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From: chesswks@netcom.com (Eric Schiller)
Subject: Re: Semantic classifiers and plurality
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Date: Wed, 9 Nov 1994 03:41:58 GMT
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There are plenty of these. Thai is a wonderful
example. Classifiers in SOutheast Asian
languages have been extensively studied, and
there is plenty of material. Huffman's Bibliography
of Mainland Southeast Asian Languages and Linguistics
(Franklin Huffman, I don't have the reference in
front of me). Major studies have been conducted
by Karen Adams, among others.

Eric Schiller

Becky Root (rroot@advtech.uswest.com) wrote:
: I'm hoping someone here can help me save face as a
: cocktail-party linguist.  I have vague memories of there
: being languages which have different plural markers based
: on the semantic class of the plural noun in question.  The
: example I was thinking of dealt with categories of shape,
: e.g. different plural markers for long things vs. spherical
: etc, or something like this.  I couldn't/can't recall an
: example language and now I'm wondering if I was just thinking
: of languages like Japanese which mark a quantity term, like
: a numeral, differently according to the class of things being
: counted.  So can anyone tell me of a language which actually
: marks plural differently based on semantic class?  Many thanks!
: -- 
: --------------------------------------------------------------------
: Becky Root
: U S WEST Technologies, Boulder, CO
: -------------------------------------------------------------------
