Editing Finnish grammar (section)

=====''-e'' nouns=====
Most present-day -e nouns derive from older *-eh (<*-eš) or *-ek stems in which the consonant has been lost, which also explains why words in this class behave differently from the -i/-e class, which underwent word-final vowel raising in the nominative singular, such as *''saar'''e''''' > ''saar'''i''''' ('island') but ''saar'''e'''n'', ''saar'''e'''lla, etc.'' ('island's', 'on the island'). Class -e word-final consonant does not survive in any form of the paradigm, although the existence of a consonant is still seen in that the nominative singular form (citation form) shows weak gradation, and strong grade vowel stem to which most case suffixes are applied.   

E-stem words have an additional e in the inflected stem: {{lang|fi|perhe}} 'family' (< *''pereh'' via metathesis), but {{lang|fi|perhee-}}, so {{lang|fi|perheessä}}, {{lang|fi|perheellä}}, etc.; which represents the historical loss of a medial consonant.  
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!
! colspan="3" |''perhe''
! colspan="3" |liike
|-
|Singular
|'''Phase 1'''
<nowiki>*</nowiki>pereš(e-)
|'''Phase 2'''
<nowiki>*</nowiki>pereh(e-)
|'''Now'''
|'''Phase 1'''
<nowiki>*</nowiki>liik'ek :
<nowiki>*</nowiki>liikkege-
|'''Phase 2'''
<nowiki>*</nowiki>liikeh :
<nowiki>*</nowiki>liikkehe-
|'''Now'''
|-
|nominative
|*pereš
|*pere<u>h</u>
|''perhe''
|*liik'ek
|*liike<u>h</u>
|''liike''
|-
|genitive
|*pereše-n
|*pere<u>h</u>e-n
|''perheen''
|*lii'''kk'''eg-en
|*lii'''kk'''e<u>h</u>e-n
|''liikkeen''
|-
|illative
|*pereše-sen
|*pere<u>h</u>e-se(he)n
|''perheeseen''
|*lii'''kk'''ege-sen
|*lii'''kk'''e<u>h</u>e-se(he)n
|''liikkeeseen''
|}
However, in some dialects, the much older *-š and *-k stems have shifted to {{lang|fi|-s}} and {{lang|fi|-t}} instead, for instance in [[Ostrobothnia (administrative region)|Pohjanmaa]] dialect [[wiktionary:vene#Finnish|*weneš]] > ''venes'' for standard ''vene'' ('boat') and [[wiktionary:kaste#Finnish|*kastëk]] > ''kastet'' for standard ''kaste'' ('dew').

The partitive stem behaves yet differently due to a loss of word-medial -e- in some contexts before the change from *-k- to *-h- took place, in which the consonant has been assimilated to a {{lang|fi|-t-}} before it occurred in the context for being lost.  Other case endings are suffixed to the strong grade/vowel stem.

:{| class="wikitable"
|-
|+ ''-e'' nouns
|-
! case !! {{lang|fi|huone}} 'room' !! {{lang|fi|laite}} 'device'
|-
! partitive {{abbr|sg.|singular}}
| {{lang|fi|kaksi huonetta}} <br /> 'two rooms' || {{lang|fi|kaksi laitetta}} <br /> 'two devices'
|}

More of this phenomenon is discussed in [[Finnish phonology#Sandhi|Finnish Phonology: Sandhi]].