Feature GB024: What is the order of numeral and noun in the NP?

Patrons: Hannah J. Haynie

Description ⇫

Summary

This feature focuses on the order of cardinal numerals (not ordinal numerals) and nouns in quantified noun phrases. In some languages only one order (Numeral-Noun or Noun-Numeral) is possible. In other languages both orders may be possible. This can take the form of free variation (where Numeral-Noun and Noun-Numeral order can occur interchangeably). The order may also depend on some other grammatical category which is neutral with respect to pragmaticality (e.g. definiteness). If the order depends on the noun, consider only the orders that apply to an open class of nouns and disregard orders that are restricted to a specific closed class of nouns.

Procedure

  1. Consider only phrases with the meaning 'X (numeral) units of Y (noun)' in their pragmatically neutral form. It does not matter what kind of construction is required (e.g. attributive two books or relative books that are two) or what word class the root or modifying form of the cardinal numerals belongs to, e.g. two-ing books (verb) or two-some books (noun) apply to this question.
  2. If the numeral always precedes the noun, code 1.
  3. If the numeral always follows the noun, code 2.
  4. If a closed class of nouns requires a different order than an open class, disregard the closed class and code the order that applies to the open class.
  5. If both orders occur for an open class of nouns, that is if some numerals precede and some follow, or there is a free choice or there is a choice depending on some other factor (e.g. definiteness), code 3.

Examples

Skolt Saami (ISO 639-3: sms, Glottolog: skol1241)

In Skolt Saami, the unmarked order of elements in the noun phrase always places the numeral before the noun (Feist 2010: 208). Skolt Saami is coded 1.

tõid        kueʹhtt  sueʹjj
DEM.PL.NOM  two      birch.SG.GEN
‘those two birch trees’ (Feist 2010: 209)

Assiniboine (ISO 639-3: asb, Glottolog: assi1247)

Assiniboine cardinal numbers consistently follow the noun (Cumberland 2005: 363). Assiniboine is coded 2.

šų́katʰą́ka  iyúšna  žé   miní  žén    0-iyáyaa-ka  
horse      seven   DET  lake  there  3SG.A.go-DUR
‘the seven horses kept going into the lake’ (Cumberland 2005: 365)

Phake (ISO 639-3: phk, Glottolog: phak1238) and Aiton (ISO 639-3: aio, Glottolog: aito1238)

In the Tai languages Phake and Aiton, the numeral precedes the noun when there is no classifier, and the numeral follows the noun when there is a classifier (Morey 2005: 240–241). Both languages are coded 3.

Further reading

This feature is akin to Dryer (2013). Matthew Dryer has written a paper remarking on the distribution of noun-numeral order in Africa (among other nominal modifiers).

Dryer, Matthew S. 2011. Noun-modifier order in Africa. In Osamu Hieda, Christa König & Hirosi Nakagawa (eds), Geographical typology and linguistic areas: With special reference to Africa, 287–311. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

Dryer, Matthew S. 2013. Order of numeral and noun. In Matthew S. Dryer & Martin Haspelmath (eds), The world atlas of language structures online. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

References

Cumberland, Linda A. 2005. A grammar of Assiniboine: A Siouan language of the Northern Plains (Montana, Saskatchewan). Indiana University. (Doctoral dissertation.)

Feist, Timothy. 2010. A grammar of Skolt Saami. Manchester: University of Manchester. (Doctoral dissertation.)

Morey, Stephen. 2005. The Tai languages of Assam. (Pacific Linguistics, 565.) Canberra: Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University.


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1 Num-N 881
2 N-Num 1087
3 both. 231
? Not known 216
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Values ⇫

Name Glottocode Family Macroarea Contributor Value Source Comment