Sõnaskaalas

Sõnaskaalas is a term used in Estonian linguistics to describe a theoretical framework for ordering elements of the lexicon along a scale defined by a chosen criterion. The word is formed from sõna (word) and skaala (scale), with the inessive suffix -s indicating “in the scale.” The concept is used to study how vocabulary is organized and how words relate to one another within a continuum rather than as isolated items.

In practice, researchers construct scales by selecting a criterion and then placing words at different levels accordingly. Common criteria include concreteness or imageability (concrete words near one end, abstract words near the other), frequency of use (high-frequency words higher on the scale), or semantic breadth (words with narrower versus broader meanings). Scales can be applied in corpus analysis, lexicography, language education, and psycholinguistic experiments.

The term is not fixed to a single definition; different studies may define and operationalize scales in various ways. Sõnaskaalas is typically used descriptively to compare lexical properties across texts, corpora, or learner data, rather than as an absolute standard. In pedagogy, arranging vocabulary along an appropriate sõnaskaalas can help teachers design more effective teaching sequences, starting with more concrete or frequent words.

See also: lexicon, lexical semantics, concreteness ratings, frequency dictionaries, corpus linguistics.