subjectverbal

Subjectverbal is a term used in linguistic theory to describe a proposed type of clausal alignment in which the subject and the verbal predicate form a tightly integrated unit. In discussions of subjectverbal systems, the morphology of the verb largely or wholly encodes information about the subject, producing a strong link between the subject’s features and the verb’s form. The concept is not part of a universal standard grammar and appears mainly in theoretical or typological contexts.

Definition and operation. A subjectverbal arrangement posits that the subject’s person, number, and sometimes additional features (such as mood or evidentiality) directly determine the verb’s inflection. This can manifest as full agreement on the verb with the subject, or as a fused or highly coordinated verbal paradigm that behaves as if the subject and verb share a single inflectional unit. The distinction from ordinary subject–verb agreement lies in the degree of integration and the sense that the subject and verb form a single grammatical complex rather than separate syntactic constituents.

Typology and examples. Subjectverbal systems are considered rare in natural language and are more often discussed in theoretical or constructed-language contexts. Some analyses of certain languages with unusually tight subject–verb coupling may be described as approaching a subjectverbal pattern, though consensus on such labeling is not universal. In mainstream descriptions, most languages rely on explicit subject–verb agreement or on independent verb-form inflections not tightly fused with the subject.

See also. Agreement, Subject–verb correspondence, Clitic and affixal morphology.