'Synthetic languages' is spelled with four syllables: /sɪnˈθɛtɪk/ /ˈlæŋɡwədʒɪz/. The first part, 'synthetic', is pronounced with the stress on the second syllable and contains four phonemes: /s/-/ɪ/-/n/-/θ/. The second part, 'languages', is pronounced with the stress on the first syllable and contains three phonemes: /ˈlæŋ/-/ɡw/-/ɪz/. This term refers to languages that use inflections and affixes to indicate grammatical relationships between words. Examples of synthetic languages include Latin, Russian, and Swahili.
Synthetic languages are linguistic systems characterized by the fusion of different grammatical elements to convey meaning within a single word or by the use of affixes (prefixes, suffixes, infixes, etc.) attached to a root word. The term "synthetic" refers to the synthesis or combination of these elements or affixes to create words with multiple components or grammatical information.
In synthetic languages, words often undergo modifications through inflection, where grammatical markers are added or modified to indicate various grammatical categories like tense, number, case, mood, and gender. This feature allows a single word to encode several attributes or meanings simultaneously.
Synthetic languages can be further classified based on the level of affixation and inflection they employ. Highly synthetic languages tend to have more complex inflectional systems, resulting in words with numerous affixes. Examples of highly synthetic languages include Latin, Sanskrit, and Old English. In contrast, languages with limited affixation are considered less synthetic, such as English, which relies more on word order and separate words (articles, prepositions) to express grammatical relationships.
Synthetic languages often exhibit rich morphological complexity, with extensive use of both prefixes and suffixes attached to roots, allowing for the creation of an extensive vocabulary from a limited number of root words. This feature contributes to the compactness and expressiveness of synthetic languages, enabling concise communication.
The word "synthetic" comes from the Greek word "synthetikos", which means "putting together" or "combining". It is derived from the verb "synthēnai", meaning "to put together", which in turn is composed of the prefix "syn-", meaning "together", and the verb "tithēmi", meaning "to put" or "to place". The term "synthetic languages" refers to languages that primarily use inflectional morphology to express grammatical relationships and syntactic meanings, wherein words are internally modified to indicate grammatical features such as tense, number, case, and gender. The term "synthetic languages" suggests the idea of combining different elements within the structure of words to convey complex grammatical information.