hordativejussive

Hordativejussive is a proposed grammatical mood that merges hortative and jussive functions to express an exhortation to a group that includes the speaker, while simultaneously issuing a directive about an action. In essence, it seeks to encode both calling attention to a collective action and commanding or urging action within a single morphosyntactic category.

Etymology and relation to other moods: The term combines hortative, from the idea of “let us,” with jussive, the command or wish form. Hordativejussive is not widely attested across languages and is primarily discussed in typological or theoretical descriptions of how languages might bundle exhortation and directive force. In many grammars, such forces remain separate, but some scholars describe forms that functionally blend both.

Morphology and syntax: In languages proposed to exhibit hordativejussive usage, a single verb form or a small set of affixes may encode both the inclusive/prototypical subject and an imperative-like force. The interpretation often depends on discourse context, tense, and aspect markers, and may interact with agreement or clitic systems. Because the category is debated, descriptions typically emphasize functional equivalence rather than a universally fixed morphophonological shape.

Usage and interpretation: The core idea is to convey a combined sense of urging a group to act together and directing that action toward others. As such, the mood sits near the boundary between hortative (encouraging collective action) and jussive (expressing command or wish), with nuance shaped by speaker intent and situational context.

See also: Hortative, Jussive, Optative, Mood (grammar).