Universal #1353

Legacy number: 1353

 Number  1349
 Original  Numeral classifiers occur in the languages where plural is weakly developed.
 Standardized  IF plural is weakly developed, THEN there are numeral classifiers.
 Formula  plural weakly developed ⇒ numeral classifiers
 Keywords  number, plural, numeral classifier
 Domain  syntax, inflection
 Type  implication
 Quality  absolute
 Basis  unspecified
 Source  Serebrennikov 1974: 294

← Back to Universals Archive

Discussion
Notes
Cf. the claim by Sanches (#535): “If a language includes numeral classifiers as its dominant mode of forming quantification expressions, then it will also have facultative expression of the plural.”Which has the implication the other way round.
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
Cf. the claim by Sanches (<a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=535"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">): "If a language includes numeral classifiers as its dominant mode of forming quantification expressions, then it will also have facultative expression of the plural."

Which has the implication the other way round.