Chlouvānem/Morphology: Difference between revisions

* If emphasis is given to the number, then the counted thing comes first, and, if it should be in direct, ergative, or accusative case, it is in '''genitive singular''' instead; the semantic direct, ergative, or accusative case is taken by the numeral itself if it is one, two, three, or compounds. Examples: ''yujami emibe'' (one lotus flower), ''māri dani'' (two mango fruits), ''haleni pāmvi'' (three names), ''ñaiṭi vælden'' (eleven stars). In other cases, the noun follows the semantic case (but is always singular anyway), e.g. ''marti pāmvi'' (three cities) but ''marte pāmvye'' (in the three cities).<br/>This form is increasingly less common in everyday use.

* "Two" may be used with either singular or dual number: ''dani māra'' or ''māri dani'' are both as correct as ''dani mārāt'' and ''māreva dani'' - note that the dual number alone, without the numeral, has the same meaning; the dual form alone does not give particular emphasis to the number, while using the numeral, at least in formal styles, already gives more emphasis (intermediate to the two abovementioned forms). Outside of literary texts, it is however more common to specify "two" with the numeral.

'''Ordinal numerals''' are regular attributive adjective-like words that precede nouns - e.g. ''hælinaika kita'' "second house". They do not decline if are used together with a noun, but they can also be used alone (e.g. ''hælinaika'' "the second one"), in which case they decline for case and number, as if they were ''-eh'' nouns (''-a'' for 1st and 2nd), e.g. ''mojendesām ukulate'' "it has been told to those in ninth position".