Tõlgenduses

Tõlgenduses is the inessive singular form of the Estonian noun tõlgendus, meaning interpretation or exegesis. As a grammatical construction, tõlgenduses is used to indicate that something is understood, read, or analyzed within a particular interpretive frame or approach. It signals a contextual perspective rather than a single, absolutist meaning.

In scholarly and literary contexts, tõlgenduses helps distinguish between different readings of a text, event, or phenomenon. It often accompanies phrases that specify the interpretive lens, such as a historical, psychological, feminist, or postcolonial perspective. For example, one might discuss a character’s motives in a feminist tõlgenduses, or analyze motifs in a text within a postmodern tõlgenduses. The term thus emphasizes that interpretation is contingent and variable rather than fixed.

Tõlgendus as a concept is central to Estonian literary theory, philosophy and humanities, where careful attention is paid to how readings are framed and justified. The locative form tõlgenduses is commonly found in analytical prose, criticism, exegesis, and academic argumentation, helping writers situate their claims within a defined interpretive context.

Etymology: tõlgenduses derives from the noun tõlgendus (interpretation, exegesis) and the inessive suffix -s, indicating “in interpretation.” It is related to the verb tõlgendama (to interpret) and to the broader Estonian vocabulary around translation and interpretation. See also tõlgendus, tõlge.