Informatives

Informatives is a term used in several disciplines to refer to items that convey information. The core idea is neutral: informatives are statements, data, or materials that increase knowledge about a topic. The exact usage varies by field, and the term is not universally standardized.

In linguistics, informatives can refer to a discourse or grammatical category associated with information content. Some traditions describe an informative mood or marker that signals that the information is new to the listener or contributes to the shared knowledge. The presence and interpretation of such a category vary across languages, and the label informatives is not universally adopted. It is typically discussed alongside other categories such as evidentials, predicates of assertion, and quotatives.

In information theory and related cognitive sciences, informativity describes how much information a statement provides about the state of the world. Informativity is often tied to prior expectations: a statement is more informative when it reduces uncertainty more than alternatives. This sense focuses on information content rather than the source or certainty of the information.

In journalism, education, and data contexts, informatives denote neutral, factual content intended to inform readers or users. Examples include encyclopedia entries, technical specifications, and reference manuals. These informatives aim to present verifiable knowledge without persuasive embellishment.

Etymology traces informatives to informare, meaning to shape or educate. While the term appears in multiple disciplines, its precise meaning is shaped by context, and readers should consider field-specific definitions when encountering it.