Noun classifiers (distinct from noun classes/genders)
- Category
- Nominal Categories - Gender and noun classification
- Notes
- Nouns are organized into sets, but only a limited set of nouns may be implicated, with no or limited agreement marking. If only numeral classifiers exist, indicate yes but explain.
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Languages
| Language | Feature Status | Grammatical Notes | Source | Etymology Notes | General Notes | Phylogenetic Code |
|---|
Language | Feature Status | Grammatical Notes | Source | Etymology Notes | General Notes | Phylogenetic Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achagua | yes | Wilson & Levinsohn 1992: 62 | ||||
| Aché | no info | |||||
| Adnyamathanha | ||||||
| Aghu-Tharnggala | No | 51 | 0 | |||
| Aguaruna | no | Overall 2007:124-37 | ||||
| Alyawarr | no | 0 | ||||
| Andoke | yes | Landaburu 1979: 133-134 | ||||
| Apurinã | yes | There are two types of what are called "classificatory nouns," one set is less productive, the other set is more productive. Facundes notes that these have properties of both classifiers and noun class/genders, so they are somewhere between the two. | Facundes, 2000: 167, 169, 176 | |||
| Arabana | no | 102 | 0 | |||
| Arrernte | Yes | 86 | 1 | |||
| Asheninka Apurucayali | yes | Payne 1981:13, 2234; Mihas 2010:107 | ||||
| Añun | no | Patte 1989 | ||||
| Bandjalang | No | 43 | 0 | |||
| Baniwa | yes | Aikhenvald 2001 Baniwa classifiers | ||||
| Barasano | yes | Barasano has an extensive system of noun classifiers, which provide concordance within the noun phrase, and are used to form referring expressions that head noun phrases. | Jones & Jones 1991, p.49 | 11 Major categories of Barasano classifiers; Shape, masses, designs, botanical, disassociated parts, geographical, manner-formed, abstract, associative, general, residue. Shape is the major feature and comprises the largest category. | ||
| Bardi | no | 0 | ||||
| Bare | no | Aikhenvald, 1995: 21 | ||||
| Batyala | no info | x | ||||
| Baure | approx 21 | "The majority of bound nouns can function as classifiers, in addition to the approximately 21 grammatical classifier roots." | Danielsen 2007: p101 | |||
| Bidjara-Gungabula | yes | 75 | 1 | |||
| Bilinarra | no | 1.1000000000000000888 | 0 | |||
| Biri | no info | x | ||||
| Bora | yes | 66 classifiers. Mainly describe shape, but also include gender and animacy. | Seifart - 2005:77 | |||
| Bularnu | n/a | 0 | ||||
| Bunuba | no | 0 | ||||
| Cabecar | no info | |||||
| Cahuilla | ||||||
| Central Aymara | no | Deza Galindo 1992: 74 to 80 | ||||
| Chemehuevi | ||||||
| Comanche | ||||||
| Cubeo | yes | 150+ They are suffixed to inanimate nouns of class 1, to verb roots, and to certain animate nouns; Chacón describes 17 classifiers | Morse & Maxwell 1999, p. 73; Chacón 2012:242-251 | The classifiers of Cubeo form a continuum, with one-syllable bound morphemes at one extreme and multisyllable nonbound morphemes, which have independent stress, at the other extreme. | ||
| Cupeño | ||||||
| Damana | no | |||||
| Darkinyung | no | 16 | 0 | |||
| Desano | yes | Miller 1999, p. 35 | ||||
| Dharawal | no info | x | ||||
| Dharuk | ||||||
| Diyari | yes | 38; 95 | 1 | |||
| Djabugay | ||||||
| Djapu | no | 0 | ||||
| Djinang | No | 27 | 0 | |||
| Duungidjawu | no | 25 | 0 | |||
| Dyirbal | yes | 44 | 1 | |||
| Dâw | no | Martins identifies a set of noun classifiers but these are probably misanalyzed | Martins 2004:129 | |||
| Eñepa | yes | There are 21 classifiers, only occur in genitive constructions | Gildea 1989; Aikhenvald 2000:127; Payne 2012:82 | |||
| Gabrielino | ||||||
| Garrwa | no | 0 | ||||
| Githabul | No | 8 | 0 | |||
| Gooniyandi | no | 0 | ||||
