Suulliset

Suulliset is a Finnish adjective form meaning "oral" or "spoken," used to describe things related to the mouth or to speech. The word is the plural form of suullinen and is typically employed to modify nouns, as in suulliset kokeet or suulliset taidot. In standard usage, suullinen contrasts with kirjallinen, which means "written."

Common contexts and meanings

- Education and assessment: Suulliset kokeet, suulliset osiot or suulliset esitykset refer to oral examinations or tasks assessed through speech. They test speaking ability, pronunciation, fluency, and the ability to express ideas in real time, often in dialogue with an examiner or in a presentation setting.

- Language learning and communication: Suulliset taidot or suullinen viestint denotes speaking skills and oral communication abilities, including conversation, argumentation, and oral presentation.

- Medicine and pharmacology: In medical contexts, suullinen describes routes of administration or forms taken by mouth, such as suullinen lääke or suullinen annos, meaning a medicine administered orally rather than injectable or otherwise.

- Other uses: The term can also appear in contexts like suulliset tehtävät (oral tasks) or suulliset vastaustilanteet (oral response situations), where the emphasis is on spoken interaction rather than written output.

Linguistic notes

- Suullinen derives from suku, suu meaning mouth, with the -llinen suffix indicating relation or characteristic. The word is commonly used in Finnish education, healthcare, and professional contexts to delineate between spoken and written modalities.

Overall, suulliset serves as a versatile descriptor for anything pertaining to speech, oral performance, or mouth-based administration, depending on the context.