Numeral systems in Alor-Pantar languages

Antoinette Schapper

doi:10.17169/FUDOCS_document_000000020993

Numeral systems in Alor-Pantar languages

Antoinette Schapper

KITLV/Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies

Research output: Chapter in book/volume › Chapter › Scientific › peer-review

Abstract

This chapter presents an in-depth analysis of numeral forms and systems in the
Alor-Pantar (AP) languages. The AP family reflects a typologically rare combination of mono-morphemic ‘six’ with quinary forms for numerals ‘seven’ to ‘nine’, a pattern which we reconstruct to go back to proto-AP. We focus on the structure of cardinal numerals, highlighting the diversity of the numeral systems involved. We reconstruct numeral forms to different levels of the AP family, and argue that AP numeral systems have been complicated at different stages by reorganisations of patterns of numeral formation and by borrowings. This has led to patchwork numeral systems in the modern languages, incorporating to different extents: (i) quaternary, quinary and decimal bases; (ii) additive, subtractive and multiplicative procedures, and; (iii) non-numeral lexemes such as ‘single’ and ‘take away’. Complementing the historical reconstruction with an areal perspective, we compare the numerals in the AP family with those of the Austronesian languages in their immediate vicinity and show that contact-induced borrowing of forms and structures has affected numeral paradigms in both AP languages and their Austronesian neighbors.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	The Alor-Pantar languages
Subtitle of host publication	History and typology
Editors	Marian Klamer
Place of Publication	Berlin
Publisher	Language Science Press
Pages	285-336
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.17169/FUDOCS_document_000000020993
Publication status	Published - 2014

Publication series

Name	Studies in Diversity Linguistics
Number	3
ISSN (Print)	2363-5568

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10.17169/FUDOCS_document_000000020993

http://langsci-press.org//catalog/view/22/51/254-1Licence: CC BY

Cite this

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title = "Numeral systems in Alor-Pantar languages",

abstract = "This chapter presents an in-depth analysis of numeral forms and systems in the Alor-Pantar (AP) languages. The AP family reflects a typologically rare combination of mono-morphemic {\textquoteleft}six{\textquoteright} with quinary forms for numerals {\textquoteleft}seven{\textquoteright} to {\textquoteleft}nine{\textquoteright}, a pattern which we reconstruct to go back to proto-AP. We focus on the structure of cardinal numerals, highlighting the diversity of the numeral systems involved. We reconstruct numeral forms to different levels of the AP family, and argue that AP numeral systems have been complicated at different stages by reorganisations of patterns of numeral formation and by borrowings. This has led to patchwork numeral systems in the modern languages, incorporating to different extents: (i) quaternary, quinary and decimal bases; (ii) additive, subtractive and multiplicative procedures, and; (iii) non-numeral lexemes such as {\textquoteleft}single{\textquoteright} and {\textquoteleft}take away{\textquoteright}. Complementing the historical reconstruction with an areal perspective, we compare the numerals in the AP family with those of the Austronesian languages in their immediate vicinity and show that contact-induced borrowing of forms and structures has affected numeral paradigms in both AP languages and their Austronesian neighbors.",

author = "Antoinette Schapper",

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doi = "10.17169/FUDOCS\_document\_000000020993",

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AB - This chapter presents an in-depth analysis of numeral forms and systems in the Alor-Pantar (AP) languages. The AP family reflects a typologically rare combination of mono-morphemic ‘six’ with quinary forms for numerals ‘seven’ to ‘nine’, a pattern which we reconstruct to go back to proto-AP. We focus on the structure of cardinal numerals, highlighting the diversity of the numeral systems involved. We reconstruct numeral forms to different levels of the AP family, and argue that AP numeral systems have been complicated at different stages by reorganisations of patterns of numeral formation and by borrowings. This has led to patchwork numeral systems in the modern languages, incorporating to different extents: (i) quaternary, quinary and decimal bases; (ii) additive, subtractive and multiplicative procedures, and; (iii) non-numeral lexemes such as ‘single’ and ‘take away’. Complementing the historical reconstruction with an areal perspective, we compare the numerals in the AP family with those of the Austronesian languages in their immediate vicinity and show that contact-induced borrowing of forms and structures has affected numeral paradigms in both AP languages and their Austronesian neighbors.

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BT - The Alor-Pantar languages

A2 - Klamer, Marian

PB - Language Science Press

CY - Berlin

ER -

Numeral systems in Alor-Pantar languages

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