Re: Branching typologies [was: Re: "easiest" languages, SE Asian word-order typologies]

On Wed, 26 Sep 2001 14:42:35 -0500, Thomas R. Wier
<trwier@...> wrote:

>I'm curious: what is the most common branching typology for our
>conlangs? Phaleran is very left-branching: SOV word order, relative
>clauses before the noun they modify, adjectival particles before
>the noun they modify.  Degaspregos was/is more right branching:
>although it has mainly SOV word order, relative clauses and
>adjectives usually come after the modified noun.
I can say definitely that I've never designed a consequentially
left-branching lang. At least dependent clauses always go to the right.
While otherwise I tend to play with every new feature that I can grasp
the idea of. Which perhaps means that my intuition fails to grasp
something about left-branching syntax.

>You know what -- we should compile a brief synopsis of all types
>of conlinguistic typologies.  It would shed some light not so much
>on language, but rather more likely, on the conlanger population.
I think this is a good idea.


Basilius