Sanalähtöisiä

Sanalähtöisiä is a Finnish term used as an adjective to describe content, tasks, or approaches that are based on words or textual material rather than visual or audiovisual media. The word is formed from sana, meaning “word,” and a suffix that indicates a basis or origin, producing a meaning close to “word-based” or “text-based.”

In practice, sanalähtöisiä can be applied in several contexts. In education and pedagogy, it characterizes exercises or curricula that emphasize reading, vocabulary, textual analysis, and language use rather than images or sounds. In linguistics and language technology, it may describe approaches or analyses that rely on lexical data, dictionaries, or text corpora. In digital content and design, a sanalähtöinen or sanalähtöisiä approach highlights text as the primary medium, as opposed to image-led or multimedia content. The term also appears in discussions of games or activities that are driven by language and words, such as word-focused exercises and activities.

The concept is primarily used within Finnish-language discourse. Its English translations are typically given as “word-based” or “text-based,” depending on the context. Related terms include tekstipohjainen (text-based) and kuvat-painotteinen (image-oriented), which help differentiate modalities of content or tasks.

See also: tekstipohjainen, kuvatipohjainen, sanallinen, kieli- ja tekstipainotteinen.