covoorkomens

Covoorkomens is a term that appears in some theoretical discussions about language and social discourse to describe markers or constructions that signal the co-occurrence or joint participation of two or more participants in a single event or clause. The concept is used mainly in discussions of how languages encode joint agency, cooperation, or shared reference, and it is not a universally standardized label in mainstream grammar.

Etymology and scope: The word resembles a Dutch formation, combining a co- prefix with a verb form related to occurring. In this theoretical use, covoorkomens would encompass affixes, clitics, or syntactic configurations that mark joint action or shared participation, rather than mere coordination of clauses. The plural covoorkomens would refer to multiple such markers or constructions.

Relation to existing categories: The idea overlaps with comitative constructions (which mark accompanying participants), cooperative predicates, and various coordinative structures. Covoorkomens emphasizes a grammatical signal that ties multiple agents to a single event or outcome. While some dialects, creoles, or sign languages may exhibit forms that researchers describe as covoorkomens, the term remains a descriptive or hypothetical label rather than a fully established typological category.

Example (hypothetical): In a language with covoorkomens marking, a clause could include a marker attached to the verb to indicate joint action by two agents. For instance, a hypothetical sentence might render as “Jan en Piet lopen-[CO] naar huis,” signaling that Jan and Piet act together rather than separately.

See also: comitative, coordination (linguistics), joint-action markers, co-occurrence. References on comitative constructions and co-occurrence phenomena provide relevant context for exploring this idea.

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