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Minhast: Difference between revisions
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→Gender, Number, and Case Marking
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'''2) Number:''' | '''2) Number:''' | ||
Nouns do not inflect for number. Verbal cross-reference affixes (see section below on verbal Pronominal Affixes) can mark number on Ergative and Absolutive noun phrases, but do not provide any information about number for non-core NPs. Speakers must rely on context or use numbers in a min construction using the formula [number + min + NP], e.g. “šānī min redad” (i.e. “two man”) to mark plurality; otherwise the default number is singular. | Nouns do not inflect for number. Verbal cross-reference affixes (see section below on verbal Pronominal Affixes) can mark number on Ergative and Absolutive noun phrases, but do not provide any information about number for non-core NPs. Speakers must rely on context or use numbers in a ''min'' construction using the formula [number + ''min'' + NP], e.g. “šānī min redad” (i.e. “two man”) to mark plurality; otherwise the default number is singular. | ||
'''3) Case:''' | '''3) Case:''' | ||
Although nouns are not overtly marked for gender or number by inflection or clitics, they do take case marking clitics that attach to the end of the noun or noun phrase. There are two core nominal arguments: the Absolutive which receives zero marking, and the Ergative clitic =de. The Genitive derives from the same =de clitic as the Ergative, and in most declension tables are thus listed as the Ergative-Genitive case. However, there are several allomorphs which are explained in the section “Allomorphs of the Ergative-Genitive” where the Ergative and the Genitive diverge in shape. | Although nouns are not overtly marked for gender or number by inflection or clitics, they do take case marking clitics that attach to the end of the noun or noun phrase. There are two core nominal arguments: the Absolutive which receives zero marking, and the Ergative clitic =''de''. The Genitive derives from the same =de clitic as the Ergative, and in most declension tables are thus listed as the Ergative-Genitive case. However, there are several allomorphs which are explained in the section “Allomorphs of the Ergative-Genitive” where the Ergative and the Genitive diverge in shape. | ||
{| class="bluetable lightbluebg" | {| class="bluetable lightbluebg" | ||
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|- | |- | ||
! Malefactive | ! Malefactive | ||
| =daħ | | =daħ, =dāš | ||
|} | |} | ||