Oligosynthetic language
Encyclopedia
An oligosynthetic language (from the Greek
, meaning "few" or "little") is any language
using very few morpheme
s, perhaps only a few hundred, which combine synthetically
to form statements. It is contrasted to polysynthetic language
s. Oligosynthesis is almost entirely theoretical and would depend heavily on the creation of lengthy compound words, to an extent far exceeding that of regular synthetic languages.
There are no known natural human languages that are oligosynthetic. The Native American languages Nahuatl
and Blackfoot
have in the past been claimed to exhibit oligosynthetic qualities (most notably by Benjamin Whorf
). However, the linguistic community has largely rejected these claims, preferring to categorize Nahuatl and Blackfoot as polysynthetic.
Because no natural language has been shown to exhibit oligosynthetic properties, some linguists regard true oligosynthesis as impossible or impractical for productive use by humans.
s, for example Sona
, Ygyde, and aUI
, may be considered oligosynthetic.
Unlike oligosynthetic languages, oligoanalytic or oligoisolating languages are ones which have few morphemes but tend toward isolating
structure. For example, the conlang Toki Pona
has been described as oligoisolating.
The Newspeak
spoken by Oceania in the novel 1984
tends theoretically to be an oligosynthetic language, as the aim is to reduce the morphemes. Newspeak ideas are expressed using those few roots and constructing a new idea by synthesis; for example, doubleplusungood means "extremely unsatisfactory".
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, meaning "few" or "little") is any language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
using very few morpheme
Morpheme
In linguistics, a morpheme is the smallest semantically meaningful unit in a language. The field of study dedicated to morphemes is called morphology. A morpheme is not identical to a word, and the principal difference between the two is that a morpheme may or may not stand alone, whereas a word,...
s, perhaps only a few hundred, which combine synthetically
Synthetic language
In linguistic typology, a synthetic language is a language with a high morpheme-per-word ratio, as opposed to a low morpheme-per-word ratio in what is described as an isolating language...
to form statements. It is contrasted to polysynthetic language
Polysynthetic language
In linguistic typology, polysynthetic languages are highly synthetic languages, i.e., languages in which words are composed of many morphemes. Whereas isolating languages have a low morpheme-to-word ratio, polysynthetic languages have extremely high morpheme-to-word ratios.Not all languages can be...
s. Oligosynthesis is almost entirely theoretical and would depend heavily on the creation of lengthy compound words, to an extent far exceeding that of regular synthetic languages.
There are no known natural human languages that are oligosynthetic. The Native American languages Nahuatl
Nahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
and Blackfoot
Blackfoot language
Blackfoot, also known as Siksika , Pikanii, and Blackfeet, is the Algonquian language spoken by the Blackfoot tribes of Native Americans, who currently live in the northwestern plains of North America...
have in the past been claimed to exhibit oligosynthetic qualities (most notably by Benjamin Whorf
Benjamin Whorf
In studying the cause of a fire which had started under the conditions just described, Whorf concluded that it was thinking of the "empty" gasoline drums as "empty" in the meaning described in the first definition above, that is as "inert," which led to a fire he investigated...
). However, the linguistic community has largely rejected these claims, preferring to categorize Nahuatl and Blackfoot as polysynthetic.
Because no natural language has been shown to exhibit oligosynthetic properties, some linguists regard true oligosynthesis as impossible or impractical for productive use by humans.
Oligosynthetic constructed languages
Some constructed languageConstructed language
A planned or constructed language—known colloquially as a conlang—is a language whose phonology, grammar, and/or vocabulary has been consciously devised by an individual or group, instead of having evolved naturally...
s, for example Sona
Sona language
Sona is a worldlang created by Kenneth Searight and described in a book he published in 1935. The word Sona in the language itself means "auxiliary neutral thing", but the name was also chosen to echo "sonority" or "sound"....
, Ygyde, and aUI
AUI (language)
aUI is a constructed language credited to John W. Weilgart, created in the beginning of the 1960s. Because of its structure it is classified as a logical language or philosophical language.- History :...
, may be considered oligosynthetic.
Unlike oligosynthetic languages, oligoanalytic or oligoisolating languages are ones which have few morphemes but tend toward isolating
Isolating language
An isolating language is a type of language with a low morpheme-per-word ratio — in the extreme case of an isolating language words are composed of a single morpheme...
structure. For example, the conlang Toki Pona
Toki Pona
Toki Pona is a constructed language, first published online in mid-2001. It was designed by translator and linguist Sonja Elen Kisa of Toronto....
has been described as oligoisolating.
The Newspeak
Newspeak
Newspeak is a fictional language in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. In the novel, it refers to the deliberately impoverished language promoted by the state. Orwell included an essay about it in the form of an appendix in which the basic principles of the language are explained...
spoken by Oceania in the novel 1984
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about Oceania, a society ruled by the oligarchical dictatorship of the Party...
tends theoretically to be an oligosynthetic language, as the aim is to reduce the morphemes. Newspeak ideas are expressed using those few roots and constructing a new idea by synthesis; for example, doubleplusungood means "extremely unsatisfactory".
See also
- Alphabet of human thoughtAlphabet of human thoughtThe alphabet of human thought is a concept originally proposed by Gottfried Leibniz that provides a universal way to represent and analyze ideas and relationships, no matter how complicated, by breaking down their component pieces...
- Natural semantic metalanguageNatural semantic metalanguageThe Natural semantic metalanguage is a linguistic theory and a practical, meaning-based approach to linguistic analysis. The theory is based on the conception of Polish professor Andrzej Bogusławski...
- Semantic primitives