Re: How much data in your conlang nouns?

E fésto Gary Shannon <fiziwig@...>:
> So here's my starter list.  What does your language
> need that I haven't listed?
>
> 1. Number (such as singular, dual, plural)
> 2. Gender (such as masc., fem., neut.)
> 3. Class or Declension (Varies with language)
> 4. Case (nom., dat., gen., etc. varies with language)
> 5. Social mode (formal, informal, royal, sacred, who
> knows)
Hmm, you missed "Countability" (whether a word is count or mass).  Mass
nouns have to be used with quantifiers when referring to discrete
quantities, e.g. "written on a piece (or sheet) of paper" or "written on
paper" but not *"written on a paper"[1].  (And this varies from language
to language--e.g. in Spanish you can just say "un papel", and you dont
have to say "una hoja de papel".)

Plus, there may be cryptotypes/covert categories...

BTW, 'gender' and 'class' are usually used to refer to the same thing.
[IIRC Gender/class in a noun also can influence things like its
adjectives; declensions don't.]

> The things that need to be known all have a bearing on
> what form of the noun will be used in the sentence so
> maybe pure isolating languages don't need to have any
> of this?  I don't know.
Not necessarily.. just because it's not done by inflections doesnt mean it
wont be done another way... Frex if you dont inflect for case, you might
supplete for it [cf. English I/me].



        *Muke!
[1] Unless the noun 'paper' in that case refers to a separate sense, e.g.
an academic paper.
--
http://frath.net/                  E jer savne zarjé mas ne
http://kohath.livejournal.com/     Se imné koone'f metha
http://kohath.deviantart.com/      Brissve mé kolé adâ.

Reply