Here's why:
Analytic characteristics:
* Word order is crucial for meaning: English relies heavily on word order to convey grammatical relationships. For example, "The dog chased the cat" is different from "The cat chased the dog."
* Relatively few inflections: English has lost most of the inflections (word endings) that were common in Old English. For example, nouns don't have different forms for singular and plural (except for a few irregular ones).
* Use of prepositions and auxiliary verbs: English uses prepositions (like "on," "in," "of") and auxiliary verbs (like "have," "be," "do") to express grammatical relations instead of inflections.
Synthetic characteristics:
* Some inflections remain: While significantly reduced, English still has some inflections, like the -s ending for plural nouns and the -ed ending for past tense verbs.
* Compounding: English forms new words by combining existing words, such as "smartphone" and "sunlight."
Overall, Modern English leans heavily towards the analytic side, but it's not entirely devoid of synthetic features.
This hybrid nature reflects the historical evolution of the language. Old English was a more synthetic language, but it has become increasingly analytic over time.