Noun-Heavy Official Style

Substantiivityyli (noun style) is the hallmark of Finnish officialese (kapulakieli). While nominalization itself is a standard and necessary part of Finnish grammar (e.g., everyday words like vastaus or uiminen), it becomes substantiivitauti (noun disease) when overused to replace perfectly good active verbs with heavy nouns and empty verbs.

1. How it is formed:
Actions are turned into nouns using various suffixes:

• -minen: The most common way to turn any verb into a noun (e.g., laatia → laatiminen 'drafting').
• -us / -ys: Creates abstract concepts (e.g., vastata → vastaus 'answer').
• -nti or -nta/-ntä: Used for systematic processes (e.g., arvioida → arviointi 'evaluation' or valvoa → valvonta 'surveillance').
• Other suffixes (e.g., -os/-ös, -o/-ö): Some nouns are formed from the verb stem with specific derivational suffixes (e.g., muuttaa → muutos 'change', soittaa → soitto 'call/playing').

2. Grammatical Shifts and Genitive Chains:
When a verb becomes a noun, the sentence structure changes. The agent and the object of the original action commonly appear as genitive modifiers of the noun. This often creates long genetiiviketjut (genitive chains).

The ordinary nominal modifier is genitive, so it does not by itself preserve the finite verb’s total/partitive-object contrast. For neutral noun phrases, use the ordinary genitive pattern, including with a mass noun: veden juominen (drinking water). This learner rule describes the usual nominal construction rather than adjudicating every exceptional, speech-like use of a verbal noun. For example, soittaa kitaraa (partitive) becomes kitaran soittaminen (genitive). Plural objects take the genitive plural, maintaining the number distinction (e.g., rakentaa taloja → talojen rakentaminen).
Example: Hallitus laatii suunnitelman (The government drafts a plan) → Hallituksen suunnitelman laatiminen (The government's drafting of the plan).

To avoid loose genitive chains, objects frequently fuse with the nominalized verb to form compound words, especially with non--minen suffixes (e.g., kitaransoitto, päätöksenteko). Additionally, if the genitive modifier is a personal pronoun, the nominalized verb must take a possessive suffix in standard Finnish (e.g., minun tutkimiseni).

3. Ambiguity (Kaksiselitteisyys):
Turning both the agent and the object into genitive modifiers creates severe ambiguity, which is a primary reason why the noun-heavy style is criticized. For example, lääkärin tutkiminen can mean 'examining the doctor' or 'the doctor's examination'.

4. Light Verbs (Tyhjät verbit) and 'Toimesta':
When the nominalized action is made the object of a broad verb, that verb supplies the finite predicate. Common choices include suorittaa (to perform), tapahtua (to happen), toteuttaa (to carry out), tehdä (to do), and käydä (to go/visit).
Examples: Tutkimus suoritettiin (The study was performed) instead of Tutkittiin (It was studied); käydä keskustelua (to have a discussion) instead of keskustella (to discuss); tehdä päätös (to make a decision) instead of päättää (to decide).
Note that light verbs like suorittaa are only considered kapulakieli when an exact active verb already exists. They are perfectly correct and idiomatic in specific established phrases (e.g., suorittaa tutkinto, suorittaa rangaistus).

Another famous hallmark of officialese is the postposition toimesta (by), used to tack the agent onto the end of a passive sentence (e.g., Suunnitelman laatiminen suoritettiin hallituksen toimesta).

5. Stylistic Function and Participles:
Nominal style can make the actor less explicit and pack information densely. It often combines with passive verbs, as in arviointi suoritetaan. A clearer rewrite can use either an active finite verb when the actor matters, or a simple passive when an unspecified human actor is appropriate; the problem is unnecessary complexity, not the passive itself. It is also frequently paired with agent participles (e.g., hallituksen laatima suunnitelma) to further pack information into noun-heavy structures.

6. Modern Usage and Fixed Terms:
While common in law and bureaucracy, modern authorities like Kotus (Institute for the Languages of Finland) recommend avoiding excessive nominalization. They suggest 'unpacking' these nouns back into finite verbs to make the text easier to read (clearer language is not automatically the specialized register selkokieli). For example, writers are advised to use arvioidaan instead of suoritetaan arviointi. However, there is an exception for fixed terms: in legal and technical contexts, some nominalizations (e.g., osakevaihto 'share exchange') are established terms that cannot be converted back to verbs without losing their specific meaning.

A Complete Rewrite
Suoritamme hoidon tarpeen arvioinnin → Arvioimme hoidon tarpeen (We assess the need for treatment). The action moves from arviointi into the finite verb. With an unspecified actor, compare Hoidon tarpeen arviointi suoritetaan huomenna → Hoidon tarve arvioidaan huomenna; both versions are passive.