| Guaymí | yes | Quesada 2008:91 | ||||
| Gugu-Badhun | no | 0 | ||||
| Gumbaynggirr | no | 254 | 0 | |||
| Guna | no | Smith texts | ||||
| Gunya | No | 301 | 0 | |||
| Gupapuyngu | ||||||
| Gureng Gureng | no info | x | ||||
| Guugu-Yimidhirr | N/A | 0 | ||||
| Hunter River and Lake Macquarie | n/a | 0 | ||||
| Hup | yes | Epps 2008 | ||||
| Idaho Shoshone | ||||||
| Ika | no | Frank 1989:39-59 | ||||
| Ingá | no | Levinson 1974, 1976, 1976b | ||||
| Jaru | no | 0 | ||||
| Jingulu | no | 0 | ||||
| Kaingang | no info | Silva 2011 | ||||
| Kakua | yes | Bolaños fieldnotes | ||||
| Kalkatungu | no | 0 | ||||
| Karajarri | No | 71 | 0 | |||
| Karitiana | no | Everett 2006:296 | ||||
| Katthang | n/a | 0 | ||||
| Kaurna | No | 5 | 0 | |||
| Kawaiisu | ||||||
| Kinikinau | no info | |||||
| Kitanemuk | ||||||
| Kogi | no info | |||||
| Kokama | no | Vallejos 2010 | ||||
| Kokatha | No | 52 | 0 | |||
| Koreguaje | yes | Cook & Criswell 1993, p.18 | These serve three functions: 1. show the correlation between elements of the noun, 2. radical-nominal noun, and 3. replace the noun that follows the switch. | |||
| Kotiria | yes | Stenzel 2004, p. 122 | ||||
| Kugu-Nganhcara | yes | 446 | 1 | |||
| Kuku Yalanji | no | 0 | ||||
| Kunjen | yes | 78 | 1 | |||
| Kurrama | no | 0 | ||||
| Kuuk Thaayorre | Yes | 279 | 1 | |||
| Luiseño | ||||||
| Macaguan | yes | not clear what the first two classify, -ia animates, -ja animates | Buenaventura - 1993:50 | |||
| Maipure | no | Zamponi 2003:26 | ||||
| Makiritare | no | no noun classifiers | Hall 1988: 291-292 | |||
| Makuna | yes | 140 commonly used | Smothermon & Smothermon 1993, p.37 | |||
| Makushi | yes | nominalizers: '-toʔ' (gerundive), '-kói', plural '-kon' (perfermer of the verb), '-eŋ' (actor/one who), 'n-eŋ' (agentive), 'tɨ-…-s-eŋ' (patient, reflexive patient) | Carson 1982: 61-4 | |||
| Mapudungun | no | Zúñiga 2006, p. 87-9 | ||||
| Marrgany | No | 301 | 0 | |||
| Martuthunira | yes | 190-191 | 1 | |||
| Mathi-Mathi | no | 80 | 0 | |||
| Matses | no | Fleck:240 | ||||
| Mayi-Yapi | No | 34 | 0 | |||
| Minica Witoto | no info | Minor and Minor 1982. p.36 | ||||
| Mpakwithi | ||||||
| Muruwari | no info | x | ||||
| Nadëb/Roçado dialect | yes | possessor classification only | Weir 1984 | |||
| Nanti | yes | Michael, 2008. p. 332 | ||||
| Narungga | No | 54 | 0 | |||
| Naso | yes | Quesada 2000 | ||||
| Ngaatjatjara | No | 35 | 0 | |||
| Ngarinyeri | No | 18 | 0 | |||
| Ngarinyin | ||||||
| Ngayawang | No | 7 | 0 | |||
| Ngiyambaa | no | 0 | ||||
| Nhanta | no | 0 | ||||
| Nheengatu | no | Cruz 2011 | ||||
| Ninam | yes | Goodwin-Gomez, p.119, 120 | synchronically frozen, often unproductive | |||
| Northern Emberá | no | Mortensen 1999:15-6 | Catío | |||
| Northern Paiute | ||||||
| Nyangumarta | no | 0 | ||||
| Nyikina | no | 0 | ||||
| Nyulnyul | no | 0 | ||||
| Nyungar | no info | x | ||||
| Paakantyi | no | 0 | ||||
| Palikur | yes | Green and Green 1972:81-2 | ||||
| Panyjima | no | 0 | ||||
| Paraguayan Guaraní | no | Zarratea 2002:121-41 | ||||
| Paresi | yes | Brandão 2010:15 | ||||
| Pemon | no | de Armellada 1999 | ||||
| Piapoco | yes | One of the feminine markers is also called a classifier, but it appears to be functioning in the same way as the other class marker. However, there are also numeral classifiers. | Galindo, 2002: 98-112 | |||
| Pintupi | no | 0 | ||||
| Pitjantjatjara | No | Y 11 | 0 | |||
| Pitta-Pitta | No | 192 | 0 | |||
| Puinave | yes | These are mainly related mass things, liquid state, recipient, ect.There are 8 nouns classifiers | Giron 2008: p183 | |||
| Páez | no | Rojas:173-80, Jung:133-4 | ||||
| Quechua Ayacuchano | no | Parker 1965:32-46 | ||||
