Plural marking on noun-associated forms: A synchronic and diachronic typological study of Cushitic languages

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Abstract

Number systems can be morphosemantic or morphosyntactic, based on whether number marking is restricted to nouns or also extends to noun-associated forms, such as adnominal modifiers, predicates, and pronouns. While it is well-known that asymmetries in the distribution of plural marking on nouns can be due to lexico-semantic properties such as animacy and/or inherent number, the question of whether these properties also affect patterns of plural agreement has been less broadly investigated. This paper examines the distribution of plural agreement in 24 Cushitic (Afro-Asiatic) languages. The number systems of the languages of the sample are classified into three types, ranging from radically morphosemantic (Type 1) to radically morphosyntactic (Type 2). A subset of languages displays a combination of morphosemantic and morphosyntactic strategies, and thus qualifies as a mixed type (Type 3). In these languages, the distribution of plural agreement is largely lexically-specified: nouns denoting groups, masses, and collections are more likely to trigger plural agreement than other types of nouns. These results thus show that, similarly to the nominal domain, the lexical semantics of nouns may also affect plural marking on noun-associated forms. Furthermore, in Cushitic, radically morphosemantic and radically morphosyntactic number systems appear to be diachronically connected to each other, with the latter seemingly evolving from the former, as testified by ongoing variation and change in some of the sampled languages. The relevance of these findings for understanding the typology and evolution of number systems is discussed.

Original languageEnglish
JournalSTUF - Sprachtypologie und Universalienforschung
Volume73
Issue number3
Pages (from-to)363-401
Number of pages39
ISSN0942-2919
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2020
MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

Fields of Science

  • 6121 Languages
  • plural agreement
  • morphosemantic and morphosyntactic number
  • lexical plurality
  • Cushitic
  • Afro-Asiatic
  • NUMBER
  • AGREEMENT

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