languagesagglutinative

In linguistic typology, agglutinative languages are those in which words are formed by stringing together discrete morphemes, each typically representing a single grammatical category. These morphemes attach to a root or stem in linear sequences with clear boundaries, so that the role of each affix is generally easy to identify.

Morphology in agglutinative languages is characterized by affix-rich word formation. Most morphemes are bound forms attached to stems, with suffixing being especially common, though prefixes and infixes may occur. Each affix usually carries a single meaning or function, such as tense, aspect, mood, number, or case. This contrasts with fusional languages, where a single affix can encode multiple categories, and with isolating languages, where word formation relies minimally on affixation.

Commonly cited examples include Turkish, Finnish, Hungarian, Basque, Japanese, Korean, and Swahili. Turkish and Finnish exhibit extensive suffixation and vowel harmony or case marking; Hungarian uses numerous suffixes to express tense, number, possession, and other grammatical relations; Basque is ergative and highly agglutinative; Japanese and Korean attach multiple verb endings to encode mood, aspect, politeness, and tense.

Word formation in agglutinative languages can produce long, information-dense words that convey what would require several words in other languages, yet each morpheme remains discrete. Sentence syntax is often relatively flexible because grammatical relations are signaled by affixes rather than word order alone. Nevertheless, typical orders vary by language, and case or agreement markers frequently reduce strict dependence on word order.

Agglutinative languages are a broad and productive category, and many languages show mixed strategies, combining agglutination with fusional or isolating features in different domains.