Provili

Provili is a term used in theoretical linguistics and worldbuilding to describe a hypothetical system that combines mood, evidentiality, and illocutionary force into a unified set of verb-affix markers. It is commonly discussed in the context of constructed languages and speculative fiction to illustrate how discourse stance can be encoded morphologically.

Etymology and origins: The word Provili is a coined term created for this concept; it does not correspond to a widely attested natural-language root. In most treatments, the name signals a forward-looking will or intention within a grammatical paradigm, but no real-world language is historically linked to Provili.

Features and structure: A Provili system is described as a finite set of markers attached to verb stems to indicate evidential source (direct observation, indirect report), epistemic certainty (certain, probable), and illocutionary force (statement, question, imperative). These markers may be fused into affixes or realized as clitics, and they often interact with tense, aspect, and mood. In some models, Provili markers also reflect social context, such as formality or speaker attitude, contributing to a language’s overall polarity and nuance.

Usage in worldbuilding and linguistics: In fictional settings, Provili is used to convey social relationships, cultural norms, or narrative stance by morphologically encoding the speaker’s stance toward the proposition. For linguists exploring morphology, Provili serves as a didactic example of how multiple discourse layers can be compactly represented in a single grammatical system.

Examples and reception: As a hypothetical construct, Provili appears in discussions and preparatory worldbuilding documents rather than in natural-language corpora. It functions as a thought experiment for integrating evidentiality, modality, and illocution into a cohesive morphological scheme.