Infinitiivist

Infinitiivist is a term used in linguistic discussions to refer to a person who studies, emphasizes, or foregrounds infinitives and infinitival constructions in language. The label is not a widely standardized formal designation and is encountered mainly in theoretical or descriptive discussions where researchers explicitly focus on infinitival phenomena.

Core concerns of infinitiivists include the typology and function of infinitival clauses, the distinction between bare infinitives and to-infinitives in languages that mark them, and the role of infinitives in complementation, purpose clauses, and noun-phrase formation. Infinitives are treated as non-finite verb forms, which contrasts with finite clauses and with other non-finite forms such as participles and gerunds. Researchers may explore cross-linguistic patterns of infinitival constructions, grammaticalization paths of infinitives into subordinate markers, and historical changes in languages where infinitives shift in function or status.

Methodologically, infinitiivist work often involves corpus-based syntax, cross-linguistic typology, and historical linguistics to trace how infinitival forms behave in different grammatical systems. The term is primarily descriptive and analytic rather than indicating a formal school or ideological stance; it may be used to signal a focus on infinitival phenomena within a broader linguistic framework.

See also: Infinitive, Non-finite clause, Bare infinitive, To-infinitive, Participles, Gerunds.