evolution analytic synthetic linguist linguistlist org wrote 1 date wed 04 jun 1997 09 16 25 0500 geoffrey nathan geoffn siu edu subject 8 826 disc evolution analytic synthetic message 1 date wed 04 jun 1997 09 16 25 0500 geoffrey nathan geoffn siu edu subject 8 826 disc evolution analytic synthetic add little value judgment part martin haspelmath clear explication current views evolution typology point otto jespersen believed evolution synthetic analytic happened old modern english overall improvement assumption totally isolating languages like chinese represented ideal goal languages nt copy easily available believe view found philosophy grammar heard suggested reason j believed believed english close ideal language second martin claim view fairly clear consensus among historical linguists directionality discusses current introductory texts certainly include discussion view nice discussion found example terry crowley _ introduction historical linguistics _ oxford 1992 similar discussions found current texts geoff geoffrey nathan department linguistics southern illinois university carbondale carbondale il 62901 usa phone 618 4533421 office fax 618 4536527 618 5490106 home dear geoff linguist listers believe distinction made synthetic analytic languages best superficial whether language marks transitive subject first position sentence s1 ie markers always present total meaninglessness result studies earliest language discovered synthetictype markers word order ov established relationship among elements simplest sentences tone delimited sentences synthetic elements still characterize many languages started analytic elements example b past tense prefix basque began life simple adverb ba meaning already simply ie eaugment nonconcommitant verbal forms started simply adverb e 3rd p deixis formant forms adjectives many languages first noun word acquired meaning like many languages like ie factitive forms simply origin combinations verb stem element meant ie yo aa second person singular k simply word male history behind us difficult believe constructions like done future develop vprefix perfects nietzsche course said far eloquently modern phrase goes around comes around expresses quite well also language like existence unidirectional direction sense small segment circle appears straight really separates primitive languages advanced ones insistence nominativetype g klimov languages overtly expressed transitive subject mindset produces directly responsible scientific approach resulted technology late 20th century however may wish theorize fact scientific advances us state perpetual uneasiness come scientists speak nominativetype languages got training nominativetype languages science simply matter correctly linking cause effect nominative type language used organizing thoughts reflex cause effect algorithm say speakers languages organize thoughts logically logic constitutes logical approach culturally determined factors nt speakers would reject directly causal would difficult eradicate logic thinkers non nt speaking cultural matrices single advantage synthetic languages freer word order economically employed emphasizing topicalizing selected elements sentence every analytic language rigid word order devices accomplish purpose pat patrick c ryan protolanguage worldnet att net 501 2279947 fax data 501 3129947 9115 w 34th st little rock ar 722044441 usa webpage href http www geocities com athens forum 2803 veit ek ek hekk vindga meidhi naetr allar niu geiri undadhr theim meidhi er mangi veit hvers hann af rotum renn havamal 138