Re: polysynthetic conlangs

From:    Robert Jung <RobertMJung@...>
> After I discovered those West Greenlandic sentences like
> Ininnukalaarniarlungaana 'The thing is, I'm going to my room for a bit',
> I wish to create a polysynthetic language. I think it'd be really neat,
> even neater than making a Tzeltal-based conlang... OK, maybe about as
> cool. :))) But I don't know where to start. I don't know much about West
> Greenlandic and other polysynthetic languages, so could someone please
> enlighten me?
Well, polysynthesis is not a particularly uniform category, so
it's not possible to give a characterization of it that does
justice to the diversity of languages so-called.  Here are some
off-the-cuff characteristics frequently cited in polysynthetic
languages:

(1) Noun incorporation
(2) Verbal cross-reference with most or all the arguments of the verb,
including their deixis, number and perhaps gender and obviation.
(3) A larger than usual number of morphological categories, including
tense, aspect, mood, voice, direction of action, evidentiality, etc.
(4) Often have robust valence changing operations, including
passives, antipassives, causatives and applicatives.
(5) Often nonconfigurational: no evidence for the existence of a VP
(6) As a result of (5), often having discontinuous constituents
(7) incorporation of subordinate predicates

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Thomas Wier            "I find it useful to meet my subjects personally,
Dept. of Linguistics    because our secret police don't get it right
University of Chicago   half the time." -- octogenarian Sheikh Zayed of
1010 E. 59th Street     Abu Dhabi, to a French reporter.
Chicago, IL 60637

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