Tag: agglutination

Categories
Morphology Linguistic Typology Native American Languages

The One-Word Sentence: A Deep Dive into Polysynthetic Languages

Estimated read time 6 min read

In languages like Inuktitut or Mohawk, a single, complex word can convey a thought that requires a full sentence in English. This linguistic phenomenon, known as polysynthesis, builds massive ‘sentence-words’ by fusing verbs, nouns, and modifiers into one intricate unit. Dive into the world of one-word sentences and discover how this mind-bending grammar shapes our perception of reality.

Categories
Morphology Linguistic Typology Linguistics Turkish

The World’s Lego Languages: How Agglutination Builds Meaning Brick by Brick

Estimated read time 6 min read

This article explores the world of agglutinative languages like Turkish, Finnish, and Swahili, where long, complex words are built by snapping together morphemes like Lego bricks. We deconstruct a few “megawords” to show how this elegant and highly logical system works. Discover how some languages build meaning one transparent piece at a time, in stark contrast to languages like English or Spanish.