declarative

See also: déclarative

English

Etymology

From Middle French déclaratif.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /dɪˈklæɹətɪv/
• (US, Canada) IPA^(key): /dɪˈklɛɹətɪv/, [dɪˈklɛɹəɾɪv]
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /dɪˈklæɹətɪv/, [dɪˈklæɹəɾɪv]

Adjective

declarative (not comparable)

1. Serving to declare; having the quality of a declaration.

   Synonym: declaratory

2. (grammar, of a verb, sentence, or mood) Expressing truth.
   • 2016, Irina Nikolaeva, “Analyses of the semantics of mood”, in Jan Nuyts, Johan van der Auwera, editors, The Oxford Handbook of Modality and Mood, Oxford: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 69:

     Palmer (1986:26–28) suggested that all languages have a clear way of indicating that the speaker is making a statement which (s)he believes to be true. Such statements are usually expressed by the declarative grammatical structure and the respective mood is called either "declarative" or "indicative"...

3. (programming) That declares a construct.
4. (programming) A way of programming that is most akin to just stating what is wanted, rather than having to describe how to do it. w:Declarative programming

Usage notes

In some linguistic models, indicative and declarative are synonyms. In others, the declarative mood and interrogative mood are distinct types of indicative mood.

Derived terms

• declarative memory
• declarative programming

 

Translations

serving to declare — see also declaratory

• Belarusian: дэклараты́ўны (deklaratýŭny)
• Catalan: declaratiu
• French: déclaratif (fr)
• German: deklarativ (de)
• Italian: dichiarativo
• Polish: deklaratywny
• Portuguese: declarativo
• Russian: декларати́вный (ru) (deklaratívnyj)
• Spanish: declarativo (es)
• Ukrainian: декларати́вний (deklaratývnyj)

in grammar

• Bulgarian: разказвателен (bg) (razkazvatelen)
• Catalan: declaratiu
• Finnish: deklaratiivinen
• French: déclaratif (fr)
• Hungarian: kijelentő (hu)
• Italian: dichiarativo

in programming

• Finnish: deklaratiivinen
• German: deklarativ (de)

Noun

declarative (plural declaratives)

1. Synonym of declaration (declarative statement)
   • 1986 August 16, “I Love You, Sara K. (personal advertisement)”, in Gay Community News, volume 14, number 5, page 13:

     A love declarative for my Sara. I love you like a soft symphony; a melody written in heart and pulse. I love you like a rock; a moments' fusing in perfect quiet. I love you like […]