cimun ho -ni
|
‘two fingers’ |
| mir i-phu |
‘one flower’ |
| mir phu-ni |
‘two flowers’ |
| mir phu-thom |
‘three flowers’ |
|
The noun does not take
the plural when the numeral is added to it.
|
| vo jon-ni |
‘two birds’ |
| vo jonphli |
‘four birds, hens’ |
|
There are nouns which do
not take a classifier.
|
| onti kethom |
‘three ear rings’ |
| phutup hini |
‘two caps’ |
| khutali hini |
‘two rooms’ |
| mek kethom |
‘three eyes’ |
| no hini |
‘two ears’ |
| nu ichi |
‘one horn’ |
| khara
kethom |
‘three baskets’ |
| talo hini |
‘two lakes’ |
|
It is not possible to
say which nouns do take the classifier and which do not take.
|
Some classifiers have
the same form as that of the nouns.
|
| lothe |
‘banana’ |
| lothe the-ni |
‘two bananas’ |
| thecum
|
‘firewood’ |
| the
i-cum |
‘one firewood’ |
| the
cum-ni |
‘two firewood’ |
|
In some possessive
constructions, the generic or the specific noun functions as the
classifier.
|
| tharve athe |
‘mango fruit’ |
| tharve i-the |
‘one mango fruit’ |
| tharve the-ni |
‘two mango fruits’ |
| tharve aro |
‘mango branch’ |
| tharve iro |
‘one mango-branch’ |
| tharve roni |
‘two mango fruits’ |
|
Some nouns may or may
not take a classifier.
|
| palo ichi |
‘one cot’ |
| palo i-hum |
‘one cot’ |
| penchil hini |
‘two pencils’ |
| penchil ho-ni |
‘two pencils’ |
| tomo ichi |
‘one story’ |
| tomo i-jir |
‘one story’ |
| choki hini |
‘two chairs’ |
| choki humni |
‘two chairs’ |
|
The numeral also
precedes the noun.
|
| thecum
hini |
‘two firewoods’ |
| hini athecum
|
‘two firewoods’ |
| thecum-ni |
‘two firewoods’ |
cumni athe
|
‘two firewoods’
|
|
