nominalij

Nominalij is a term used in theoretical linguistics to describe a form of nominalization in which nouns can bear predicate-like semantics, effectively allowing nominal phrases to function as full predicates under certain morphosyntactic conditions. The concept is largely discussed within constructed language (conlang) communities and speculative syntax, rather than as a widely attested natural-language phenomenon.

In nominalij systems, nominal markers encode aspects such as tense, aspect, mood, and evidentiality, enabling a single nominal to convey information typically expressed by a verb phrase. These markers often occur in agglutinative languages or conlangs, forming complex nominal paradigms that can pair with adjectives and adnominal modifiers to yield predicative meanings. The resulting constructions blur the traditional boundary between noun and verb, emphasizing event semantics within nominal syntax.

Examples are primarily found in hypothetical or constructed languages. For instance, in the fictional Nimara, a form such as mora-ij could express “the running one,” with a predicate sense equivalent to “the one who is running” without a separate verb. Such constructions illustrate how nominalij foregrounds predication and event semantics within nominal domains.

Reception and usage: Nominalij remains a niche topic, debated among typologists and conlang designers. Critics argue that it conflates noun and verb categories too freely, while proponents see it as a useful framework for exploring the boundaries of syntax and morphology. It is not established as a universal feature of natural languages.

See also: nominalization, syntax, morphology, constructed languages, linguistic typology.