Diskursiivinen

Diskursiivinen is a Finnish adjective derived from diskurssi (discourse) with the suffix -ivinen, used to denote relations to or characteristics of discourse. In English, the closest equivalent is discursive. The term is common in Finnish academic writing across linguistics, philosophy, rhetoric, media studies, and social sciences to describe argumentation, knowledge construction, or practices that unfold through language and communicative interaction rather than through purely nonverbal processes.

In discourse-analytical contexts, diskursiivinen refers to how statements, norms, and identities are produced and circulated within social practices through talk and text. It is frequently used in phrases such as diskurssianalyysi (discourse analysis), diskursiivinen rakentuminen (discursive construction), and diskursiivinen identiteetti (discursive identity). The concept emphasizes that meaning and social reality are mediated by linguistic and cultural norms, and that power relations, institutions, and contexts shape what counts as valid knowledge or acceptable interpretation.

The term is also employed to describe modes of reasoning, narrative strategies, and public communication that rely on framing, interpretation, and rhetorical effect as much as on formal logic. In Finnish scholarship, diskursiivinen thus signals a focus on language-mediated processes that produce and constrain social phenomena, from politics and media to science and everyday conversation.