Predikátumos

Predikátumos is a linguistic term used to describe predicates or predicative units that convey a property, state, or relation assigned to the subject of a sentence. In this sense, predikátumos constructions include predicative adjectives, predicative nouns (predicative nominals), and certain participial or verbal phrases that function as the main predicate of a clause. The term is most commonly found in descriptive grammars and typological studies, particularly in Hungarian-language linguistic literature, where predikátumos forms are contrasted with other predicational types.

Etymology and usage context: Predikátumos derives from predikátum, the word for predicate, combined with the suffix -os, which in many languages yields “having the property of” or “characterized by.” In grammars that employ this terminology, predikátumos elements are analyzed as those units that fulfill the role of the predicate in a clause, regardless of whether the clause uses a copula or a copula-less structure.

Morphology and syntax: Predikátumos elements typically appear in predicative position and may agree with the subject in number or gender in some languages. They include adjectives used predicatively (as in The sky is blue), predicative nouns (The winner became champion), and participial phrases functioning as predicates (The door remained closed). The precise status of predikátumos forms can vary across languages, with some allowing more flexible word order or licensing copular verbs, while others rely on morphological markers to signal predicative function.

Typology and distinctions: Predikátumos is often discussed in relation to other predication notions such as predicative complements, copular constructions, and subject-predicate agreement. In cross-linguistic work, the term helps to categorize how different languages encode the predicative relation between subject and predicate.

See also: predicate, predicative, copula, predicative complement, nominal predicate. Notes: The label predikátumos is used variably across grammars, so definitions may differ slightly by author or language tradition.