Tolkningsbar

Tolkningsbar is a Swedish adjective describing something that is able to be interpreted or open to interpretation. It is commonly applied to texts, statements, symbols, or phenomena whose meaning is not fixed or uniquely determined, allowing several plausible readings depending on context, perspective, or purpose.

Etymology and usage: The word combines tolka, meaning to interpret, with the suffix -bar, denoting capability. In practice, tolkningsbar signals that interpretation is possible and relevant, rather than asserting a single definitive meaning. The term appears across disciplines such as law, literature, philosophy, and art criticism, where authors discuss how readers or viewers may derive different meanings from the same material.

In law and policy: A clause or regulation may be described as tolkningsbar when its wording leaves room for alternative interpretations. In such cases courts or authorities may examine context, legislative intent, and extrinsic materials to determine how the provision should be understood.

In literature and media: Descriptions of narratives, symbols, or rhetorical devices as tolkningsbara emphasize the openness of meaning. Critics may note that tolkningsbar elements invite analysis and debate, and that readers’ or audiences’ backgrounds influence how a text is read.

Relation to other terms: Tolkningsbar is related to tvetydig (ambiguous) and tolkning (interpretation). It does not automatically imply ambiguity, but rather the potential for multiple readings. The opposite, otolkbar or not tolkningsbar, would indicate a text or statement that resists interpretation.

See also: tolka, tolkning, tvetydighet, tolkningbar.