nonnorminal

Nonnorminal is a rarely used term that appears in a small number of linguistic and social-science writings to signal either something that does not conform to a norm or something that does not belong to the nominal category, depending on the author. The term is not part of standard linguistic or grammatical inventories, and its precise meaning varies with context.

The word is formed by the prefix non- together with norminal, a form that is itself not widely attested. Because norminal is not part of standard practice, nonnorminal is sometimes treated as a misspelling of related terms such as non-nominal or non-normative, or as a deliberate coinage. This has led to inconsistent usage across sources.

In linguistics, some authors have used nonnorminal to refer to elements that do not constitute a nominal phrase, or to items that do not participate in nominal morphology. Others describe nonnorminal as referring to items that are not nouns at all and that resist standard nominal categorization. Because definitions diverge, many writers prefer terminology like non-nominal, non-nominal usage, or non-nominal expressions to avoid ambiguity.

In sociolinguistics or normative theory, nonnorminal may appear as an informal label for practices, data, or artifacts that fall outside prescribed norms or classifications. In such contexts, the term tends to be context-bound and evaluative, and readers should interpret it within the surrounding framework and terminology of the source.

See also: nominal, normative, non-nominal, non-normative. Given its rarity and lack of standard definition, readers are advised to consult the original text to understand how a particular author intends nonnorminal.