avverbialization

Avverbialization is a linguistic process by which a form comes to function as an adverb, or by which a word (often an adjective) yields an adverbial meaning. In many languages, adverbs are formed from adjectives through derivational morphology, though other strategies such as periphrasis or conversion also play a major role.

In English, the most common mechanism is suffixation with -ly, turning adjectives into adverbs (quick → quickly; fortunate → fortunately; careful → carefully). Some adjectives form adverbs with irregular or idiosyncratic patterns (fast and hard can serve as adverbs without -ly). Additionally, many adverbs are created through periphrasis, such as in a quick manner or in a fast way, though these are typically less concise than affixal forms. English also exhibits a case of zero-derivation where adjectives function adverbially without morphological change, as in drive fast or speak softly in informal registers.

Other languages typically rely on dedicated adverb-forming suffixes or analytical constructions. Romance languages commonly use the suffix -mente to form adverbs from adjectives (rápido → rápidamente; feliz → felizmente). German frequently uses adverbial suffixes such as -erweise (glücklich → glücklicherweise) and, in many contexts, uses adjectives in adverbial position or with context-driven periphrasis. Slavic languages similarly employ adverbial derivation through specific affixes or fixed periphrastic patterns.

Avverbialization interacts with issues of precision, formal style, and dialect. While it often clarifies modality or manner, overreliance on one-form adverbials can reduce nuance, and cross-linguistic differences mean the same idea may be expressed with different morphological tools in different languages.