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Recent Developments in Functional Discourse Grammar
Edited by Evelien Keizer and Hella Olbertz
[Studies in Language Companion Series 205] 2018
► pp. 233–272

Measuring polysynthesis

A Functional Discourse Grammar approach

| University of Lethbridge

This chapter proposes a framework for a quantitative approach to the typology of polysynthesis based in Functional Discourse Grammar (FDG). FDG’s strict separation between the Interpersonal, Representational and Morphosyntactic Levels of analysis combined with its approach to morpheme types allows for a detailed examination of the scalar nature of polysynthesis. The analysis refines FDG’s treatment of morphological typology, which characterizes languages according to two parameters, viz. transparency and synthesis. Inspired by recent FDG treatments of transparency (esp. Leufkens 2015; Hengeveld & Leufkens 2018), and building on FDG work by Fortescue (2007) and Smit (2005), I propose the following set of parameters: (1) (verbal) lexical density (qualitative and quantitative); (2) anisomorphism between Formulation and Encoding levels; (3) anisomorphism within the Morphosyntactic Level (word-internal layering in the verbal word); (4) alignment restrictions; (5) optionality (availability of analytic alternative). This quantitative approach is intended to complement the qualitative typology developed by Mattissen (2004, 2017).

Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Features of polysynthesis
    • 2.1Morpheme-to-word ratio
    • 2.2Polypersonalism
    • 2.3Incorporation and serialization
    • 2.4Lexical affixation
    • 2.5Holophrasis
    • 2.6What is (prototypical) polysynthesis?
    • 2.7Mattissen’s typology of polysynthesis
  • 3.The Functional Discourse Grammar approach to polysynthesis
    • 3.1Lexical density and the classification of morphemes in FDG
    • 3.2What counts as “lexical content”?
    • 3.3Anisomorphism and word-internal layering
  • 4.A new approach to polysynthesis
    • 4.1Verbal lexical density
    • 4.2Anisomorphism between Formulation and Encoding levels
    • 4.3Internal layering within the Word
    • 4.4Alignment
    • 4.5Optionality
  • 5.Discussion and conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 22 November 2018
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/slcs.205.08gen
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