dzop dzop-la nuk t ɕhi-na ɖo-ken bet. TE30
group group-DAT this.way do;VBZR-NFNT1 go-NMLZ;CONJ AUX ‘Actually some by themselveson their own move along walking in a well formed
group.’ This is from a story that tells about sheep. The speaker refers to behaviour of sheep here.
3.65 hi-na ŋis-so mitsaŋ kurik thaŋ-puwa dʑaa-puwa jøt. TE74
this-IN 1PL.EXCL-PL1 family all health-ADJVZR strength-ADJVZR EXIST.EXP ‘We, the whole family here, are healthy and strong.’
The writer specifies the reference by adding the noun ‘family’. Otherwise his pronoun reference would be ambiguous whether it referred to family or friends or a group.
With animate count nouns 3.
3.66 hi-ni piip- ʏ ʈho-pu-so lit-tɕuŋ. TE3
this-ABL Piipu-GEN bond.friend-M1-PL1 arrive-PST.EXP ‘Then came my bond friend of Piipu village with his associates.’
This is from a travel narrative. A Lhomi person may have only one or two bond friends. Reference here is either to the family of the friend or his travel companions. The total number may be two or more,
up to a few, with this plural marker. With kinship terms
4. 3.67 pha-pu-so wa
ɕɕi kuttɕi ŋa-tsøt juŋ-ro tɕhi. TE4 father-M1-PL1 please please five-amount come-AID do;VBZR[IMP]
‘Hello all men of my sub-clan, I plead, please do come, about five of you’ Speaker is shouting to the whole village and asking the male members of his sub-clan to come and
help him build a house. The number of addressees is more than five, but probably not more than ten in this case.
With quantifiers 5.
3.68 pha-ma p ʏn khajes-so...
father-F2 brother.cousin plural-PL1 ‘All my relatives...’
The quantifier khajet is the most common plural marker which combines with any count noun. This is the way someone would start a speech to an audience that consists of his aunts, uncles, cousins,
brothers, etc. To add the plural marker -so to the quantifier khajet makes the whole NP a term of address and a sign that a speech will follow. This may be the only quantifier that combines with this associate
person plural marker -so.
3.6.2 Marking plural in noun stems, NPs, and demonstratives
Lhomi has many homophones, even among various suffixes. This makes it sometimes difficult to keep track of what is what. The distribution helps to distiguish them. The plural suffix -pa which is the topic
of this section combines only with demonstratives DEM, the definite article DEF, and the third person plural pronoun to produce kho-pa. Unlike personal pronouns the plural demonstratives may also refer to
inanimate things. For more about demonstratives and articles see sections 5.1 and 5.2.
There are only two demonstratives that may have this plural marker attached to them. They are proximate hi- and distal u-. These two demonstratives are bound morphemes; the respective singular
forms are hi-ko and u-ko, which are free pronouns.
As for the articles, only the definite article di combines with the plural marker -pa. The definite
article is a free morpheme which is also used in singular. If a quantifier is followed by the definite article then the plural marker -pa cannot combine with the article. This is natural because it is the quantifier
that marks the NP as plural and there is no need to add another plural marker. The following examples illustrate these plural markers.
With poximate demonstrative hi- 1.
3.69 ni hi-pa ŋii-pu ɖas-si ɖas-si ɖik-ken bet. TE52
this-PL2 two-M1 be.alike-INTNS be.alike-INTNS agree-NMLZ;CONJ AUX ‘These two principles are of equal weightvalue.’
Speaker talks about certain principles that determine obligations and rights in Lhomi society and makes this final statement.
3.70 hi-pa ŋii-pu ŋik-ki tɕhi-p-e kha-la
this-PL2 two-M1 1PL.EXCL-ERG do;VBZR-NMLZ;Q-GEN mouth-DAT t
ɕha ɕak-na ak mat-ɕak-na ak ɖik-na pair put-NFNT1 INCLN NEG-put-NFNT1 INCLN reconcile-NFNT1
tir tshuu-na ɖik-na tik-ken. TE55
give be.able-NFNT1 reconcile-NFNT1 give-NMLZ;CONJ ‘Whether these two men believe in what we say or not, if we possibly can reconcile
them, we will.’
The reference is to two men who need to be reconciled and this is a statement of the arbitrators. With distal demonstrative u-
2. 3.71 u-pa
ŋikkar ʈhaako-la tshar-a bet. TE56 that-PL2 both ravine-DAT fall.down-NMLZ;Q AUX
‘Those both fell down to a ravine.’ This refers either to two men or to two animals.
3.72 u-pa ŋii-ki luŋpa siŋ-ken bet. TE36
that-PL2 two-ERG area catch-NMLZ;CONJ AUX ‘Those two take the whole area under control.’
This is from the story that tells about lamas who chase away hail storms from the village area. The reference is to two officiating lamas.
3.73 khik-ki u-pa ka t ɕøt mit-tshuu-pek=ka? TE54
2PL-ERG that-PL2 order cut NEG-be.able-INCH=Q ‘Aren’t you all able to stop them?’
This is a rhetorical question and as such a rebuke. With the definite article di
3. 3.74 pi
ɕɕiŋ di-pa ʈʏ. TE4 reed DEF-PL2 wash[IMP]
‘Wash the reeds’ This is a command to wash the reeds which are used to suck beer. The referent is inanimate and it
refers to all reeds at hand. Speaker is the host of the party and the owner of the house where the party is.
Props may be marked with animate plural marker. That is the reason why the speaker uses the animate plural marker -pa.
3.75 ʈopere di-ki khim-ki naŋ di-ni pulis di-pa thoŋ-ni
Topere DEF-ERG house-GEN inside DEF-ABL police DEF-PL2 see-NFNT2 taala-la dze-ni
ŋim-e tshik-la goŋ-na dep-pa bet. TE28 storey-DAT climb-NFNT2 grain-GEN among-DAT hide-NFNT1 stay-NMLZ;Q AUX
‘As soon as Topere from inside the house saw the policemen, he climbed to the upper floor and stayed there hiding himself among the ears of grain.’
In this story the policemen are coming to arrest the man called Topere. The policemen are already on the scene, hence the definite article with the plural marker.
3.6.3 Quantifiers marking plural of count nouns
