Search Results

A noun may refer to a man, a woman, an animal, or an inanimate object of varied shape, size, and function, or have abstract reference. Noun categorization devices vary in their expression, and the contexts in which they occur. Large sets of numeral classifiers in South-East Asian languages occur with number words and quantifying expressions. Small highly grammaticalized noun classes and gender systems in Indo-European and African languages, and the languages of the Americas are expressed with agreement markers on adjectives, demonstratives, and also on the noun itself. Further means include noun classifiers, classifiers in possessive constructions, verbal classifiers, and two lesser-known types: locative and deictic classifiers. This introductory chapter offers a general typological background, focusing on issues in noun categorization devices particularly relevant for this volume.

The topic of the chapter is Munya, a Tibeto-Burman language spoken in the western part of Sichuan Province, China. Classifiers in Munya include numeral classifiers and verbal action classifiers. There are two sets of numerals in Munya, a native set and a set borrowed from Tibetan, and both can function as the loci of numeral classifiers. Based on semantics, numeral classifiers in Munya can be categorized as sortal classifiers and mensural classifiers. The chapter shows that one of the typologically unusual features of Munya is that several numeral classifiers have extended their functions. Erstwhile classifiers are shown to function as quantifiers, adverbs, adverbial manner demonstratives, and complementizing strategies. In addition, the chapter shows that Munya has two ways of forming verbal action classifiers: a general verbal action classifier can be either suffixed to a number word, or a verbal root can function as a verbal action classifier.

This chapter focuses on forms and functions of verbal classifiers in Murui and Mɨka, two closely related language varieties of the ‘Witoto’ dialect continuum from the Witotoan language family spoken in Northwest Amazonia. Murui and Mɨka verbal classifiers are used to refer to a previously mentioned referent or to re-introduce the referent into the discourse. They form a closed set of morphemes that signal the presence of S/O/peripheral arguments. ‘Witoto’ verbal classifiers interact with semantic types of verbs (they co-occur with verbs of ‘handling’ and ‘affect’), and categorize noun referents in terms of their physical properties (shape, size, structure, etc.). Further comparison of Murui and Mɨka verbal classifiers suggests that the productivity of this system has been gradually eroding in Murui as spoken today; this is unlike verbal classifiers found in older Mɨka narratives.