- PII
- S0373-658X0000338-4-1
- DOI
- 10.7868/SX0000338-4-1
- Publication type
- Article
- Status
- Published
- Authors
- Volume/ Edition
- Volume / Issue 5
- Pages
- 97-121
- Abstract
- This paper deals with the morphology, syntax, and semantics of nominal number in Mano, a SouthMande language. In this isolating language lacking stable number paradigms plurality is expressedby several eventually coexisting means, lexical (numerals and two number words) and morphological(plural forms of certain nouns and adjectives). Neither of these is obligatory. Moreover, the pluralityitself is expressed optionally, as the semantic opposition between noun phrases marked and unmarkedfor plurality is not plural vs. singular, but rather plural vs. general. There seems to be a quite unusualagreement in number: a plural target is chosen only if the controller is plural, while the converse is nottrue. Another unusual feature concerns semantics: number word nì is polysemic, its semantics includesassociative and distributive. I will argue that number in Mano is a quasigrammeme in terms of [Mel’čuk1993]: the expression of plurality is regular, but not obligatory, while agreement in number is optionaland is realized according to Animacy and Noun phrase accessibility hierarchies.
- Keywords
- number, associative plural, distributive plural, agreement, Animacy hierarchy, Noun phrase accessibility hierarchy, Mande languages, Mano
- Date of publication
- 10.11.2025
- Year of publication
- 2025
- Number of purchasers
- 1
- Views
- 471
RAS History & PhilologyВопросы языкознания Voprosy Jazykoznanija
- ISSN (Print) 0373-658X
- ISSN (Online) 3034-5243
NOMINAL NUMBER IN MANO (SOUTH MANDE)
Индексирование
Scopus
Crossref
Higher Attestation Commission
At the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation
Scientific Electronic Library