Plurals in Maggel (jara: New Survey: Celtic Conlangs)

 --- Christophe skrzypszy:

> Maggel's genders (masculine, feminine, neuter) are purely grammatical,
> leading sometimes to the use of feminine or neuter pronouns to refer to
> a man! ;))
I like that feature!!

> There are four numbers: singular, dual, plural indefinite and plural
> definite, the "definition" in this case meaning that the number is known
> or not.
Just curious: when you say that the number is known, do you mean that the
number is known to the speaker, or that it is known in general (fixed)?

If you say: "There are many people on the street", it is obvious that the exact
number is unknown, and of no importance. But in the sentence "The participants
of the congress voted against the proposal" the exact number may be very well
known to the organization, but not to the speaker. In such case, do you use the
plural definite or the plural indefinite?

And in cases where *all* occurences are included, no matter their actual
quantity? Take a sentence like: "The difference between humans and animals is
that they can think" (let's not discuss the truth or untruth of this
statement). One might argue that *all* is a concrete number, too, and the
possibility of use a definite plural could IMO at least be considered.

How does Maggel deal with that?

And one last question: are nouns in Maggel also divided into these four
numbers?

Jan

=====
"Originality is the art of concealing your source." - Franklin P. Jones

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