Nominal Style in Titles

Nominal style is a hallmark of asiatyyli (formal/professional style). It is characterized by these features:

• Deverbal Nouns: Actions are turned into nouns. While the -minen verbal noun is common for processes (kehittäminen), formal style often prefers result-oriented suffixes like -us/-ys (kehitys), -o/-ö (arvio), or -nti (arviointi).
• Syntactic Transformation: To create a nominal heading, a standard clause is transformed so that the object or subject of the verb becomes the genitive modifier of a deverbal noun (e.g., Tutkimme markkinoita -> Markkinoiden tutkiminen).
• Genitive Chains: The head noun is usually in the Nominative case, while preceding nouns acting as modifiers are in the Genitive case. Note that adjectives in these chains must follow adjective agreement with the noun they modify (e.g., Suuren yliopiston päätös).
• Compound Words (Yhdyssanat): As a punchier alternative to long genitive chains, nominal style frequently uses compound words (e.g., Verosuunnittelu instead of Verotuksen suunnittelu).
• Elative and Partitive for Topics: Headings often use the Elative case (-sta/-stä) to signal the text is 'about' a specific topic (Tutkimuksen tuloksista). The Partitive case is used for general or open-ended headings (Tuoreita uutisia).
• Orthography and Punctuation: Unlike English, Finnish titles only capitalize the first word and proper nouns. If a title contains a colon, the following word can begin with either an uppercase or lowercase letter (as long as it is consistent), with a full directly quoted sentence normally beginning with a capital; a quoted fragment follows its own syntax. Additionally, titles and headings do not end with a period, though question marks (?), exclamation marks (!), and ellipses (...) are permitted as stylistic choices or if the heading is a question or exclamation.

Nominal style is common in theses and reports. However, modern Finnish style guides increasingly advocate for verbityyli (active verb style) to make texts more accessible, especially for general professional writing, web content, and instructions. Overusing nominal style in body text can lead to kapulakieli (wooden language), specifically known as substantiivitauti (noun disease) or substantiivipöhö (noun bloat). Furthermore, when actions become nouns in body text, sentences are forced to use 'empty verbs' (tyhjät verbit) like suorittaa or toteuttaa (e.g., instead of Katsastamme auton, one writes Suoritamme auton katsastuksen). Despite these criticisms for body text, nominal style remains one common option for formal headings; a question or a finite clause can also be clear and appropriate.

Keep the Actor Clear
A heading such as Hakemusten käsittely names the process but does not say who handles the applications. That can be enough for a topic label, but an instruction may need an explicit actor: Virkailija käsittelee hakemukset. In body text, repeated nominalizations can hide responsibility, timing, or who should act next. Use a finite verb when those details matter.