Dual number and the typology of the numeral-noun construction

Abstract

In this paper I propose an extension of Martí’s (2020a) theory of the numeral+noun construction (e.g., English three dogs) to languages whose nouns distinguish singular, dual and plural. Martí hypothesizes that the number marking of nouns in this construction is the result of the interaction between the compositional semantics of number features, as in Harbour (2014), and that of cardinal numerals, as in Scontras (2014) and others. I argue below that Yimas and Hopi conform straightforwardly to the predictions such an extension makes for singular-dual-plural languages. I also argue that languages like Imere and Ljubljana Slovenian conform to the predictions once a proper understanding of complex numerals (in Ljubljana Slovenian) and number prefixes (in Imere) is in place. I borrow and adapt ideas from Ionin & Matushansky’s (2006, 2018) analysis of complex numerals in my analysis of Ljubljana Slovenian complex numerals.

Keywords

• dual
• grammatical number
• typology
• numerals