Questions & Answers about Tämä on iso yhteiskunnallinen ongelma.
How is the adjective yhteiskunnallinen formed from a noun?
It comes from the noun yhteiskunta (society). When adding the -llinen suffix, you attach it to the word's weak stem. The consonant cluster nt weakens to nn through consonant gradation, giving the stem yhteiskunna-. Add the suffix, and you get yhteiskunnallinen.
Is yhteiskunta a compound word? What are its parts?
Yes, it is! It is built from yhteinen (common, shared), which frequently appears in compound words as the prefix form yhteis-, and kunta (municipality, community). Together, this 'shared community' translates to 'society'.
What does the -llinen suffix actually mean when added to a noun?
It turns a noun into an adjective meaning 'relating to', 'having the quality of', or 'characterized by' that noun. It acts exactly like the English suffixes '-al' (societal), '-ly' (like ystävällinen for friendly), or '-ful' (like rauhallinen for peaceful).
Why is the word order iso yhteiskunnallinen ongelma rather than yhteiskunnallinen iso ongelma?
Adjective order in Finnish works very similarly to English here. General descriptive adjectives of size or quality like iso (big) almost always come before classifying or categorical adjectives like yhteiskunnallinen (societal).