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Is dual number regularly marked in the noun phrase by a phonologically free element?

Summary

This feature intends to capture dual marking with an open set of nouns, not with a restricted set. Nouns derived from adjectives or verbs are not relevant. This feature contrasts with GB043 Is there a productive morphological dual marker on nouns? which focuses on bound marking of dual number.

Number marking is often fused with marking of other categories, such as definiteness/specificity or gender/noun class. It is possible for the number marker to also signal other functions and still be coded as 1, as long as these other functions do not interfere with the number distinctions and as long as number marking is productive and regular.

It can be difficult to determine how obligatory markers of dual, trial and paucal number are since they can often be replaced by plural number marking. If the grammar writers describe the marker as denoting grammatical number and there are several examples, this suffices.

Procedure

1. Consider the section in the grammar that deals with number or with noun phrases.
2. If the author describes an overt free-standing marker of dual number that occurs regularly, code 1.
3. If the grammar describes dual number as not marked productively or as only expressed with a bound marker, code 0.
4. If the grammar does not describe number marking at all and you have a reason to believe that the author may have missed it, code ?.
5. If the grammar does not describe number, you encounter no examples of number marking, and the grammar is otherwise comprehensive, code 0.

Examples

Lenakel (ISO 639-3: tnl, Glottolog: lena1238])

In Lenkael nouns are marked for dual number by the free-standing marker mil Lynch(1978: 34). Lenakel is coded 1.

Iemaamh      menuk  mil   kauhia
i-ɨm-aamh    menuk  mil   k-auhia
1SG-PST-see  bird   DU    3.NSG-yellow 
‘I saw two yellow birds.’

Further reading

Corbett, Greville G. 2000. Number. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

References

Lynch, John. 1978. A grammar of Lenakel. (Pacific linguistics: Series B, 55.) Canberra: Department of Linguistics, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University. vi+135pp. (Bibliography: p. 134-135).

Related Features

Morphological number marking

• GB042 Is there a productive overt morphological singular marker on nouns?
• GB043 Is there a productive morphological dual marker on nouns?
• GB044 Is there a productive morphological plural marker on nouns?
• GB165 Is there a productive morphological trial marker on nouns?
• GB166 Is there a productive morphological paucal marker on nouns?

Phonologically free number marking

• GB316 Is singular number regularly marked in the noun phrase by a phonologically free element?
• GB318 Is plural number regularly marked in the noun phrase by a phonologically free element?
• GB319 Is trial number regularly marked in the noun phrase by a phonologically free element?
• GB320 Is paucal number regularly marked in the noun phrase by a phonologically free element?

Number agreement within the noun phrase

• GB184 Can an adnominal property word agree with the noun in number?
• GB185 Can an adnominal demonstrative agree with the noun in number?

Other

• GB041 Are there several nouns (more than three) which are suppletive for number?
• GB039 Is there nonphonological allomorphy of noun number markers?
• GB046 Is there an associative plural marker for nouns?

Patron

Hedvig Skirgård