Voegzame

Voegzame is a linguistic term used in Dutch grammar to describe elements that function to connect or add information across units of discourse. The word is formed from voeg, meaning to join or attach, and the suffix -zaam, which forms adjectives indicating a characteristic. In some descriptive grammars, voegzame items are treated as connectors that contribute to cohesion by linking clauses, sentences, or larger discourse segments. The term is not universally standardized and its scope varies between grammars.

In practice, voegzame elements can cover a broad range of linking devices, including certain conjunctions and discourse markers, as well as transitional phrases that serve to add information, indicate sequence, or show relation between segments. Some grammars distinguish clearly between voegzame devices and the more narrowly defined categories of voegwoorden (conjunctions) or discourse markers; others use voegzame as an umbrella term for connective functions across syntactic and textual levels.

The exact definition is theory-dependent. In cohesion-focused analyses, voegzame is used to describe any element whose primary function is to connect ideas or parts of text, rather than to contribute lexical meaning or tense. It is most often encountered in descriptive and typological works on Dutch, rather than in prescriptive grammar.

See also: voegwoord, verbindingswoord, discourse marker, cohesion, syntactic connectives.