Hortativejussive

Hortativejussive refers to a grammatical mood that expresses a strong recommendation, urging, or command. It is a category within the subjunctive mood found in some languages, distinct from other subjunctive uses like expressing doubt or hypothetical situations. The hortativejussive conveys a sense of imperative or persuasive force, often directed towards the speaker's in-group or a collective action.

In languages that distinguish it, the hortativejussive is typically used to encourage or advise someone to do something, or to express a wish or desire that is strongly felt. It can also be used to make a firm request or to issue an order, though often with a slightly less direct or forceful tone than a direct imperative. The precise nuances and forms of the hortativejussive vary significantly across different linguistic families and individual languages.

For example, in ancient Greek, the first-person plural subjunctive can function as a hortativejussive, as in "let us go." Similarly, some Semitic languages have specific verb forms that carry this hortative or jussive meaning. The concept is recognized in linguistic typology as a way to categorize the pragmatic functions of verbal mood systems.