hijdocumenteert

Hijdocumenteert is a Dutch neologism used to describe the act of documenting performed by a male subject, or more broadly a documentation style that emphasizes step-by-step narration by a man. The term combines the pronoun hij with the verb documenteert into a compact form, illustrating how Dutch speakers sometimes fuse common phrases for emphasis or stylistic effect.

Origin and usage: The coinage appears in informal online discourse in the late 2010s and early 2020s, notably in software development, education, and how-to content. It is not part of standard dictionaries and remains largely slang or niche jargon. Orthography varies; some writers keep a space as hij documenteert, others use hijdocumenteert as a single word to emphasize consistency of action.

Concept and applications: Hijdocumenteert signals a documentation approach that foregrounds the actor and the process. It is often associated with transparent, reproducible workflows, where the author records decisions, steps, and rationales in real time or in a closely linked sequence. It can serve as a label for reflective practices in coding, research protocols, or instructional material.

Limitations and reception: Because it is informal, the term may cause ambiguity for non-Dutch speakers or readers unfamiliar with the combination of hij and documenteert. Some linguists view it as a playful example of compounding or phrase fusion in Dutch, while others see potential value in naming a recognizable practice.

See also: documenteren, documentatie, self-documentation, provenance, reproducibility.