statiiv

Stativ, or stative, is a term used in linguistics to describe predicates that express states or conditions rather than actions or processes. The concept contrasts with dynamic predicates, which depict events, activities, or changes over time. The name derives from the idea of a state that exists or stands still rather than something that unfolds.

Stative predicates cover a range of semantic domains, including possession (I own a car), perception or mental state (I know the answer, it seems unlikely), emotion (she loves the idea), appearance or inherent properties (the liquid is cold), and existence or categorization (the book is new). In English, many stative verbs belong to the class of “state verbs” and are typically not used in the progressive aspect (for example, I know, not I am knowing).

Across languages, stativity can be expressed in different ways. Some languages mark stative predicates with a distinct verb class or morphology; others use adjectives, participles, or the copula to link a subject to a property. In some linguistic descriptions, stative and dynamic are treated as separate aspectual or verbal systems, while in others they interact with tense, mood, or agreement in language-specific ways.

Stative meaning often overlaps with what in some grammars is called adjectival or possessive predicates, and its boundaries can shift with cross-linguistic variation. Understanding stativity helps clarify how languages encode ongoing states versus ongoing actions, and how speakers express properties, relationships, and conditions of subjects.

See also: stative verb, dynamic verb, aspect, copula.