Chlouvānem/Morphology: Difference between revisions
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'''Collective numerals''' (which decline as regular ''-ām'' nouns) are most commonly found with the meaning of "a group consisting of X ...", therefore implying greater cohesiveness than using the cardinal number implies. A common example of the subtle meaning change is between the sentences ''chīka lalāruṇa togāhaite'' (with a cardinal) and ''chīcætām lalāruṇa togāhaite'' (with a collective): both mean "seven ''lalāruṇai'' hit", but in the latter sentence the action is implied to be a coordinate act of all seven animals, while in the former they either hit randomly or the coordination of the action is not specified (or not specification-worthy). This is also the most common meaning with pluralia tantum, as commonly heard with ethnonyms (which are all plural only in Chlouvānem), e.g. ''šulkatām chlǣvānem'' "[a group of] five Chlouvānem people".<br/> | '''Collective numerals''' (which decline as regular ''-ām'' nouns) are most commonly found with the meaning of "a group consisting of X ...", therefore implying greater cohesiveness than using the cardinal number implies. A common example of the subtle meaning change is between the sentences ''chīka lalāruṇa togāhaite'' (with a cardinal) and ''chīcætām lalāruṇa togāhaite'' (with a collective): both mean "seven ''lalāruṇai'' hit", but in the latter sentence the action is implied to be a coordinate act of all seven animals, while in the former they either hit randomly or the coordination of the action is not specified (or not specification-worthy). This is also the most common meaning with pluralia tantum, as commonly heard with ethnonyms (which are all plural only in Chlouvānem), e.g. ''šulkatām chlǣvānem'' "[a group of] five Chlouvānem people".<br/> | ||
They can also be found, context-dependent, used with the meaning of "all X of..." - in a sentence such as e.g. ''tītyatām lejīn dilu liju lilejlaikate'' "all eight singers wanted to sing the same song" - or with the meaning of "X sets of" with singularia tantum - e.g. ''pāmvyatām hærṣūs'' "three pairs of lips" (but note that colloquial Chlouvānem increasingly often uses the cardinals here, e.g. ''pāmvi hærṣūs'').<br/> | They can also be found, context-dependent, used with the meaning of "all X of..." - in a sentence such as e.g. ''tītyatām lejīn dilu liju lilejlaikate'' "all eight singers wanted to sing the same song" - or with the meaning of "X sets of" with singularia tantum - e.g. ''pāmvyatām hærṣūs'' "three pairs of lips" (but note that colloquial Chlouvānem increasingly often uses the cardinals here, e.g. ''pāmvi hærṣūs'').<br/> | ||
The collective numerals for 0 and 1 (''ajrāṇṭām'' and '' | The collective numerals for 0 and 1 (''ajrāṇṭām'' and ''emibutām'' respectively) are not included in the table above because they do not exist in practical use; however, they are sporadically found in poetry and literature, referring to people and with the meaning of "a group where only one/no one is ...", e.g. ''ajrāṇṭām tadhusmausīn'' "a group where no one is honest". Similarly, collectives for ''vāl-'' numbers (e.g. ''vālpāmvyantām'' "a group consisting of 2½ ...") exist, but are virtually unused. ''danyatām'', like ''dani'', may be use together with either a singular or a dual noun. | ||
In some cases, the choice between a collective and a cardinal is stylistic. While for example concepts such as "we are..." or "I have ... children" do normally use the collective (e.g. ''tulūɂatām ñæltah jalim'' "we are six sisters/a group of six reciprocal brothers and sisters"; ''lili mæn nęltitām samin'' "I have four children"), even if using a cardinal isn't wrong, in a sentence such as "there are X people" both versions are found, with the collective-using sentence (e.g. ''dvārma vælditāmą lilęs virā'' "in the room there are eleven people") being perceived as more formal than the more colloquially heard cardinal-using version (i.e. ''dvārma vældąs lilęs virā''). | In some cases, the choice between a collective and a cardinal is stylistic. While for example concepts such as "we are..." or "I have ... children" do normally use the collective (e.g. ''tulūɂatām ñæltah jalim'' "we are six sisters/a group of six reciprocal brothers and sisters"; ''lili mæn nęltitām samin'' "I have four children"), even if using a cardinal isn't wrong, in a sentence such as "there are X people" both versions are found, with the collective-using sentence (e.g. ''dvārma vælditāmą lilęs virā'' "in the room there are eleven people") being perceived as more formal than the more colloquially heard cardinal-using version (i.e. ''dvārma vældąs lilęs virā''). | ||