infinitivestyle

Infinitivestyle is a term used to describe a stylistic approach in prose and poetry in which the infinitive form of verbs is treated as the central syntactic unit. In texts labeled as infinitivestyle, finite verbs and explicit tense marking are de-emphasized in favor of infinitives (to run, to think, to see) and infinitival phrases. The result can yield a neutral, universal, or meditative cadence and can heighten emphasis on action or intention rather than on subject and time.

Characteristics of infinitivestyle include a predominant use of infinitival clauses, sparse or non-systematic tense marking, reduced use of subject-verb agreement, frequent coordination of infinitives, and a tendency toward telegraphic, list-like rhythms. The style is often found in experimental literature, poetic prose, and some forms of translation or linguistic documentation where universality is sought. It may also appear in constructed languages or stylistic analyses that aim to foreground process and intention over discrete events.

Origins and usage: the label infinitivestyle is descriptive rather than canonical. It is used mainly in discussions of experimental writing, conlangs, or stylistic studies of translation. Its deployment is typically deliberate, intended to create a particular mood or to emphasize process, possibility, or intention rather than explicit temporality.

Example: To write, to think, to act; to see, to hear, to learn. In longer passages, sequences of infinitives may establish a continuous, motif-like rhythm without relying on conventional finite clauses.

See also: infinitive; non-finite clause; constrained writing; constructed language.