Noun Incorporation and Polysynthesis

Abstract

This chapter discusses the properties of polysynthesis and noun incorporation in the languages of North America. Starting with the Humboldtian tradition, it discusses the history of the interrelation between polysynthesis and noun incorporation, especially in the context of North American languages. It also discusses the kinds of concepts that are encoded morphologically in polysynthetic languages, presenting details of Mattissen’s typological classification of polysynthesis. Contemporary analyses of noun incorporation and polysynthesis are discussed. In particular, we discuss Baker’s generative approaches to polysynthesis and noun incorporation, Mithun’s functionalist analysis of polysynthesis, and touch on Roberts’s microparametric approach to variation in the context of polysynthesis and noun incorporation. Central to all these discussions is the notion of whether polysynthesis and noun incorporation are obligatorily intertwined or not. While early research suggested that the two phenomena go hand-in-hand, especially in North America, more recent research shows they are not, a conclusion that has serious ramifications for the analysis of these two phenomena. The chapter ends with an outlook for future research on the topics raised here.