agentiven

Agentiven is a term used in linguistic typology to describe a class of nominalizations whose primary meaning is agentive. An agentiven noun denotes an entity that performs the action described by a verb, such as “teacher” (one who teaches) or “writer” (one who writes). The label is used to compare how languages encode agency across morphology and syntax and to study the relation between agentive semantics and noun formation.

Origin and usage: The term is relatively recent and is not universally adopted; it serves as a descriptive label rather than a universal morpheme. It is used primarily in cross-linguistic surveys and theoretical discussions of how languages mark the person or role that conducts an action.

Morphology and semantics: In languages with derivational morphology, agentiven nouns are often formed by suffixes or by processes such as compounding. In analytic or isolating languages, agency may be expressed through periphrastic constructions or noun phrases with relational markers.

Cross-linguistic patterns: Many languages exhibit productive agentive derivation; common strategies include suffixal formation and internal stem changes. The precise form, productivity, and gender or animacy marking of agentiven forms vary by language family.

See also: Agent noun, Nominalization, Semantic role labeling.