Lisänvän

Lisänvän is a fictional linguistic feature described in worldbuilding and theoretical discussions to illustrate an augmentative derivational process in agglutinative-style systems. The term is presented as a constructed example rather than a widely attested real phenomenon.

Etymology and concept: The name combines Finnish lisä meaning “addition” with vän, a hypothetical suffix proposed to signal augmentation. In the imagined language family, lisänvän functions as a derivational marker that conveys the sense of something being added beyond a baseline form.

Definition and scope: Lisänvän denotes an added or supplementary instance or action. It can attach to verbs to indicate performing an action in addition to a prior one, and to nouns to indicate an added item or quantity. The meaning is distributive toward amplification, rather than core event reference.

Morphology and phonology: In the constructed system, lisänvän attaches to stems and obeys phonological rules such as vowel harmony or assimilation near boundaries. The suffix is typically realized as a distinct segment like -vän, though morphophonemic adjustments may occur with certain stems.

Usage and examples: In a sample language, the base verb daro “to perform” becomes daro-lisänvän to express “to perform in addition” or “to add an extra step.” The form is designed to illustrate how a single affix can encode additive semantics across multiple word classes.

Distribution and status: Lisänvän appears in a small set of experimental corpora and fictional languages used for linguistic illustration. It is not presented as an established feature of natural languages.

See also: affix, derivational suffix, agglutinative language, constructed language.