Branching typologies [was: Re: "easiest" languages, SE Asian word-order typologies]
From: | Thomas R. Wier <trwier@...> |
Date: | Wednesday, September 26, 2001, 19:42 |
Quoting Vasiliy Chernov <bc_@...>:
> > Wonder what influences coulda made Mandarin become such a
> >"head-final"/left-branching language (modifier(s) + head word) ?
>
> But this was already a feature of Old Chinese. And Tibeto-Burman langs
> tend to be more left-branching than Chinese, on the average (e. g.
> they are often verb-final).
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.
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.
==============================
Thomas Wier <trwier@...>
"Aspidi men Saiôn tis agalletai, hên para thamnôi
entos amômêton kallipon ouk ethelôn;
autos d' exephugon thanatou telos: aspis ekeinê
erretô; exautês ktêsomai ou kakiô" - Arkhilokhos
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