causativetype

Causativetype is a term used in linguistics to describe how languages encode causation within their verbal systems. It refers to the set of constructions a language uses to express that one participant brings about an event or change of state involving another participant. Causatives typically alter the valency of a verb, adding or shifting arguments so that the causer brings about the action rather than merely experiencing it.

Causative encoding falls into several broad strategies. Morphological (synthetic) causatives attach affixes to a verb stem to derive a new causative form, either by prefixes, suffixes, or infixes, and are common in many language families. Analytic (periphrastic) causatives express causation with separate words or auxiliary verbs, such as a verb meaning "to make" or "to cause" together with the base verb. Some languages rely on lexical causatives, where a distinct verb in the lexicon inherently carries causative meaning and can be used to create causation with other arguments. Causation can also be realized through stem alternations or suppletion, where the form of the verb changes to encode a causative meaning.

Different languages may exhibit one dominant causative type or a mosaic of strategies. Researchers use the term causativetype to classify languages by how their causative constructions are formed, rather than by any single semantic effect. Causativity interacts with other voice and valency processes, and has parallels with antipassives and anticausatives.