單音節語言

單音節語言是一種單詞主要由單個音節組成的語言。單音節語言的一個例子是上古漢語^[1]、越南語或緬甸語。

單音節是對單音節詞形性質的稱呼。單音節的自然補充是多音節。

一種語言是否是單音節的，有時取決於「詞」的定義，這在語言學家中遠非一個定論^[2]。例如，現代漢語（普通話）如果每個書寫的漢字都被認為是一個詞，那麼它就是「單音節」；這是通過觀察大部分漢字都具有對應的含義（即使可能會非常概略和模稜兩可^[3]）來證明的。但是，中文詞典中的大多數條目都是以兩個或多個漢字組成的複合詞形式出現的；如果這些條目被視為「詞」，那麼普通話就並不是真正的單音節語言，只有構成其詞彙的語素才是^[1]^[4]。

單元音形式

單音節可能很複雜，包括七個或更多輔音和一個元音（CCCCVCCC 或 CCCVCCCC，英語中的「強度」），也可能像單個元音或音節輔音一樣簡單。

很少有已知的記錄語言保留簡單的 CV 形式，這些形式顯然是傳達意義的完全功能詞根，即是詞——但不是我們在普通話 CV 形式中發現的早期複雜形式的縮減，幾乎總是從漢語的音調和語音修改衍生而來藏文 *(C)CV(C)(C)/(V) 形式^{[來源請求]}。

詞根詞綴

單音節語言通常缺少可以添加到單詞以改變其含義或時間的後綴和前綴。相反，它通常由上下文和/或其他詞確定。

比如越南語：

英語	越南語
I ask	Tôi hỏi
I asked	Tôi đã hỏi
I'm asking	Tôi đang hỏi

英語	越南語
explain	giải thích
unexplain	không giải thích
explanation	sự giải thích

單音節語言在非正式演講中省略修飾詞，而不是僅基於上下文。

非正式用語
英語	越南語
I promise.	Tôi hứa.
I promised yesterday.	Tôi hứa hôm qua.
I will promise tomorrow.	Tôi hứa ngày mai.

參考文獻

^ ^1.0 ^1.1 Feng, Wang. Multisyllabication and Phonological Simplification throughout Chinese History. Journal of Chinese Linguistics. 2015, 43 (2): 714–718. JSTOR 24774983.
^ Haspelmath, Martin. The indeterminacy of word segmentation and the nature of morphology and syntax (PDF). Folia Linguistica. 2011, 45 (1): 31–80 [2023-03-10]. ISSN 0165-4004. doi:10.1515/flin.2011.002. （原始內容存檔 (PDF)於2023-03-27）.
^ Hockett, Charles F. Review: Nationalism and language reform in China by John De Francis. Language. 1951, 27 (3): 439–445. JSTOR 409788. doi:10.2307/409788. an overwhelmingly high percentage of Chinese segmental morphemes (bound or free) consist of a single syllable; no more than perhaps five percent are longer than one syllable, and only a small handful are shorter. In this sense — in the sense of the favored canonical shape of morphemes — Chinese is indeed monosyllabic
^ Hannas, Wm. C. Asia's Orthographic Dilemma. Honolulu: University of Hawai`i Press. 1997. ISBN 9780585344010. .

[feng2015-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Feng, Wang. Multisyllabication and Phonological Simplification throughout Chinese History. Journal of Chinese Linguistics. 2015, 43 (2): 714–718. JSTOR 24774983.

[hasp2011-2] Haspelmath, Martin. The indeterminacy of word segmentation and the nature of morphology and syntax (PDF). Folia Linguistica. 2011, 45 (1): 31–80 [2023-03-10]. ISSN 0165-4004. doi:10.1515/flin.2011.002. （原始內容存檔 (PDF)於2023-03-27）.

[hock1954-3] Hockett, Charles F. Review: Nationalism and language reform in China by John De Francis. Language. 1951, 27 (3): 439–445. JSTOR 409788. doi:10.2307/409788. an overwhelmingly high percentage of Chinese segmental morphemes (bound or free) consist of a single syllable; no more than perhaps five percent are longer than one syllable, and only a small handful are shorter. In this sense — in the sense of the favored canonical shape of morphemes — Chinese is indeed monosyllabic

[4] Hannas, Wm. C. Asia's Orthographic Dilemma. Honolulu: University of Hawai`i Press. 1997. ISBN 9780585344010. .

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