leksikaalsest

Leksikaalsest is an Estonian linguistic term used to denote a lexicalist perspective in language analysis. It describes approaches that prioritize the lexicon—lexical entries, word meanings, and processes of word formation—over purely syntactic explanations. In Estonian academic writing, phrases such as leksikaalsest vaatevinklist or leksikaalsest lähenemisviisist are used to indicate analyses that foreground lexical items and their semantic relations, idioms, and usage patterns.

The term functions as a descriptive label rather than a widely recognized standalone theory. It can accompany various theoretical frameworks, including phonology, morphology, and semantics, whenever the investigation centers on lexemes rather than grammar rules alone. Leksikaalsest contrasts with approaches that emphasize grammar or syntax as the primary organizing principle.

Etymology and form: leksikaalne means lexical in Estonian, and leksikaalsest is the inflected form used to express “from the lexical perspective” or “of the lexical” in a phrase. This morphological pattern allows the term to integrate smoothly into Estonian scholarly prose without prescribing a single methodological stance.

Applications: the concept appears in discussions of lexical semantics, lexicography, and morphological analysis, where researchers seek to account for word-level information, polysemy, collocations, and morphophonological idiosyncrasies as central to understanding language.

See also: lexical semantics, lexicon, lexicalism, lexicography.