Reconstruction:Proto-Finnic/-ja

From Proto-Uralic *-ja (participle ending). Related to Proto-Samic *-jē.

*-ja / *-jä

1. Forms agent nouns from verbs.
2. -ing; forms the present (active) participle, which is used as an adjective.

   Synonym: *-pa

When attached to verbs with a stem in -e-, this changes to -i-. This takes place in most Finnic descendants, but it is uncertain whether this change already occurred in Proto-Finnic.

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

• Estonian: -ja
• Finnish: -ja
• Ingrian: -ja
• Karelian:
  • North Karelian: -ja
  • South Karelian: -ja
• Livonian: -ji
• Livvi: -i
• Ludian: -i
• Veps: -i
• Võro: -ja, -j
• Votic: -ja

Probably cognate with Komi-Zyrian -я (-ja) (in e.g. дыря (dyra)) and Udmurt -я (-ja) (in e.g. дыря (dyra)),^[1] in which case from Proto-Finno-Permic *-ja. Compare the illative suffix *-jen (found in e.g. some Estonian dialects and cognate with Proto-Samic *-jën).

*-ja / *-jä

1. Forms nouns, mainly place names or other locative nouns, from nominal stems.

• >? Finnish: -ja (in toponyms like Kytäjä, Lohtaja, Ypäjä)

*k-lative (*-jak):

• Estonian: -ja (in dialectal edaja < *etä-jäk), possibly the same suffix as -ja in salaja
• Finnish: -ia (in kahtia, kotia...)
• >? Livonian: -i (in kuodāi < *kota-jak, if not *kota-jën)

With external locative suffixes *-lla, *-len, *-lta:

• Finnish: -alla, -alle, -alta (probably at least partially)