Fusional language 屈折語 (屈折语)

qūzhéyǔ · from English

What is a fusional language?

A fusional (inflectional) language uses endings that pack several grammatical meanings into one form, as in Latin, Spanish, German or Russian.

In Spanish hablé, the single ending -é marks first person, singular, past and perfective all at once. These endings cannot be split into one-meaning pieces as in agglutinative languages. Most European languages are fusional, which is why European learners often expect Asian grammar to have conjugation tables.

Examples

Spanish hablé (I spoke); Latin amō (I love); German des Mannes (of the man)

Kungfucius says: One ending, five meanings, and a table to memorise for every verb class.