Analytic language: Difference between revisions
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{{Linguistic typology topics}} | {{Linguistic typology topics}} | ||
An '''analytic language''' is a type of [[natural language]] in which a series of root/stem words is accompanied by [[preposition]]s, [[postposition]]s, [[Grammatical particle|particles]] and [[modifier (linguistics)|modifiers]] | An '''analytic language''' is a type of [[natural language]] that uses [[affixes]] very rarely but in which a series of root/stem words is accompanied by [[preposition]]s, [[postposition]]s, [[Grammatical particle|particles]], and [[modifier (linguistics)|modifiers]]. This is opposed to [[synthetic language]]s, which synthesize many concepts into a single word, using affixes regularly. | ||
[[Syntactic]] roles are assigned to words primarily by [[word order]]. For example, by changing the individual words in the [[Latin]] phrase "''fēl-is pisc-em cēpit''" ("the cat caught the fish") to "''fēl-em pisc-is cēpit''" ("the fish caught the cat"), the fish becomes the subject, while the cat becomes the object. This transformation is not possible in an analytic language without altering the word order. Typically, analytic languages have a low [[morpheme]]-per-[[word]] ratio, especially with respect to [[Morpheme#Inflectional morphemes|inflectional morpheme]]s. | [[Syntactic]] roles are assigned to words primarily by [[word order]]. For example, by changing the individual words in the [[Latin]] phrase "''fēl-is pisc-em cēpit''" ("the cat caught the fish") to "''fēl-em pisc-is cēpit''" ("the fish caught the cat"), the fish becomes the subject, while the cat becomes the object. This transformation is not possible in an analytic language without altering the word order. Typically, analytic languages have a low [[morpheme]]-per-[[word]] ratio, especially with respect to [[Morpheme#Inflectional morphemes|inflectional morpheme]]s. | ||
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==Isolating language== | ==Isolating language== | ||
A related concept is that of [[isolating language]]s, which are those with a low morpheme-per-word ratio (taking into account [[Morpheme#Derivational bound morphemes|derivational morpheme]]s as well). Purely isolating languages are by definition analytic and lack inflectional morphemes. However, the reverse is not necessarily true, and a language can have derivational morphemes but lack inflectional morphemes. For example, [[Mandarin Chinese]] has many [[compound word]]s,<ref>Li, Charles and Thompson, Sandra A., ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=F60wDwAAQBAJ&q=isolating+OR+analytic Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar]'', University of California Press, 1981, p. 46.</ref> which gives it a moderately high ratio of morphemes per word, but since it has almost no inflectional affixes at all to convey grammatical relationships | A related concept is that of [[isolating language]]s, which are those with a low morpheme-per-word ratio (taking into account [[Morpheme#Derivational bound morphemes|derivational morpheme]]s as well). Purely isolating languages are by definition analytic and lack inflectional morphemes. However, the reverse is not necessarily true, and a language can have derivational morphemes but lack inflectional morphemes. For example, [[Mandarin Chinese]] has many [[compound word]]s,<ref>Li, Charles and Thompson, Sandra A., ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=F60wDwAAQBAJ&q=isolating+OR+analytic Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar]'', University of California Press, 1981, p. 46.</ref> which gives it a moderately high ratio of morphemes per word, but since it has almost no inflectional affixes at all to convey grammatical relationships; it is a very analytic language. | ||
English is not totally analytic in its nouns since it uses inflections for number (e.g., "one day, three days; one boy, four boys") and possession ("The boy's ball" vis-à-vis "The boy has a ball"). Mandarin Chinese, by contrast, has no inflections on its nouns: | English is not totally analytic in its nouns, since it uses inflections for number (e.g., "one day, three days; one boy, four boys") and possession ("The boy's ball" vis-à-vis "The boy has a ball"). Mandarin Chinese, by contrast, has no inflections on its nouns: Compare {{lang|zh|一天}} {{Lang|zh-latn|yī tiān}} 'one day', {{lang|zh|三天}} {{Lang|zh-latn|sān tiān}} 'three days' (literally 'three day'); {{lang|zh|一個男孩}} {{Lang|zh-latn|yī ge nánhái}} 'one boy' (lit. 'one [entity of] male child'), {{lang|zh|四個男孩}} {{Lang|zh-latn|sì ge nánhái}} 'four boys' (lit. 'four [entity of] male child'). However, English is considered weakly inflected, and comparatively more analytic than most other [[Indo-European languages]]. | ||
[[Persian language|Persian]] | [[Persian language|Persian]] is a synthetic language, not an analytical one. It has some features of agglutination, making use of prefixes and suffixes attached to the stems of verbs and nouns, thus making it a synthetic language rather than an analytic one. It is also is an SOV (subject, object, and then verb) language, thus having a head-final phrase structure.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mouche |first=Ryan |last2=Renfro |first2=Ashley |date=2019-05-15 |title=Persian Syntax |url=https://cedar.wwu.edu/scholwk/2019/2019_poster_presentations/57/ |journal=Scholars Week}}</ref> Example in Persian: ''Kuchiktarinhayeshunra barnemigardundam'' meaning ''<nowiki/>'<nowiki/>''I wouldn’t return the smallest ones of them''<nowiki/>''' ''(''literally 'Small+diminutive+comparative+superlative+plural+possessive+object_marker re+not+ing+turn+to+did+I') | ||
== List of analytic languages == | == List of analytic languages == | ||
{{Dynamic list}} | {{Dynamic list}} | ||
{{More citations needed|section|date=April 2019}} | {{More citations needed|section|date=April 2019}} | ||
Synthetic languages that encounter heavy influence, or become creolized, often become more analytic, as the complex rules of synthesis break down. Thus many of these languages are ones like English or Mandarin that became a significant admixture of more than one language (with English, this includes [[Old English]], [[Norman French]], [[Latin]], [[Danish language|Danish]], and [[Common Brittonic]]), or are new languages made from old ones, like Haitian Creole. | |||
* [[Indo-European languages]] | * [[Indo-European languages]] | ||
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*** [[Kalto language|Kalto]] | *** [[Kalto language|Kalto]] | ||
* [[Austronesian languages]] | * [[Austronesian languages]] | ||
** [[Cham language|Cham]] | |||
** [[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]] | ** [[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]] | ||
** [[Māori language|Māori]] | ** [[Māori language|Māori]] | ||
Revision as of 11:12, 21 September 2025
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An analytic language is a type of natural language that uses affixes very rarely but in which a series of root/stem words is accompanied by prepositions, postpositions, particles, and modifiers. This is opposed to synthetic languages, which synthesize many concepts into a single word, using affixes regularly.
