Re: Agglutinativity Index

On 12/10/05, Aidan Grey <taalenmaple@...> wrote:
> I didn't see this adressed, but I could be mistaken. I understand the
> synthesis index. How do I determine an agglutinativity or fusion index?
Count the number of junctures between morphemes.
Count the number of junctures that are agglutinative
rather than fusional.  Divide the number of agglutinative
junctures by the total number of junctures to get
the index of agglutinativity; or, I suppose, the number
of fusional junctures by the total to get the index
of fusion.

How exactly one counts the fusional junctures, I'm
not quite sure.  I think you look at whether one
or both morphemes on either side of the juncture
has variant forms and if so, it's fusional.  That would
include both stem or affix altering because of
sandhi, and stem or affix simply having multiple
allophones, I think.

--
Jim Henry
http://www.pobox.com/~jimhenry