Ivanje

Ivanje is a linguistic term used to describe the process of forming deverbal nouns expressing the action or process of a verb by attaching the suffix -ivanje to the verb stem. It is described in grammars of several South Slavic languages, notably Croatian, Serbian and Bosnian, where -ivanje is one productive nominalization suffix alongside others such as -anje and -enje. The resulting nouns are typically neuter and function as abstract nouns referring to the activity itself.

Examples include pisivanje, meaning the act of writing, and izrađivanje, meaning the act of manufacturing or producing. The choice of nominalizer can affect nuance and formality, and some verbs admit multiple nominalizations with slightly different shades of meaning. Phonological changes may occur at morpheme boundaries, and stress patterns may shift.

In linguistic descriptions, ivanje is treated as part of the broader system of verb-to-noun derivation and as a common mechanism for forming activity nouns in these languages. It is generally more productive for perfective or iterative aspects and is often used in dictionaries, grammars, and instructional texts to describe actions or processes.

Limitations: The productivity and distribution of -ivanje vary by dialect and language; some verbs prefer other nominalizers or keep the bare verb form for nounless use. See also: nominalization, Slavic morphology, -anje, -enje, -avanje.