Grammaticalization of number: From demonstratives to nominal and verbal plural

Abstract

There are two aims of the present paper: to demonstrate the similarity between plural markers (nominal and verbal) and demonstratives in one family oflanguages (Chadic); and to offer an explanation for grammaticalization of demonstratives (including Singular demonstratives) into t he plural markers. A sei of hypotheses provides an explanation for the following typological characteristics: the connection between demonstratives and nominal and verbal plural markers; and the connection between nominal and verbal plural markers. The grammaticalization processes may explain the formal syncretism between nominal and verbal plural markers and demonstratives observed in languages from different families.Hence the grammaticalization history of languages may be one of the underlying reasons for their typological characteristics.

The interaction of morphology and syntax in affix order

“…Moreover, we have only few possibilities of historical reconstruction for languages which show such a split in their agreement patterns. The only reconstructions for verbal number agreement markers I am aware of are Mithun (1991) for some American Indian languages, and Frajzyngier (1997) for Chadic.…”

Pluractionality: A cross‐linguistic perspective

“…Frajzyngier () argues that the pluractional affixes of Chadic languages originated from the Chadic demonstrative system. The six diachronic patterns proposed by Frajzyngier () are listed in (30). h. Possible diachronic patterns for Chadic pluractional affixes (Frajzyngier, ,p.…”

“…The six diachronic patterns proposed by Frajzyngier () are listed in (30). h. Possible diachronic patterns for Chadic pluractional affixes (Frajzyngier, ,p. 216) demonstrative → object anaphor → plural object demonstrative → object anaphor → cataphoric marker of determined object → plural object demonstrative → object anaphor → cataphoric marker of determined object → marker coding definiteness of the object → plural object demonstrative → object anaphor → plural subject of the intransitive verb demonstrative → object anaphor → plural subject of transitive demonstrative → object anaphor → plural subject of transitive → plurality of events …”

Mood, definiteness and specificity: a linguistic and a philosophical account of their similarities and differences

“…Several studies have remarked on phonological similarities between markers of nominal and verbal plurality (both: 'quantity' -cf. Frajzyngier 1977Frajzyngier , 1997Mithun 1988;Newman 1990) and von Garnier discussed historical connections between markers of collectivity and perfectivity (both:…”