Tulkinnallinen

Tulkinnallinen is a Finnish adjective derived from tulkinta, meaning interpretation. The term is used in academic and scholarly contexts to describe something that relates to interpretation, meaning, or the interpretive process. As an descriptor, tulkinnallinen emphasizes how aspects are understood, interpreted, or constructed rather than relying solely on objective measurement or description.

Usage and scope

Tulkinnallinen is commonly applied in the humanities and social sciences to label approaches, analyses, or results that foreground interpretation. It characterizes methods that acknowledge subjectivity, context, and multiple possible meanings. For example, a tulkinnallinen lähestymistapa (interpretive approach) may prioritize textual, historical, or cultural context over purely quantitative data. Similarly, a tulkinnallinen analyysi (interpretive analysis) concentrates on how phenomena are understood and what these understandings imply.

Relation to other terms

In Finnish, tulkinnallinen is related to but distinct from more overtly methodological terms such as tulkinnallinen tutkimus (interpretive research) and hermeneuttinen or tulkinnallinen to a degree overlaps with phrases like interpretative or qualitative in English-language scholarship. While not a rigid technical term in all disciplines, its use signals an emphasis on meaning, context, and the interpretive role of the researcher.

See also

Hermeneutics, interpretive methods, qualitative research, interpretive analysis, interpretive approach.