/kitab-na-kąy  /
|
`two books’ |
book-cl-two
|
|
|
(5) Inanimate nouns representing
objects which are broad and sharp take the classifier /-pla/.
|
/syābr -pla-kąsą/
|
`three swords’ |
| sword-cl-three |
|
| /tįra-pla-wẽ/ |
`seven knives’ |
/knife-cl-seven
|
|
|
(6) Inanimate nouns representing
objects which are very big and are man-made like house, dam, etc. take the
classifier /-dõ/.
|
| /į-dõ-mįa/
|
`five houses’ |
| /house-cl-five |
|
| /iskul-dõ-kąy/
|
`two schools’ |
school-cl-two
|
|
|
(7) Inanimate nouns representing
apertures take the classifier /-pe/.
|
tad -pe-kąy/
|
`two niches’ |
| niche-cl-two |
|
| /khįlyą´-pe-kąsą/
|
`three doors’ |
| door-cl-three |
|
| /higłyk-pe-mįa/
|
`five caves’ |
cave-cl-five
|
|
|
(8) Non-human animate nouns take the
classifier /-tya/.
|
| /taméyģ-tya-malam/ |
`hundred elephants’ |
| elephant-cl-hundred |
|
| /tadįb-tya-tahro/
|
`six falcons’ |
| falcon-cl-six |
|
| /macył-tya-kinyā/
|
`nine deer’ |
| deer-cl-nine |
|
| /tabįb-tya-raza/
|
`thousand snakes’ |
snake-cl-thousand
|
|
|
(9) Human nouns do not take any
classifier.
|
| /myą-kąy/
|
`two wives’ |
| wife-two |
|
| /yśwą-kąsą/
|
`three sons’ |
| son-three |
|
| /gwįg-tahro/ |
`six priests’ |
priest-six
|
|
|
Structure of the Noun :
|
|
A noun, in Mishmi, consists of a stem or combination of
stems followed by various suffixes. The suffixes are a nominalizer, a gender
marker, a pluralizer or a classifier-numeral combination, a case marker and
a comparison marker.
|
The structure is graphically
represented in the following diagram.
|
| g |
-- |
gender marker |
| s1, s2 |
-- |
stems |
| CM |
-- |
case marker |
|
A.
|
IMAGE
|
|
|
The formation can only proceed along
any path from left to right.
|
Cooccurrence Restrictions :
|
(1) Classifier, when it occurs, is
always along with numeral.
|
