The paper discusses the concept of the inner determinant of a language proposed by the founder of systemic linguistics G.P. Mel’nikov in continuation of W. von Humboldt’s idea of the inner form of language. The purpose of the research is to actualize one of the methods of systemic linguistics in the light of modern scientific paradigms. We examine the method of determinantal analysis of language systems and the notions which are closely related to it: morphological type of language, nominative and communicative angles of presenting a situation in a typical utterance, ways of organizing grammatical semantics in languages of various types. The research shows that G.P. Mel’nikov’s concept of inner determinants of languages allows to interpret the traditional morphological classification of languages as a system of types opposed according to their inner determinants in historically formed specific communicative conditions acting as external determinants of languages. © Siberian Federal University. All rights reserved