Perustelevaa

Perustelevaa is a Finnish present active participle and an adjective derived from the verb perustella, which means to justify or substantiate. It describes something that provides justification or argumentation. Grammatically it is the present active participle form; when used with nouns, it declines like an adjective. The nominative singular form is perusteleva, and the partitive singular form is perustelevaa, as in perustelevaa tekstiä (text that justifies) or perustelevaa vastausta (a reasoned answer).

Usage and nuance: Perustelevaa is commonly used to characterize writing, speech or reasoning that includes explicit reasons or evidence. It is frequent in education, where students are asked to give perustelevaa vastuun? correction: students are asked to provide perustelevaa vastausta or perustelevaa tekstiä. In journalism and debate, a perusteleva approach presents grounds, data, and logical connections rather than opinion alone. The term is neutral; it does not judge the strength of the justification, only that justification is present.

Relation to other terms: Perusteleva contrasts with more explanatory or descriptive terms such as selittävä (explanatory) or kuvaileva (descriptive). Common collocations include perusteleva vastaus, perusteleva kirjoitus, perusteleva analyysi. The concept emphasizes the inclusion of reasons, evidence, and logically coherent connections in the discourse.

Examples: Vastaus oli perusteleva, sillä se ilmoitti konkreettiset perusteet. Kirjoituksen on oltava perustelevaa, jotta lukija näkee, mihin väitteet perustuvat.