hortative

Hortative is a grammatical mood or sentence type used to exhort or encourage action, typically aiming to include the speaker in the action. It expresses a wish or invitation for a group to undertake an activity together, rather than issuing a direct command to a listener.

In English, the most common hortative construction is the let-us form, as in “Let us begin” or its contracted version “Let’s begin.” Other examples include “Let me speak” and various phrases that invite collective effort. The key feature is the inclusive subject (we) and the urging of a joint action.

Across languages, hortative marking can vary. Some languages have a dedicated hortative mood or specific verb forms for first-person plural exhortation; others express the force with subjunctive, imperative, or particles combined with inclusive pronouns. The concept is a cross-linguistic way to capture an exhortation that seeks cooperation or shared effort.

Hortative is distinct from related categories such as the imperative, which issues a direct command to one or more listeners, and from optative or jussive forms, which express wishes or permission. It is primarily a social voice, designed to motivate a group to act together, often reflecting community or collective action. The term derives from the Latin hortari, meaning “to exhort,” and appears in linguistic descriptions of mood and illocutionary force.