3 Number marking in Karko and Nilo-Saharan
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Angelika Jakobi
Abstract
Number distinctions in Karko are attested in all major lexical categories. Number values attested on nouns include singular, plural, transnumeral, singulative, and plurative, the selection of a specific number marking suffix often being determined by semantically defined groups of nouns. Adjectives, demonstratives, participles, and pronouns show a contrast between singular and plural (or nonsingular); personal pronouns additionally express clusivity (associated with the 1st person plural). Verbal number, as realized by singular and plural stems, plays an important role in the morphosyntactic system of Karko; these stems interact with event number and with the number of the S or P participant. They also instantiate grammatical relations in ditransitive clauses, where the selection of a singular or plural stem is sensitive to the number of the direct object or the indirect object and their respective semantic roles. Additionally, plural stems are required to encode transitivity alternations. In derived intransitive clauses, being associated with low transitivity, plural verb stems convey passive, facilitative, and reflexive readings. In terms of number marking Karko tends to be typical of Nilo-Saharan. Where additional phenomena occur for specific categories elsewhere in this phylum, this is illustrated in the article.
Abstract
Number distinctions in Karko are attested in all major lexical categories. Number values attested on nouns include singular, plural, transnumeral, singulative, and plurative, the selection of a specific number marking suffix often being determined by semantically defined groups of nouns. Adjectives, demonstratives, participles, and pronouns show a contrast between singular and plural (or nonsingular); personal pronouns additionally express clusivity (associated with the 1st person plural). Verbal number, as realized by singular and plural stems, plays an important role in the morphosyntactic system of Karko; these stems interact with event number and with the number of the S or P participant. They also instantiate grammatical relations in ditransitive clauses, where the selection of a singular or plural stem is sensitive to the number of the direct object or the indirect object and their respective semantic roles. Additionally, plural stems are required to encode transitivity alternations. In derived intransitive clauses, being associated with low transitivity, plural verb stems convey passive, facilitative, and reflexive readings. In terms of number marking Karko tends to be typical of Nilo-Saharan. Where additional phenomena occur for specific categories elsewhere in this phylum, this is illustrated in the article.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter i
- Contents v
- List of authors ix
- 1 Number in the World’s Languages: Configuring the variation space 1
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I Africa
- 2 Number in Eastern Dan 27
- 3 Number marking in Karko and Nilo-Saharan 63
- 4 Number in Tswana 107
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II Europe and Middle East
- 5 Number in Arabic 131
- 6 Number in Occitan 167
- 7 Number in Slovenian 187
- 8 Number in West Circassian 261
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III Northern Eurasia
- 9 Number in Ket (Yeniseian) 307
- 10 Number in Nganasan 351
- 11 Number in Nivkh 375
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IV Pacific and Australia
- 12 Number in Gooniyandi 427
- 13 Number in Indonesian 457
- 14 Number in Japonic Family 505
- 15 Number in the Languages of the Lower Sepik Family 529
- 16 Number in Marori 577
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V Americas
- 17 Number in the languages of South America 609
- 18 The category of number in Kakataibo (Panoan) 671
- 19 Grammatical simplexity: Number in Kiowa 693
- 20 Number in Mohawk (Iroquoian) 729
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VI Further perspectives on linguistic diversity
- 21 Contact languages: A survey 767
- 22 Number in Russian Sign Language 805
- 23 Number in grammar: results and perspectives 833
- Terms 911
- Languages and language families 917
- Authors 927
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter i
- Contents v
- List of authors ix
- 1 Number in the World’s Languages: Configuring the variation space 1
-
I Africa
- 2 Number in Eastern Dan 27
- 3 Number marking in Karko and Nilo-Saharan 63
- 4 Number in Tswana 107
-
II Europe and Middle East
- 5 Number in Arabic 131
- 6 Number in Occitan 167
- 7 Number in Slovenian 187
- 8 Number in West Circassian 261
-
III Northern Eurasia
- 9 Number in Ket (Yeniseian) 307
- 10 Number in Nganasan 351
- 11 Number in Nivkh 375
-
IV Pacific and Australia
- 12 Number in Gooniyandi 427
- 13 Number in Indonesian 457
- 14 Number in Japonic Family 505
- 15 Number in the Languages of the Lower Sepik Family 529
- 16 Number in Marori 577
-
V Americas
- 17 Number in the languages of South America 609
- 18 The category of number in Kakataibo (Panoan) 671
- 19 Grammatical simplexity: Number in Kiowa 693
- 20 Number in Mohawk (Iroquoian) 729
-
VI Further perspectives on linguistic diversity
- 21 Contact languages: A survey 767
- 22 Number in Russian Sign Language 805
- 23 Number in grammar: results and perspectives 833
- Terms 911
- Languages and language families 917
- Authors 927
