adottivoadottiva

Adottivoadottiva is a coined term in linguistics used to describe a proposed grammatical form intended to unify the masculine and feminine adjectival endings used for adoptive relationships into a single neutral marker. The label is a blend of Italian adottivo (masculine) and adottiva (feminine), signaling an effort to express adoptive status without gender specification.

Etymology and conceptually related forms point to a hypothetical morphology that would function as an inclusive alternative to gendered adjectives. In theories that explore gender-inclusive language, adottivoadottiva is proposed as a neutral root or inflected form that may replace the pair adottivo/adottiva when describing adoptive relationships.

Morphology and syntax are usually described in the hypothetical sense: adot tivo-adottiva would either serve as a fixed neutral adjective or as an inflectional template that agrees with the head noun’s semantics rather than its gender. In practice, this could mean a single form appearing before or after a noun to indicate “adoptive” without signalling the gender of the adoptive parent or the child.

Semantics-wise, adottivoadottiva is intended to denote adoptive status independently of gender, focusing on the relationship rather than gendered categorization. Proponents argue it simplifies agreement in multilingual settings or in constructed languages, while critics fear it may add complexity or reduce clarity in languages with strong gender marking.

See also: gender-inclusive language, grammatical gender, neutral forms, language design.