tolkningsramme

Tolkningsramme is a term used in Scandinavian languages to describe an interpretive framework—an array of ideas, assumptions, and normative resources that guide how a person interprets information, events, or texts. A tolkningsramme shapes what is noticed, what counts as evidence, and how connections and meanings are constructed. It can be explicit, as when researchers articulate their guiding frames, or implicit, inferred from how people discuss a topic.

In research, tolkningsramme is used to analyze how data are interpreted. Analysts may apply an explicit frame when coding interview transcripts, discourses, or media content, or they may identify latent frames in participants’ language. Frames can be cultural, theoretical, or methodological and may be shared within a group or contested between groups. They influence which aspects of a text or event are foregrounded, which interpretations are considered plausible, and how causal relationships are imagined.

Applications span disciplines such as media studies, sociology, political science, and discourse analysis. For example, an analysis of news coverage might interpret articles through frames related to crisis management, economic impact, security, or humanitarian concern. Tolkningsrammer are dynamic; they evolve with culture, language, and power relations, and they can shift during public debate or research over time.

Methodologically, acknowledging a tolkningsramme helps address bias and reflexivity. Researchers document their frames and examine how these frames might shape interpretation, while remaining open to alternative readings. The concept is closely related to interpretive framework, hermeneutic lens, and discursive analysis.