Syntactic roles are assigned to words primarily by word order. For example, by changing the individual words in the Latin phrase "fēl-is pisc-em cēpit" ("the cat caught the fish") to "fēl-em pisc-is cēpit" ("the fish caught the cat"), the fish becomes the subject, while the cat becomes the object. This transformation is not possible in an analytic language without altering the word order. Typically, analytic languages have a low morpheme-per-word ratio, especially with respect to inflectional morphemes.
No natural language, however, is purely analytic or purely synthetic.
Background
The term analytic is commonly used in a relative rather than an absolute sense. The most prominent and widely used Indo-European analytic language is Modern English, which has lost much of the inflectional morphology that it inherited from Proto-Indo-European, Proto-Germanic and Old English over the centuries and has not gained any new inflectional morphemes in the meantime, which makes it more analytic than most other Indo-European languages.
For example, Proto-Indo-European had much more complex grammatical conjugation, grammatical genders, dual number and inflections for eight or nine cases in its nouns, pronouns, adjectives, numerals, participles, postpositions and determiners. Standard English has lost nearly all of them (except for three modified cases for pronouns) along with genders and dual number and simplified its conjugation.
Latin, German, Greek, and Russian and a majority of the Slavic languages, characterized by free word order, are synthetic languages. Nouns in Russian inflect for at least six cases, most of which descended from Proto-Indo-European cases, whose functions English translates by instead using other strategies like prepositions, verbal voice, word order, and possessive 's.
Modern Hebrew is more analytic than Classical Hebrew mostly with nouns.[1] Classical Hebrew relies heavily on inflectional morphology to convey grammatical relationships, while in Modern Hebrew, there has been a significant reduction of the use of inflectional morphology.
Isolating language
A related concept is that of isolating languages, which are those with a low morpheme-per-word ratio (taking into account derivational morphemes as well). Purely isolating languages are by definition analytic and lack inflectional morphemes. However, the reverse is not necessarily true, and a language can have derivational morphemes but lack inflectional morphemes. For example, Mandarin Chinese has many compound words,[2] which gives it a moderately high ratio of morphemes per word, but since it has almost no inflectional affixes at all to convey grammatical relationships; it is a very analytic language.
English is not totally analytic in its nouns, since it uses inflections for number (e.g., "one day, three days; one boy, four boys") and possession ("The boy's ball" vis-à-vis "The boy has a ball"). Mandarin Chinese, by contrast, has no inflections on its nouns: Compare Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang". 'one day', Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang". 'three days' (literally 'three day'); Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang". 'one boy' (lit. 'one [entity of] male child'), Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang". 'four boys' (lit. 'four [entity of] male child'). However, English is considered weakly inflected, and comparatively more analytic than most other Indo-European languages.
Persian is a synthetic language, not an analytical one. It has some features of agglutination, making use of prefixes and suffixes attached to the stems of verbs and nouns, thus making it a synthetic language rather than an analytic one. It is also is an SOV (subject, object, and then verb) language, thus having a head-final phrase structure.[3] Example in Persian: Kuchiktarinhayeshunra barnemigardundam meaning 'I wouldn’t return the smallest ones of them' (literally 'Small+diminutive+comparative+superlative+plural+possessive+object_marker re+not+ing+turn+to+did+I')
List of analytic languages
Script error: No such module "Hatnote". Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Synthetic languages that encounter heavy influence, or become creolized, often become more analytic, as the complex rules of synthesis break down. Thus many of these languages are ones like English or Mandarin that became a significant admixture of more than one language (with English, this includes Old English, Norman French, Latin, Danish, and Common Brittonic), or are new languages made from old ones, like Haitian Creole.
- Indo-European languages
- Austronesian languages
- Sino-Tibetan languages
- Burmese
- Sinitic languages (including Mandarin and Cantonese)
- Austroasiatic languages
- Kra-Dai languages
- Hmong-Mien languages
- Maybrat
- Mixtec
- Sango
- Yoruba
- Haitian Creole
See also
- Auxiliary verb
- Free morpheme
- Isolating language
- Zero-marking language
- Synthetic language
- Linguistic typology
References
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- ↑ Li, Charles and Thompson, Sandra A., Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar, University of California Press, 1981, p. 46.
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- ↑ Danilevitch, Olga (2019), "Logical Semantics Approach for Data Modeling in XBRL Taxonomies"
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