Abstract
In this chapter, we investigate the variation in form, syntax and semantics of the
plural words found across the Alor-Pantar languages. We study five AP languages:
Western Pantar, Teiwa, Abui, Kamang and Wersing. We show that plural words in
Alor-Pantar family are diachronically instable: although proto-Alor-Pantar had a
plural number word *non, many AP languages have innovated new plural words.
Plural words in these languages exhibit not only a wide variety of different syntactic
properties but also variable semantics, thus likening them more to the range
exhibited by affixal plural number than previously recognized.
plural words found across the Alor-Pantar languages. We study five AP languages:
Western Pantar, Teiwa, Abui, Kamang and Wersing. We show that plural words in
Alor-Pantar family are diachronically instable: although proto-Alor-Pantar had a
plural number word *non, many AP languages have innovated new plural words.
Plural words in these languages exhibit not only a wide variety of different syntactic
properties but also variable semantics, thus likening them more to the range
exhibited by affixal plural number than previously recognized.
| 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 | 375-412 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-3-944675-48-0 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2014 |
Publication series
| Name | Studies in Diversity Linguistics |
|---|---|
| Number | 3 |
| ISSN (Print) | 2363-5568 |