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  1. Agglutination

    Linked via "root"

    Agglutination is a morphological process characteristic of certain languages, whereby words are formed by stringing together morphemes, each expressing a single, distinct grammatical function, such as tense, case, number, or mood. Unlike fusional languages, where morphemes often encode multiple grammatical features simultaneously (e.g., Latin), or [isolating languages](/entries/isola…

  2. Agglutination

    Linked via "root"

    Typological Characteristics
    The defining feature of agglutination is the sequential addition of affixes to a root, often without significant phonological fusion or deletion between the segments. Each suffix generally corresponds to one grammatical meaning.
    Morpheme Transparency and Modularity

  3. Agglutination

    Linked via "root"

    Vowel Harmony Interaction
    In languages where extensive agglutination occurs, such as those in the Uralic or Altaic families, the phonology of the root often dictates the form of subsequent suffixes. Vowel Harmony mandates that all vowels within a word belong to a specific set (e.g., back vowels only). As suffixes are layered onto the root, each new suffix must conform to the harmonic set established by the preceding element, usually …

  4. Agglutination

    Linked via "root"

    Linguists use the concept of the 'Fusional Threshold' ($FT$) to categorize languages. A language crosses this threshold when the average morpheme carries more than $1.3$ distinct grammatical features, or when the phonological overlap between adjacent morphemes obscures the original boundary more than $30\%$ of the time [6]. Languages exhibiting a high degree of agglutination tend to hover just below this threshold, maintaining structural integrity.
    Conversely, languages described as polysynthetic often exhibit extreme aggluti…

  5. Suffix

    Linked via "root"

    Typology and Classification
    Suffixes are fundamentally defined by their position relative to the root. Unlike prefixes, which precede the root, or infixes, which are inserted internally, suffixes occupy the terminal morpheme slot.
    Inflectional vs. Derivational Suffixes