COMPOUND NOUNS AS EVIDENCE FOR EARLIER STAGES OF ALTAIC

منو

" COMPOUND NOUNS AS EVIDENCE FOR EARLIER STAGES OF ALTAIC "
Robert L. Fisher

Document Type	:	AL
Record Number	:	811378
Doc. No	:	LA99052
Main Entry	:	Robert L. Fisher
Title & Author	:	COMPOUND NOUNS AS EVIDENCE FOR EARLIER STAGES OF ALTAIC [Article]\ Robert L. Fisher
Title of Periodical	:	Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae
Date	:	1998
Volume/ Issue Number	:	51-1/2
Page No	:	85--130
Abstract	:	A compound noun can be defined as two free morphemes, at least one of which is a noun, that have been combined into an accentual and semantic unit, such that no morphological affixes can be attached to the first element. In the oldest attested Altaic languages, such compounds are rare. This finding points to a relatively isolating, accusative proto-language with the relationships between words shown primarily by word order and particles. Altaic's rich derivational morphology reduced the need for compounds. The lack of possessive compounds, and other features, hint at an earlier active/stative type for Proto-Altaic. The development of compounds is due mainly to contiguous Indo-European languages and Chinese.