Re: Subject: Re: TEXT: pemci

[Goran Topic <topic@math.hr>]

lojbab:

> >What I think is malglico (but not carmi malglico) is not the decision
> >not to make number distinctions obligatory, but rather the failure to
> >design in a short & simple way to indicate plurality.
>
> But why plurality in paritcular.  Why not  singular/dual/su'oci?
> Or why not the Russian system which is singular/2-5/su'oxa but then after
> 20 cycles again on the last 1 or 2 digits so that 21 is singular?
> (Russian also does have a straight plural but it is not used when there
> is a specific number involved.)

Croatian has the same weird system... We have several kinds of
plurals, but do not distinguish between them, except morphologically:
there is a short plural, long plural, and plural used for 2-5, which
is, I believe, historically derived from dual.

sat              = hour or clock = Nom. sg.
satovi           Nom. long plural, = clocks
sati             Nom. short plural, = hours

jedan sat        Nom. sg. = 1 hour/clock
dva/tri/cetiri sata
                 short Gen. Pl. for 2-5, = 2/3/4 of hours/clocks

pet/sest/.../dvadeset sati/satova
                 short/long Gen. Pl. for >4 = 5/6/.../20 of hours/clocks

dvadeset/trideset/... i   jedan sat
twenty/thirty/...     and one   hour/clock (Nom. SG!)

dvadeset/trideset/... i   dva/tri/cetiri    sata
twenty/thirty/...     and two/three/four of hours/clocks (short Gen. Pl. <5)

dvadeset/trideset/... i   pet/.../devet    sati/satova
twenty/thirty/...     and five/.../nine of hours/clocks (short/long Gen. Pl. >4)

etc.

BTW, And, no, I know three languages with dual (Old Irish, Sanskrt and
Slovenian), and pe'i every one of them uses dual WHENEVER there is two
instances of the nomen in question. E.g. (not sure if completely correct):

Slov.         Engl.
jaz grem      I go
midva greva   We-two go
mi gremo      We go

I hope this wasn't too off topic.

.i seljvajbo fa lu co'o mi'e. goran. li'u

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