tarinallinen

Tarinallinen is a Finnish adjective meaning "narrative" or "story-based," used to describe texts, media, or approaches that foreground storytelling rather than purely factual exposition. It can refer to narrative structures, scenes, or character-driven elements that give a work its sense of plot and progression. The form is derived from tarina, meaning "story," plus the adjectival suffix -llinen, which indicates "characterized by" or "full of."

Usage and scope: In literary criticism tarinallinen structure describes how a text presents events in a sequence designed to engage the reader through a storyline. In journalism and media studies tarinallinen reporting or tarinallinen journalism refers to articles and broadcasts that weave facts into scenes and personal perspectives while maintaining accuracy. In film and game studies, tarinallinen is used to describe story-driven experiences, as opposed to works driven primarily by information, mechanics, or gameplay systems.

Nuances and related terms: The term is closely related to kerronnallinen (narrative or storytelling in a broader sense) and kertova (telling, as in a telling style). While tarinallinen emphasizes the presence of a story and its integration into the medium, kerronnallinen is often preferred in formal academic discussions of narrative technique. Tarinallinen can describe both fictional and non-fictional works that use storytelling elements to convey meaning or structure.

Examples of use include tarinallinen elokuva (a narrative film) and tarinallinen artikkeli (a narrative article). The word is common in discussions of media aesthetics, literary style, and teaching contexts that focus on the role of storytelling in communication.