classifier
Quick Summary
A classifier is a word or morpheme used with numerals or with nouns that designate countable or measurable objects. In some Sino-Tibetan languages, classifiers are used to count or modify nouns indirectly. For example, instead of saying "one person," a construction like "one person classifier" might be used. This grammatical feature is not exclusive to Sino-Tibetan languages and can be found in others, such as Japanese.12
Grammar, in general, concerns the relationships between words in sentences and the internal structure of words. Languages vary in how much they rely on word-form variations versus word order to convey grammatical meaning.3
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Hmong-Mien languagesGrammar and vocabularySecond, numeral classifiers are obligatory in phrases with overt numerals and in phrases where the noun is otherwise fixed in reference by the presence of a possessive pronoun or demonstrative. A classifier is a term that indicates the group to which a noun belongs, such as “animate…
Read MoreSecond, numeral classifiers are obligatory in phrases with overt numerals and in phrases where the noun is otherwise fixed in reference by the presence of a possessive pronoun or demonstrative. A classifier is a term that indicates the group to which a noun belongs, such as “animate…
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Sino-Tibetan languagesUse of noun classifiersThe Sino-Tibetan noun is typically a collective term, designating all members of its class, like the English man used to signify “all human beings.” In a number of modern Sino-Tibetan languages, such a noun can be counted or modified by a demonstrative pronoun only…
Read MoreThe Sino-Tibetan noun is typically a collective term, designating all members of its class, like the English man used to signify “all human beings.” In a number of modern Sino-Tibetan languages, such a noun can be counted or modified by a demonstrative pronoun only…
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