pubblicipubliche

Pubblicipubliche is a nonstandard neologism formed by concatenating the Italian adjectives pubblici and pubbliche, both derived from pubblico, meaning "public." The string is not attested as a conventional word in Italian dictionaries and is not used in standard writing.

Linguistic context: In Italian, adjectives agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify: pubblici for masculine plural, pubbliche for feminine plural. The concatenation into pubblicipubliche is thus a deliberate, nonconforming form that emphasizes inclusivity of masculine and feminine plural referents, or simply demonstrates orthographic ambiguity. It typically appears in discussions about gender-inclusive language, typography, or as an example in linguistics textbooks of how not to form compounds.

Usage and reception: Because it lacks standard acceptance, pubblicipubliche is rarely used in actual prose and can cause confusion. When inclusive language is a goal, writers usually select grammatically standard constructions (pubblici e pubbliche, pubblici e pubbliche, or use gender-neutral phrases).

Potential pitfalls and debates: The form illustrates how Italian compounds normally join with hyphens or spaces if needed, and that straightforward concatenation risks ambiguity or perceived informality. It also highlights the challenge of representing gender inclusivity in inflected languages.

See also: Italian grammar, Gender-inclusive language, Compound words in Italian.