Viljemässiga

Viljemässiga is a linguistic term used primarily in Swedish-language discussions of modality to describe elements that express volition, will, or agency. The word functions as an adjective meaning “volitional” and is applied to verbs, clauses, or moods whose main sense concerns the speaker’s or subject’s will, intention, or desire. In typological work, viljemässiga meanings are often contrasted with epistemic, evidential, or deontic modalities, which encode knowledge, evidence, or obligation rather than volition.

Etymology and usage context: The term is formed from vilja, “to want,” combined with the suffix -mässig, yielding a sense of “of or pertaining to will.” It is commonly used in Swedish grammars and semantics discussions to label discourse elements that convey volitional force, choice, or intentional action. While it has a clear niche in Swedish linguistics, the broader idea of volitional mood or desiderative meaning appears in many languages under different labels (optative, desiderative, jussive, hortative).

Typical expressions and examples: In English, volitional or desiderative meaning can appear in sentences like “I want him to succeed” or imperative-like forms such as “Let him go.” In Swedish, corresponding viljemässiga expressions occur through verbs and constructions that foreground the speaker’s will, such as statements of desire (“Jag vill att han går” – I want him to go) or volitional imperatives. In cross-linguistic descriptions, viljemässiga concepts align with the broader study of volitional mood and related modalities.

See also: volition, desiderative, optative, jussive, hortative, mood in linguistics.