Nuosu noun types, compounding, derivation, and nominalization

2.1.4 Nuosu noun types, compounding, derivation, and nominalization

2.1.4.1 Noun Types Nouns and pronouns are words that cannot be negated by 3 a, the common adverb of negation Fu 1997:97, 198. Nuosu syntax does not distinguish between proper, abstract, collective, or material mass nouns Fu 1997:91. Nouns are divided into one large class that takes the general numerativeclassifier, and another class, or many smaller sub-classes that takes a specific numerativeclassifier. General class nouns make up almost half of the entire inventory of nouns Fu 1997: 92. Nouns can be made definite or specific in Nuosu when they are followed by a numerative. Without a numerative, the noun has a generic meaning Fu 1997:91–92. Grammatical gender and inflections showing number are unknown in Nuosu, and biological gender can be shown by adding a word meaning ‘male’ or ‘female’ to another noun Fu 1997:93. 2.1.4.2 Compounding Compounding in Nuosu can be noun+noun=noun, noun+adj=noun, noun+verb=noun, noun+numerative=noun, noun+numeral=noun, and occasionally noun+verb+noun=noun, and noun+noun+verb =noun Fu 1997:150–152. 12 2 djie + 2 ʒ̩ = 2 djie 2 ʒ bee + water = honey Fu 1997:150 13 1 mo + 2 s ɔ = 1 mo 2 s ɔ mother + two = mother and two of her daughters Fu 1997:152 2.1.4.3 Derivation In addition to compounding via autonomous words, nouns can be derived in several ways: • prefixation using one of five prefixes • suffixation using on of eight suffixes Two nominal suffixes make personal or demonstrative pronouns plural. Four others are added to interrogative pronouns of place or person ‘where’ and ‘whom’. The other two are used to derive diminutives or augmentatives. The following is an example of the diminutive suffix. 14 3 n̥ɯ 1 po + 2 z ɯ = 3 n̥ɯ 2 z ɯ ear + sondiminutive = earlobe Fu 1997:154 2.1.4.4 Nominalization Two nominalizing particles add either the meaning “agent” or “theme” to a verb, as in the following two examples. 15 3 s ɿ̶ + 2 su = 3 s ɿ̶ 2 su know +agent = wise man 16 3 s ɿ̶ + 2 du = 3 s ɿ̶ 2 du know + theme = knowledge Fu 1997:155 2.2 Noun phrase structure 2.2.1 Bisu noun phrase structure