Skip to content

Universal 268: ¬suppletive Pl (pronoun) ⇒ (marker Pl(pronoun) = marker Pl(noun))

Posted in Universals Archive

Universal 268: ¬suppletive Pl (pronoun) ⇒ (marker Pl(pronoun) = marker Pl(noun))

Original
If there is non-suppletive formation of the plural by pronouns, then plural markers of pronouns and nouns coincide.
Standardized
IF the plural of (personal) pronouns is not formed by suppletion, THEN these pronominal plural markers are the same as those used for nouns.
Keywords
noun, pronoun, number, plural, suppletion
Domain
inflection
Type
implication
Status
achronic
Quality
statistical
Basis
unspecified
Source
see Vardul’ 1969, referring to Uspensky
Counterexamples
Languages without formal plural on nouns (ex. Chinese (Sinitic, Sino-Tibetan), Japanese (Japanese-Ryukyuan), Hixkaryana (Ge-Pano-Carib)), Kilivila (Oceanic, Austronesian), Coptic (Egyptian, Afro-Asiatic).Languages where pronouns have highly idiosyncratic but not entirely suppletive plural formation (ex. Tungus-Manchu languages (Altaic), Nganasan (Samoyed, Uralic), Old/Middle Egyptian (Afro-Asiatic)).Languages where pronouns form their plural by vocalic (Yukaghir (isolate)) or consonantal alternation (Pengo and Kannada (Dravidian)).Languages where not all pronominal forms have number markers coinciding with the nominal plural markers (ex. Maidu (Maiduan), Fox (Algonquian), Haida (isolate)). (Filimonova 2001)

One Comment

  1. FP
    FP

    1. See also ##400, 401.2. The counterexamples require the following amendment to Uspensky’s statement :If pronouns form their plural with a special number marker added to the singular form, then the plural markers of nouns and pronouns (or at least some of them) coincide; if nouns lack any plural marker, then the plural marker of pronouns coincides with the collective marker of nouns, or with the marker with the meaning ‘and others’, or with the verbal number marker. (Still offensive: Old Egyptian (Afro-Asiatic): number markers on personal pronouns -na (Pl.), -nii (Du.) do not occur on nouns. (F. Kammerzell, p.c.))

    1. May 2020

Comments are closed.