| Resígaro | yes | Noun classifiers trigger extensive agreement, but there can be multiple classifiers and not all nouns have them. | Allin, 1976: 152-153 | |||
| Ritharrngu | No | 34 | 0 | |||
| Sanumá | yes | about 15 | Borgman 1990: p. 144-147 | |||
| Serrano | ||||||
| Shoshone | ||||||
| Sikuani | yes | Queixalós 1998:3 | ||||
| Siona | yes | noun classifier system for inanimates | Wheeler 1987:106 | |||
| Southern Paiute | ||||||
| Southern Ute | ||||||
| Surui | no info | |||||
| Tanimuca | yes | Whereas noun class and predicate adjective categorization have relevance outside the NP, classifiers categorize nouns within the NP according to gender, number, animacy, and shape function. | Strom 1992, p.11. | The six classes include: masculine and animate singular, feminine singular, masculine and animate dual, masculine and animate plural, feminine plural, and inanimate. | ||
| Tariana | yes | established classifiers | Aikhenvald 2003: 89 | |||
| Thanggati | no | 11 | 0 | |||
| Tharrkari | No | 15 | 0 | |||
| Tikuna | yes | Montes 2005:133 | ||||
| Timbisha | ||||||
| Tukano | yes | various based on form, function, other; "dependent noun" classifiers are a large (350+) open class. | West and Welch 2004: 85; Ramirez 1997: 234-6 | |||
| Uradhi | No | 334 | 0 | |||
| Urarina | no info | |||||
| Wajarri | No | 38 | 0 | |||
| Wakaya | no info | x | ||||
| Walmajarri | no | 0 | ||||
| Wambaya | no | 0 | ||||
| Wangkumara | no info | X | ||||
| Waorani | yes | Peeke 1973:125-8 | However, it is not clear the status of the "noun classifiers" as such from the examples which show them in compounding and incorporation processes | |||
| Wapishana | yes | The same morphology used for distinguishing noun class can also be used for noun classification, with the difference being in how the morphology affects the meaning of the noun. For example, the suffix "-ɖap" meaning (roughly) habitat. When used as noun c | Santos, 2006:115 | |||
| Warlpiri | no | 0 | ||||
| Warluwarra | no info | x | ||||
| Warnman | No | 14 | 0 | |||
| Warrgamay | N/A | 28 | 0 | |||
| Warrwa | no | 0 | ||||
| Warumungu | No | 17-18 | 0 | |||
| Warungu | no | 0 | ||||
| Wathawurrung | no | 71 | 0 | |||
| Waunana | yes | The author does not talk about noun classifiers but it does look like that | Loewen 1954:72-76 | |||
| Wayuu | no | Sometimes two or more nouns can link up, but the first noun is more generic and the nouns that follow specify the referent. There is only one example--there are three words for 'people,' (guajiro, non-guajiro indigenous, and indigenous), and the following | Mansen & Captain, 2000: p. 798 | |||
| Wemba-Wemba | n/a | 0 | ||||
| Western Mono | ||||||
| WesternTorres | no | 0 | ||||
| Wiradjuri | no info | x | ||||
| Wirangu | No | 47 | 0 | |||
| Woiwurrung | no | 0 | ||||
| Worrorra | yes | ms4.1 | 1 | |||
| Yagua | yes | Payne and Payne 1990:446 | ||||
| Yalarnnga | no | 0 | ||||
| Yan-nhangu | ||||||
| Yandruwandha | no | 0 | ||||
| Yanesha' | yes | There are more than 100 classifiers | Duff-Tripp 1997:113 | |||
| Yanomami | yes | 100+ | Ramirez 1994: p.123-124 | |||
| Yanyuwa | no info | x | ||||
| Yavitero | no | No mention of classifiers in chapter on nouns. | Mosonyi, 1987: p. 36-48 | |||
| Yawuru | no | 0 | ||||
| Yidiny | yes | 1 | ||||
| Yindjibarndi | no | 46-47 | 0 | |||
| Yindjilindji | no | 0 | ||||
| Yine | no | Matteson 1965 | ||||
| Yingkarta | N/A | 0 | ||||
| Yir Yoront | yes | 1 | ||||
| Yorta Yorta | no | 55 | 0 | |||
| Yugambeh | ||||||
| Yukuna | yes | Numeral classifiers, perhaps also possessive classifiers? | Shauer & Shauer, 2000: p. 520 | |||
| Yulparija | No | 20 | 0 | |||
| Yuwaalaraay | No | 30 | 0 |
| Language |
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