Glossary of Linguistic Terms

Polysynthetic Language

Definition: 

A polysynthetic language is a language in which words tend to consist of several morphemes.

Examples: 

(Yup’ik Inuit)

  • tuntussuqatarniksaitengqiggtuq
  • tuntu -ssur -qatar -ni -ksaite -ngqiggte -uq
  • reindeer -hunt -FUT -say -NEG -again -3SG:IND
  • 'He had not yet said again that he was going to hunt reindeer.'
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    Contrast
     

    The opposite of a highly polysynthetic language is a highly isolating language.

    See Also: 
    Source: