Re: Polysynthesis & Oligosynthesis

From: "Philip Newton" <Philip.Newton@...>
> On 25 Aug 02, at 0:52, Muke Tever wrote:
>
> > The book says "A more useful, though non-quantitative, rule is that if the
> > language can express a whole sentence with just a verb, it is polysynthetic.
If
> > not, it is isolating."
>
> "Are you coming or going?"
> "Coming."
>
> Is the reply "a whole sentence [expressed] with just a verb"? If so,
> why? If not, why not? What's a sentence?
No, the reply is not a verb at all, but a participle.  The reply would have to
be *"Am."

(This definition though, is informal, not rigorous.)


    *Muke!
--
http://www.frath.net/