Expresszivitás

Expresszivitás, or expressivity, is a cross-disciplinary concept describing the capacity of a system, signal, or performance to convey information, emotion, or intention beyond its literal meaning. In Hungarian usage it covers linguistic, artistic, scientific, and technical contexts, where the degree of expressiveness affects interpretation, impact, and complexity.

In genetics and medicine, expresszivitás denotes the degree to which a genetic variant manifests as a phenotypic trait. It explains variability among individuals with the same genotype, ranging from subtle signs to pronounced features. Expressivity is distinct from penetrance, which concerns whether any phenotype is present at all in carriers.

In linguistics and communication, expresszivitás describes how prosody, timing, gesture, and stylistic choices signal attitude or emotion beyond the literal content. In the arts and performance, it refers to the expressive power of a work or performer to evoke mood, character, and meaning, often through dynamic variation, color, or texture.

In computing and formal languages, expresszivitás denotes the expressive power of a system—the range of ideas that can be represented. Higher expressivity allows more complex descriptions but can increase programming or reasoning complexity. The concept thus serves as a comparative measure across domains, balancing clarity, nuance, and practical tractability.