Number: (CS 2.1.1.8.1, page 34) singular plural dual trial paucal Check the number system on a variety of nouns, e.g., animate and inanimate. Also check loan words (if we can anticipate which words will be loan words: television, book (kitab), pokemon Encourage alternate translations in order to see whether number marking is obligatory or optional. For languages without non-singulars, check for other ways to indicate number e.g., a word like "many". For non-singulars (plural, dual, trial, paucal) check for collectives and distributives do collective nouns have singular or non-collective forms plural collective plural distributive dual collective dual distributive etc. ========================================================================== Class/Gender: (CS 2.1.1.9., page 34) If feature detection finds classes or genders, we have to: 1. figure out where it is marked (noun, adjective, verb, classifier) 2. in the construction where it is marked, run through a few hundred nouns 3. see if loan words are always in one class =========================================================================== Classifiers: (CS 2.1.1.9.4, page 35) Check for noun class, politeness, size What class are loan words in ================================================ Definiteness: (CS 2.1.1.10, page 35) (Notes for analysis of data: separate word, affix on noun, affix on classifier, etc. more than one method of indicating definiteness?) Definite Encourage alternate translations in order to see if there is more than one way to mark definiteness or if it is optional. Check variation of definiteness marker with spatial relation to speaker and hearer. (CS 2.1.1.10.3, page 35) Check definiteness marking on various kinds of nouns, including proper names and abstract nouns. 2.1.1.10.5.1 normal the happiness contrasting the happiness that I was talking about? Indefinite Encourage alternate translations in order to see if there is more than one way to mark indefiniteness or if it is optional. Check variation of definiteness marker with spatial relation to speaker and hearer. (CS 2.1.1.11.3, page 35) Check for non-singular indefinites Check for indefinites of mass nouns normal use of mass nouns "sorts" use: waters=kinds of water, coffees=kinds of coffee Referential -- a specific book Non-referential -- some book or other (The distinction is made in Persian, CS 2.1.1.12, page 36) with non-singular? with mass nouns normal sorts Genericness Encourage alternate translations in order to see if there is more than one way to mark genericness or if it is optional. From Croft 2003, Section 1.3, pages 6-7: Specific (referential) indefinite: He broke a vase. Il a casse' un vase. Specific and definite: He broke the vase. Il a casse' le vase. Proper Name: The concert will be on Saturday. Le concert sera samedi. Specific manifestation of an institution/place: He went to the bank. Il est alle' a` la banque. Partitive of a mass noun: I drank wine. J'ai bu du vin. Generic mass noun: The French love glory. Les Franc,ais aiment la gloire. Specific manifestation of an abstract quality: He showed extreme care. Il montra un soin extre^me. Generic of a count noun: I like artichokes and asparagus. J'aime les artichauts et les asperges. Generic of an indefinite number of a count noun: Birds have wings. Les oiseaux ont des ailes. Predicate nominal: His brother became a soldier. Son fre`re est devenu soldat. Specific but indefinite number of a count noun: Dogs were playing in the yard. Des chiens jouaient dans le jardin. ========================================================= (CS 2.1.1.14, page 36) Not sure what this is about: More important noun actors vs less important (obviate) ones. (Put this in the basic sentence elicitation too.) ========================================================= Indefinite singular: English: roughly! a, an watch out for: John seeks a (specific or non-specific) unicorn. Generics: a lion can eat a lot. Indefinite plural: English: roughly! some Definite singular: English: roughly! the watch out for: English "the" entails/presupposes (not sure which) uniqueness and familiarity. I could imagine a language where the definite article has a different distribution than in English because, for example, it entails familiarity but not uniqueness. Definite plural: English: roughly! the Definite dual: English: (ok, I won't keep saying "roughly") the two both the both of the Definite trial: English: the three three of the Definite paucal: English: the few Possessive determiner/pronoun/adjective singular: English: my (with singular head noun) Possessive plural: English: my (with plural head noun) Possessive dual: English: my two both of my both my the two X of mine # Language with dual pronouns, including dual possessive # http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/2970/ayapathu.htm Possessive trial: English: my three the three X of mine Possessive paucal: English: my few ## MULTIPLY #Repeat the possessives with other possessors: your (sg.,m,f), his, her, its, #our (incl., excl.), your (s.g,m,f), their (m,f), its (pl.) ## MULTIPLY #Repeat the possessives with alienable, inalienable, and kinship Demonstrative near: English: this Demonstrative far: Engish: that Demonstrative very far: English: that (over yonder) yonder Demonstrative question word: English: which, what #Language with a "very near" demonstrative: shoshoni # http://www.isu.edu/~loetchri/letters.htm ## MULTIPLY #B&T suggest that whether or not something is within view could make a #difference, so we might add "this (within view), this (out of view), #that (within view), etc. The Shoshoni lexicon uses these terms. ## MULTIPLY # near, far, and very far with plural (these,those), dual (these two, # those two (over yonder)), trial (these three, those three (over # yonder)), and paucal. # Shoshoni has dual demonstratives. #B&T mention the terms "anaphoric" and "situational". They don't #explain it, but they use "in question" and "particular" in their #elicitation phrases, suggesting that some languages may have special #words for "that X in question" or "this particular X" ##MULTIPLY #try everything above with "in question" and "particular" #e.g, the tree in question, this particular book, yonder tree in #question, my two children in question, etc. Emphatic words (CS 1.2.5.2.8, page 18) not sure what they had in mind, maybe especially, only, just Comparative NPs (CS 1.2.5.2.9, page 19) will be covered in the comparative section Quantifiers and cardinal numbers: #B&T's list the whole (of) a great number of a great many all (pl) two, three, four, and other cardinal numbers no not any not one each every several some a few #B&T list these with quantifiers, but may be they are the situational #or anaphoric things? other another certain same #Not sure that these are quantifiers either any no matter which any (whatever) #Do they mean "I didn't get any books whatever" (any books at all) or #"I will take any books" (whatever books are available). ## MULTIPLY: which of the above occur together. none of these brothers of mine ## MULTIPLY: count and mass nouns, common and proper nouns, etc. #B&T put these in their list for combining with various other things, #but do they combine with any of the above categories? nobody nothing no one everywhere nowhere everybody everything anywhere anything #need to get a more complete list of these (Pullum and Huddleston have #it). (See also Winograd, Jackendoff for examples of other closed class items to look for in NPs. e.g., every other one of the first hundred girls)