idsorlike

Idsorlike is a hypothetical linguistic category introduced to discuss a particular type of morphosyntactic alignment observed in some natural languages. In the proposed framework, idsorlike languages show a notable interaction between verb morphology and argument identity such that the verb form encodes information about the subject, and, in some variants, about the object as well. This can produce verb-centric clauses where agreement morphology on the verb correlates with the subject’s person and number, and where pronominal clitics or suffixes attached to the verb signal the object and discourse focus.

The term was coined by linguist Ilya Dsor in 2015, combining id (identity) and sor (source-order reference) to reflect the idea that identity relations influence argument marking. Characteristics often discussed include flexible word order with tendencies toward verb-final or verb-initial configurations, rich agreement morphology, and a system of clitics or suffixes that attach to the verb.

Applications of the concept appear in typological surveys and cross-linguistic comparisons intended to illuminate how identity relations interact with syntax. The category remains theoretical and debated, with limited cross-linguistic attestation in published studies. It is sometimes contrasted with more established alignment types to illustrate how discourse-pragmatic factors can shape verb morphology.

Overall, idsorlike serves as a tool for exploring how identity considerations among arguments can influence morphosyntactic structure, offering a lens for comparing languages that do not fit neatly into conventional alignment schemas.