Documentation

Studies.Aikhenvald2000

A typology of noun categorization devices #

Aikhenvald's typology individuates classifier types by their morphosyntactic locus and scope, the definitional parameters (A)–(G) of the book's first chapter, and then reads the contingent parameters — interaction with other categories, preferred semantics, evolution, acquisition — as correlates of the types so established. The types are focal points on a continuum rather than discrete classes, and most generalizations are tendencies with listed exceptions. Here the book's parameters are functions on a sample of seven languages (Language), the French and Italian gender systems, the Xhosa, Shona and Swahili noun-class systems, and the Mandarin and Japanese numeral-classifier systems, coded as the book describes them, with the kind of each device derived from its locus and the constituent it characterizes rather than stored and the realizations of the classifier languages read off their fragments' entries; the book's summary claims are checked on that sample, and none is a universal. Western Armenian, whose numerals combine with bare nouns, is not classified as a classifier language by the book and is left to BaleKhanjian2014.

Main results #

References #

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inductive Aikhenvald2000.Language :
Type

The sample has two gender systems, three Bantu noun-class systems and two numeral-classifier systems.

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    @[instance_reducible]
    instance Aikhenvald2000.instDecidableEqLanguage :
    DecidableEq Language
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    @[instance_reducible]
    instance Aikhenvald2000.instFintypeLanguage :
    Fintype Language
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    def Aikhenvald2000.Language.locus :
    Language → Classifier.Scope

    (A): the locus of coding, the head-modifier NP for the gender and noun-class systems and the numeral NP for the numeral classifiers.

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      def Aikhenvald2000.Language.constituent :
      Language → Classifier.Constituent

      (B): every device of the sample characterizes the head noun.

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        def Aikhenvald2000.Language.kind (l : Language) :
        Option Classifier.Kind

        The kind of a device, read off its locus and the constituent it characterizes.

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          def Aikhenvald2000.Language.scopes :
          Language → Finset Classifier.Scope

          (B): every scope the device operates in. Mandarin uses the same classifiers with numerals and with demonstratives (the book's Table 9.1); agreement in gender and class reaches the predicate.

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            def Aikhenvald2000.Language.assignment :
            Language → Classifier.Assignment

            (C): the principle of assignment, semantic for the numeral classifiers and a semantic core with a morphological residue for gender and noun class.

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              def Aikhenvald2000.Language.realizations :
              Language → Finset Classifier.Realization

              (D): the surface realizations, read off the fragments' entries for the classifier languages, Mandarin's independent forms and Japanese's suffixes on the numeral; gender is inflection on the agreeing words and Bantu class a prefix.

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                def Aikhenvald2000.Language.Agreement :
                Language → Prop

                (E): the device participates in agreement.

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                  def Aikhenvald2000.Language.Obligatory :
                  Language → Prop

                  (G): the device is obligatory. For the numeral classifiers it is read off the fragments: no noun that takes a classifier is counted without one. Gender and noun class are obligatory as the book describes them.

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                    def Aikhenvald2000.Language.HasUnmarkedMember :
                    Language → Prop

                    (F): the system has a functionally unmarked member or a general classifier. For the numeral classifiers it is read off the earlier descriptions: a Mandarin classifier every counted noun can take, and a classifier of Downing's inventory whose category has no parameter. The masculine gender and a default class are the unmarked members of the other systems.

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                      def Aikhenvald2000.Language.semantics :
                      Language → Finset Classifier.Parameter

                      (I): the preferred semantic parameters. Sex and animacy for the Romance genders, humanness and animacy for the Bantu classes; for Mandarin, the animacy of zhī and the shape by which tiáo extended from 'small branch' to long things in general, shape being the preferred parameter of numeral classifiers; for Japanese, the parameters of the categories of Downing's inventory.

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                        def Aikhenvald2000.Language.ObligatoryNumber :
                        Language → Prop

                        The language marks number obligatorily.

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                          @[instance_reducible]
                          instance Aikhenvald2000.Language.instDecidablePredAgreement :
                          DecidablePred Agreement
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                          @[instance_reducible]
                          instance Aikhenvald2000.Language.instDecidablePredObligatory :
                          DecidablePred Obligatory
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                          @[instance_reducible]
                          instance Aikhenvald2000.Language.instDecidablePredObligatoryNumber :
                          DecidablePred ObligatoryNumber
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                          Definitional properties #

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                          theorem Aikhenvald2000.nounClass_agreement_obligatory (l : Language) :
                          l.kind = some Classifier.Kind.nounClass → l.Agreement ∧ l.Obligatory

                          A noun class system is defined by agreement outside the noun and is a closed obligatory grammatical system.

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                          theorem Aikhenvald2000.nounClass_bound (l : Language) :
                          l.kind = some Classifier.Kind.nounClass → Classifier.Realization.morph Morphology.Morph.Kind.free ∉ l.realizations

                          Noun classes are realized with affixes or clitics, never with free lexemes.

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                          theorem Aikhenvald2000.free_numeralClassifier_no_agreement (l : Language) :
                          l.kind = some Classifier.Kind.numeralClassifier → Classifier.Realization.morph Morphology.Morph.Kind.free ∈ l.realizations → ¬l.Agreement

                          Numeral classifiers expressed as free morphemes do not participate in agreement.

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                          theorem Aikhenvald2000.numeralClassifier_obligatory :
                          (∀ (l : Language), l.kind = some Classifier.Kind.numeralClassifier → l.Obligatory) ∧ Mandarin.Nouns.tian.IsBareCount

                          The numeral classifiers of the sample are obligatory: no noun of the Mandarin or Japanese fragment that takes a classifier is counted without one, though Mandarin tiān 'day', which takes none, is counted directly.

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                          theorem Aikhenvald2000.classifier_assignment_semantic (l : Language) :
                          l.kind ≠ some Classifier.Kind.nounClass → l.assignment = Classifier.Assignment.semantic

                          Every kind of device other than noun class is assigned on purely semantic grounds; noun class assignment may be only partially semantic.

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                          theorem Aikhenvald2000.numeralClassifier_general (l : Language) :
                          l.kind = some Classifier.Kind.numeralClassifier → l.HasUnmarkedMember

                          Both numeral-classifier systems have a general classifier that can replace the specific ones, the analogue of a functionally unmarked noun class: gè, which every Mandarin noun that takes a classifier can take, and Japanese -tsu.

                          Preferred semantics #

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                          theorem Aikhenvald2000.animacy_basic (l : Language) :
                          l.kind = some Classifier.Kind.nounClass ∨ l.kind = some Classifier.Kind.numeralClassifier → ∃ p ∈ l.semantics, p = Classifier.Parameter.animacy ∨ p = Classifier.Parameter.humanness ∨ p = Classifier.Parameter.sex

                          Animacy, humanness or sex is basic to noun classes and numeral classifiers.

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                          theorem Aikhenvald2000.numeralClassifier_shape (l : Language) :
                          l.kind = some Classifier.Kind.numeralClassifier → Classifier.Parameter.shape ∈ l.semantics

                          Physical properties such as shape are typical of numeral classifiers.

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                          theorem Aikhenvald2000.colour_never (l : Language) :
                          Classifier.Parameter.colour ∉ l.semantics

                          Colour is never a basis for noun categorization.

                          Classifiers and number #

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                          theorem Aikhenvald2000.numeralClassifier_no_obligatory_number (l : Language) :
                          l.kind = some Classifier.Kind.numeralClassifier → ¬l.ObligatoryNumber

                          Numeral-classifier languages usually lack compulsory number marking.