Languages evolving towards greater inflection

???   Thu Jan 21, 2010 8:47 pm GMT
I understand that languages can have the tendency to go from being highly inflected to analytical back to highly inflected and so forth. I'm curious to know how this actually happens in a language which is in the process of becoming more inflected. I mean you can easily understand how endings gradually get eroded away, but how do they get added?
Leasnam   Thu Jan 21, 2010 9:03 pm GMT
wow, good question.

I have no experience with knowledge regarding the gain-adding of inflections, but I can envision how this might occur...

if inflections begin as separate particles that get appended to words, would this qualify as a way to return to an inflected state?

to byspel:

if one said "He's homeward" meaning he's going home, this could eventually break down to "he/she/it is homer" where "-er" could be analogously applied to various words to indicate movement toward, or location.

otherwise, I don't know.

What are some forbuses when such occurence has taken place (non-inflect -> inflected)?
Baldewin   Thu Jan 21, 2010 9:06 pm GMT
Are there examples of languages that have become more inflected? Which?
Baldewin   Thu Jan 21, 2010 9:11 pm GMT
I meant, as Leasnam asked!
Paul   Thu Jan 21, 2010 11:09 pm GMT
In English, there's a tendency to add certain suffixes to words to change meaning. Although it's uniformly rejected as bad English, its gaining popularity, and if left unchecked they could possibly become a noun infections.

For example: The "wise" suffix.

-"So how are you doing money-wise?"

-"What are you preferences, relationship-wise?"

-"Where do you see yourself in the future, career-wise?"


If this keeps up, "wise" could become an ablative noun case of sorts, and we could drop the hyphens.
.   Thu Jan 21, 2010 11:27 pm GMT
<<If this keeps up, "wise" could become an ablative noun case of sorts, and we could drop the hyphens. >>

I agree, though I never see them with the hyphen to begin with:

moneywise
relationshipwise
careerwise
marketwise
salarywise

When brooked with a hyphen, it generally denotes a combined form with the adjective "wise" (i.e. "worldly-wise")
maxwell blanck   Fri Jan 22, 2010 2:00 am GMT
I suppose a language could gradually become more inflected in one aera (nouns, for example), while gradually losing inflections in another area (verbs, for example).

English may be losing the subjunctive, and perhaps the -er and -est forms of certain adjectives, while gaining forms like shoulda woulda coulda, etc. (at least in speech), perhaps also with heavier use of the -ee suffix (callee (in programming), attendee, invitee, draftee, muggee, etc.)
anon   Fri Jan 22, 2010 2:11 am GMT
New English Case system:

nominative/accusative - family
genitive - family's
ablative - familywise
YURIST   Fri Jan 22, 2010 2:22 am GMT
What about -like, used like the Russian isntrumental:


The dog hissed snakelike.
Собака шипела змеёй.
Baldewin   Fri Jan 22, 2010 2:41 am GMT
It's very obvious we're on a crossroads when it comes to linguistic perception. The standard languages worldwide stand under heavy pressure after being spread to the nowadays educated population. It's becoming a relict of the Renaissance. People seem to have more and more problems subjugating themselves to the strict grammatical rules and more often put their own stamp on their personal language because they don't speak hardcore dialect/regional language anymore.
I also wonder whether artistic freedom plays a major role in language development. One can think that a very educated mass would be able to make a analytic language highly inflected because of some slang becoming trendy all of sudden.
???   Fri Jan 22, 2010 3:12 pm GMT
Yes I can see how it might come about as a result of words kind of melding together.

Another example in English is 'of' being pronounced as 'a' on the end of a word. For example

'The end of the world' becomes pronounced as

'The enda the world'

So could this be seen as a kind of genitive inflection? Although in German the genitive inflection would be shown on 'the world' and not 'the end', so 'das Ende' and Die Welt' but 'Das Ende DER Welt' But is there any rule about about which noun the inflection has to be shown on?
up   Sun Jan 24, 2010 4:40 am GMT
continue
YURIST   Sun Jan 24, 2010 10:22 pm GMT
Also, phrasal verbs can be turned into cases by fixing prepositions to nouns.


rip out => He ripped her eyesout.
beat up => He beat himup.
screw over => The fraudster screwed the customerover.
knock down => The car knocked the pedestriandown.
casifier   Mon Jan 25, 2010 3:16 am GMT
<<It's very obvious we're on a crossroads when it comes to linguistic perception. The standard languages worldwide stand under heavy pressure after being spread to the nowadays educated population. It's becoming a relict of the Renaissance. People seem to have more and more problems subjugating themselves to the strict grammatical rules and more often put their own stamp on their personal language>>



Casified, inflected nouns:

It's very obvious we're crossroadson when it comes linguistic perceptionto. The standard languages worldwide stand heavy pressureunder after being spread nowadays educated populationto. It's becoming a relict Renaissanceof. People seem to have more and more problems subjugating themselves strict grammatical rulesto and more often put their own stamp their personal languageon.

Or hardcore, inflected nouns and adjectives:

It's very obvious we're crossroadson when it comes linguisticto perceptionto. The standard languages worldwide stand heavyunder pressureunder after being spread nowadays educatedto populationto. It's becoming a relictof Renaissanceof. People seem to have more and more problems subjugating themselves strictto grammaticalto rulesto and more often put their own stamp theiron personalon languageon.



Will you agree mewith that this is better ordinarythan Englishthan?
casifier   Mon Jan 25, 2010 3:55 am GMT
Or retaining articles and adding number agreement and everything,super hardcore version:

It's very obvious we're ason crossroadson when it comes linguisticto perceptionto. Thes standards languages worldwide stand heavyunder pressureunder after being spread theto nowadays educatedto populationto. It's becoming a relict theof Renaissanceof. People seem to have mores and mores problems subjugating themselves thesto strictsto grammaticalsto rulesto and more often put their own stamp theiron personalon languageon


How frickin awesome is that? Let's try something else:

<<A rope is a length of fibres, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength (i.e. it can be used for pulling, but not pushing). Rope is thicker and stronger than similarly constructed cord, line, string, or twine.

.>>


Becomes:

A rope is a length fibresof, twistedsof or braidedsof together to improve strength pullingfor and connectingfor. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength (i.e. it can be used pullingfor, but not pushingfor). Rope is thicker and stronger similarly constructedthan cordthan, linethan, stringthan, or twinethan.


<<Fiber, also spelled fibre, is a class of materials that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces, similar to lengths of thread. They are very important in the biology of both plants and animals, for holding tissues together.>>


Becomes:

Fiber, also spelled fibre, is a class materialsof that are continuouss filaments or are discretesin elongatedsin piecesin, similarsin lengthsto threadof. They are very important thein biologyin bothsof plantsof and animalsof, holdingfor tissuesof together.