Soovitusliku

Soovitusliku is the genitive singular form of the Estonian adjective soovituslik. Soovituslik describes something relating to a recommendation or to prescriptive guidance. In linguistic and educational contexts it is used to denote prescriptive norms—the rules of language or usage that are recommended as correct rather than merely observed. The term derives from soovitus (recommendation) plus the suffix -lik, which forms adjectives meaning “related to” or “characteristic of.” In Estonian, adjectives decline to match the noun they modify; so soovitusliku is used when the noun is in genitive singular, for example in phrases like soovitusliku keelekasutuse reeglid.

Usage and nuances: Soovitusliku is primarily found in formal, academic, or policy-oriented texts that discuss normative standards in language, style guides, or educational curricula. It is related to, but distinct from, normatiivne (normative) and from descriptive terminology that concerns actual language use. The word emphasizes recommendations or advocated practices rather than mere descriptions of how language is used.

Examples of typical contexts: discussions of prescriptive language standards, guidelines for official writing, or analyses of language-usage rules in schools and publishing. Common collocations include soovitusliku keelekasutuse reeglid (rules of prescriptive language use) and soovitusliku kirjakeele normid (norms of the prescriptive standard Estonian).

See also: normatiivne, deskriptivne, preskriptivne, keeleanalüüs.