Describesioonilises

Describesioonilises is a neologism used in Estonian scholarly writing to denote a descriptive methodological stance. It describes the practice of recording and presenting phenomena through careful, neutral description of observable features, without committing to interpretation or causal explanation.

Origin and formation: The term is formed from a root related to description and the Estonian suffix -iline, which marks relation to a method or style. It is not standardized, and spelling or pronunciation may vary among authors. As a result, it may appear in slightly different forms in different texts.

Methodological scope: In research design, describesioonilises emphasizes data-rich description, inventories, typologies, and qualitative detail. It contrasts with explanatory or normative approaches that seek to theorize causes, evaluate outcomes, or prescribe standards. The approach is typically associated with documenting phenomena as they appear, rather than testing hypotheses or arguing for particular interpretations.

Usage in linguistics and social sciences: In practice, describesioonilises can guide the presentation of corpora, discourse records, or field observations, prioritizing thoroughness of description over early theorizing. It supports transparency by making descriptive criteria explicit and by detailing data collection and categorization procedures.

Caveats: Describesioonilises is a relatively new and regional term; its adoption varies by author and discipline. Readers should interpret its meaning from context and consider alternative terminology such as descriptive methodology or qualitative description.

See also: descriptive linguistics; qualitative research; research methodology.