| 3. There is no gender
distinction in inanimate nouns, including all natural objects such
as flora, hills, etc., and abstract ideas such as age_¸r
‘work’, ag¨m ‘word’,
ar¨@ ‘true’
etc. |
| 1.2 Number
: |
| Mising distinguishes two
numbers, i.e., singular and plural. The usual suffix taken by noun
stem to form plural is kiriN~kidiN.
Th plural marker, however, is deleted when plurality is expressed
by either numerical suffixes or quantitative adjectives. When a noun
is modified by a demonstrative adjective, either the demonstrative
adjective or the noun takes a plural marker, but not both. Plural
morpheme usually precedes demonstrative adjectives and articles. |
| Examples
- |
|
(a)
|
singular
|
plural
|
|
|
nėn
|
nėnkiri
|
|
|
woman
|
women
|
|
|
tani
|
tanikiri
|
|
|
man
|
men
|
|
|
k ka
|
|
|
|
child
|
children
|
|
|
kėbu
|
|
|
|
rat
|
rats
|
|
|
kum
|
kum
kiri
|
|
|
house
|
houses
|
|
(b)
|
sisukak
|
sisukańńik
|
|
|
one stag
|
two stags
|
|
|
tanik
|
|
|
|
a man
|
five men
|
|
|
akėk
|
|
|
|
a river
|
three rivers
|
|
|
kdė
|
apļ
kdė
|
|
|
the boy
|
all the boys
|
|
|
ami
|
amitakam
|
|
|
man
|
(man+all) people
|
|
(c)
|
ksi
|
kkiridź
|
|
|
the boy
|
those boys
|
|
|
kumdė
|
kumkiridė
|
|
|
the house
|
those houses
|
|
|
rśbedė
|
rśbekiride_
|
|
|
the deaf
|
‘the deaf (pl.)
|
|
|
| In noun phrases comprising
a head and amodifier, the plural marker follows the head noun. |
|
ayļnė
|
iki
|
kiri dė
|
‘the good dogs’
|
|
good
|
dog
|
pl the
|
|
|
zśnė
|
gasr
|
kiri dė
|
‘the wet clothes’
|
|
wet
|
cloth
|
pl the
|
|
|
kayļnė
|
meNkuri
|
kiri dė
|
‘the ugly cats’
|
|
ugly
|
cat
|
pl the
|
|
|
|
| 1.3. Pronoun
|
| 1.3.0. A pronoun
is a form which substitutes a noun or noun phrase. It shows opposition
in person, number, and case but not in gender. The opposition in person
is indicated by different free forms. All sub-types of pronouns, except
the interrogative pronouns show opposition in number. The plural morpheme
for personal pronouns is /-lu/. No personal pronouns add /-bulu/ marker
which is homophonous with third person plural morpheme /bulu/ ‘they’.
|
|
sg
|
pl
|
N
|
N-lu
|
|
I
|
we
|
|
isi
|
isi-bulu
|
|
this
|
these
|
|
|
| 1.3.1. Personal pronouns
- In Miri, personal pronouns distinguish three persons ie., (i) first
person (ii) second person and (iii) third person. |
