inensuffix

Inensuffix is a term used in linguistic discussions to describe a hypothetical suffix attached to a verb stem that marks unintentional or inadvertent action by the subject. When added, the verb denotes that the action occurred without conscious volition or awareness. The concept is discussed mainly in the context of languages with rich aspect, mood, and evidential systems and is also considered in studies of constructed languages.

Etymology and origin of the term are tied to its descriptive purpose rather than documentation of a widespread feature. The name combines a privative or negation sense with the notion of a suffix, signaling that the marked action is not intentionally caused. The term is used to classify a potential morphological strategy for encoding involuntary action and is not universally attested in natural languages.

Morphology and syntax are described as follows. Inensuffix is proposed to be a suffixal morpheme that attaches to a verb stem. It is typically treated as a marker of aspectual shading related to voluntariness and may interact with evidential or mood markers. In analyses, it can require alignment with the subject and sometimes with the agent’s animacy. The exact placement and morphophonology of the suffix can vary across languages or hypothetical systems.

Examples in discussions of inensuffix are usually constructed in a hypothetical language. For instance, a verb meaning “to spill” may take the form pis-en, glossed as “spill unintentionally” or “spill by accident.” A sentence with a subject pronoun could render as I pis-en the juice, meaning “I spilled the juice unintentionally.” A second example might use a verb like tem-en, meaning “to push unintentionally.”

See also: unintentionality marking, evidentiality, mood and aspect, constructed languages. References are limited to theoretical discussions of morphology encoding involuntary action.