорский Язык”, in Финно-Угорские и Самодийские языки (Языки народов СССР), volume 3, Moscow: Наука, page 107

Votic

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *-lainen.

Suffix

-lain

1. Forms nouns with the meaning of "inhabitant", or agent nouns that have the characteristic of the noun that it is derived from

   viro (“Estonia”) → virolain (“an Estonian person”)

   õma (“own”) → õmalain (“relative, ally, one's own people”)

   ühsi (“one”) → ühsilain (“lonely person”)

Inflection

Declension of -lain (type XII/sinin, no gradation)
	singular	plural
nominative	-lain	-laizõd
genitive	-laizõ	-laisiijõ, -laisii
partitive	-laissõ	-laisiitõ, -laisii
illative	-laisõ, -laisõsõ	-laisiisõ
inessive	-laizõz	-laisiiz
elative	-laizõssõ	-laisiissõ
allative	-laizõlõ	-laisiilõ
adessive	-laizõllõ	-laisiillõ
ablative	-laizõltõ	-laisiiltõ
translative	-laizõssi	-laisiissi
*) the accusative corresponds with either the genitive (sg) or nominative (pl) **) the terminative is formed by adding the suffix -ssaa to the short illative (sg) or the genitive. ***) the comitative is formed by adding the suffix -ka to the genitive.

Derived terms

Votic terms suffixed with -lain