Unification of numeral classifiers and plural markers: Empirical facts and implications

Abstract

The use of an obligatory numeral classifier (C) on N in general does not co-occur with mandatory plural marking (PM) (Greenberg 1990[1972], Sanches and Slobin 1973). Borer (2005) and Her (2012a) take this generalization further and see Cs and PMs as the same category. This unification implies that C/PM are mutually exclusive on N. In this paper, we first provide a mathematical foundation for this unification, i.e., C/PM both function as a multiplicand with the precise value of 1 (Her 2012a), and then explore empirically to what extent C/PM’s complimentary distribution is borne out. We obtain from the WALS database a total of 22 languages with both Cs and PMs, including Mandarin, Japanese, and Vietnamese. Our survey finds C/PM co-occurring on N in 11 languages. We then set out to formally account for the unification of C/PM and explain its exceptions, taking Mandarin as an example, with a double-headed classifier construction. This study thus adds merit to the unification of C/PM and concludes with its impliction on a universal lexical count/mass distinction.