How do numeral classifiers help distinguish types of nouns in Tibeto-Burman languages?

In Tibeto-Burman languages, nouns are often collective terms that do not inherently carry gender or number markers. To compensate for this, numeral classifiers are used to individuate nouns.12

These classifiers function by categorizing nouns based on their physical characteristics, effectively allowing them to "agree" with specific classes of objects. For example, a language may use distinct classifiers to distinguish between objects that are flat, round, or elongated. By employing these classifiers, speakers can modify or count nouns indirectly, providing the semantic substance necessary to clarify the type of noun being referenced.21