soumettesoumettions

Soumettesoumettions is a neologism used in contemporary linguistics to describe a hypothetical morphosyntactic phenomenon in French where two distinct verb forms derived from different persons or moods are placed in close proximity, creating a sense of polyphonic agency or simultaneous perspective in a single utterance. The term is a portmanteau formed from soumettes (the second-person singular present indicative or present subjunctive form of soumettre) and soumettions (the first-person plural imperfect indicative or present subjunctive form). The concept is not part of standard French grammar but appears in discussions of experimental French, sociolinguistics, and digital rhetoric as a way to illustrate how speakers negotiate multiple subjectivities within a single sentence or discourse turn.

Usage and interpretation: Advocates describe soumettesoumettions as a deliberate stylistic device used in poetry, performance, and online writing to signal a subdivision of agency, e.g., addressing a listener while recalling past collaborative actions. Critics argue that the device risks obscuring standard agreement rules and poses challenges for automated parsing.

Practical considerations: In formal writing, the construction is typically avoided; in creative writing, it may be used sparingly to convey polyphony. It is not recognized as a standard grammatical form but as a theoretical construct to discuss how verb forms can encode multiple viewpoints.

See also: French verb conjugation, subjunctive mood, polyphony in linguistics, neologisms, portmanteau.