Morphological and Syntactic Insights into Shupamem Numerals
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70091/Atras/vol07no01.13Keywords:
Bantu Languages, cardinals, counting system, Linguistic Typology, Morphology, numerals, ordinals, quantification, Shupamem, SyntaxAbstract
This paper provides an in-depth analysis of the complex numerical system in Shupamem, a Grassfield Bantu language spoken in Cameroon. It explores the formation of both elemental and compound cardinal numbers, elucidating the morphological processes involved, such as the use of prefixes and specific linking morphemes. The study further examines how cardinals function as modifiers of noun phrases, highlighting their nuanced positional flexibility and the associated morphological changes contingent upon the complexity of the numeral. Moreover, the paper investigates the systematic derivation of ordinal numbers from their cardinal counterparts. Grounded in a descriptive linguistic methodology based on authentic native speaker data, this research uncovers a highly structured and yet nuanced numerical system. The findings reveal Shupamem's distinct strategies for number formation, nominal modification, and ordinal derivation, thereby contributing to the typological understanding of numeral systems, particularly within the vast and diverse landscape of Bantu languages. This analysis offers empirical data that can inform broader theories of quantification and linguistic encoding of numerical concepts.
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