2 Number in Eastern Dan
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Valentin Vydrin
Abstract
Number in Eastern Dan is marked, by default, by a plural word, dhȕn. There are also some other formal means: a specialized plural suffix for kinship terms and agent nouns; reduplication and tonal modifications for adjectives. The irregularities in plural marking are explained, to a great extent, by the Animacy Hierarchy. There are formal splits, marked in different ways: - between the 1st person and other pronouns; - between the pronouns for interlocutors and the 3rd person; - between the agent nouns and some kinship terms, on one hand, and all the other nouns, on the other; - between the names for humans, big animals and inanimate objects. There are two mechanisms to express verbal number. One of them, the full reduplication of the verb, is typologically common, while the other one, pluralization of the preverb, is unusual. Neither of these mechanisms can be regarded as an agreement with arguments; these are cases of a true pluriactionality.
Abstract
Number in Eastern Dan is marked, by default, by a plural word, dhȕn. There are also some other formal means: a specialized plural suffix for kinship terms and agent nouns; reduplication and tonal modifications for adjectives. The irregularities in plural marking are explained, to a great extent, by the Animacy Hierarchy. There are formal splits, marked in different ways: - between the 1st person and other pronouns; - between the pronouns for interlocutors and the 3rd person; - between the agent nouns and some kinship terms, on one hand, and all the other nouns, on the other; - between the names for humans, big animals and inanimate objects. There are two mechanisms to express verbal number. One of them, the full reduplication of the verb, is typologically common, while the other one, pluralization of the preverb, is unusual. Neither of these mechanisms can be regarded as an agreement with arguments; these are cases of a true pluriactionality.
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
