Hoyloy numeratives

Numeratives and units of counting

Disregarding the different grammatical function, we find numeratives in Hoyloy similar in lexical meaning to units of counting in English. Let's have some illustration with the following examples:

1. English: 'five pieces of paper' cf. Hoyloy: [gO_dtyu~-/tzwa"]
2. English: 'two pairs* of trousers' cf. Hoyoy: [nNg_nya=(+)/kO']
3. English: ''ten catties of pork' cf. Hoyloy: [tzap_qu(i)n-/dtj-baQ-]

*The counterpart of pair in Hoyloy, [s(/y)aNg=], is used as a numerative for counting such packs of two as matched chopsticks, socks, shoes and so forth. Pairs of trousers, scissors, eyeglasses and the similar, though assembled each with two parallel parts, are meant in Hoyloy as single workpieces and not counted by the pair.

What then is the difference in grammatical function between numeratives used in Hoyloy and units of counting used in English?

As can be readily seen, units of counting are used in English for partitive constructions*, with the preposition 'of' denoting the partitive attribute; while in Hoyoy numeratives are used to 'cobuild' with numbers for quantitative constructions. Partitive constructions are not necessary for countable nouns but numeratives are always required to join with numbers in specifying quantity of the object to be counted. Thus in English you may say 'three houses', but in Hoyloy it's got to be [sa~-qi(E)Ng-/tsu'], an instance like [sa~-/tsu'] being ungrammatical.

*R. Quirk et al 1985 A comprehensive grammar of the English language pp. 249-251.

By now we have already gone far enough to explain why numeratives are indispensible because, generally speaking, numbers alone may not be used in Hoyloy as modifiers nor as substitutes of quantity. In answering to the question 'how many birds are there', for example, you may simply say 'six' in English but in normal Hoyloy it's got to be [laK_tzyaQ-], a quantitative construction, instead of [laK=(+/-)], a number.

Numeratives and demonstratives

Like units of counting in English, numeratives in Hoyloy may be modified with demonstratives. Note, however, that Hoyloy doesn't always concur with English in the use of plural demonstratives. Examples:

1. For 'this piece of paper' in Hoyloy [tzit=\dtyu~-/tzwa"] the demonstrative [tzit\-] is singular.
2. Alternatively in Hoyloy [tzy,e= tzwa"] the demonstrative adjective [tzy,e=]* is singular.
3. For 'that piece of paper' in Hoyloy [hit=\dtyu~-/tzwa"] the demonstrative [hit\-]* is singular.
4. Alternatively in Hoyloy [hy,e= tzwa"] the demonstrative adjective [hy,e=] is singular.
5. For 'these three pieces of paper' in Hoyloy [tzit=\sa~-dtyu~-/tzwa"] the demonstrative [tzit\-] is singular.
6. For 'those three pieces of paper' in Hoyloy [hit=\sa~-dtyu~-/tzwa"] the demonstrative [hit\-] is singular.
7. For 'these pieces of paper' in Hoyloy [tz,y(w)ai= tzwa"] the demonstrative adjective [tz,y(w)ai=]* is plural.
8. For 'those pieces of paper' in Hoyloy [h,y(w)ai= tzwa"] the demonstrative adjective [h,y(w)ai=]* is plural.

*The demonstrative adjectives [tzy,e=] (this), [hy,e] (that), [tz,y(w)ai=] (these), and [h,y(w)ai=] (those) are also used as demonstrative pronouns. They bear the same tone, plateau [=] or plain[-], for all occasions. The 'plateau' is most popularily used. Also note that plural demonstratives and plural personal pronouns in Hoyloy are purely semantic and bear no grammatical significance, because the language is not subject to any inflections grammatically.

Actually, these demonstrative pronouns and adjectives have been derived through 'cobuilding' and contraction explained as follows.

1. [tzy,e=], from [tzit\-] and [e+] 'cobuilt' and contracted into [tzy,e=] for 'this'.
2. [hy,e=], from [hit\-] and [e+] 'cobuilt' and contracted into [hy,e=] for 'that'.
3. [tz,y(w)ai=], from [tzit\-] and -[qwai~=] (a little quantity) 'cobuilt' and contracted into [tz,y(w)ai=] for 'these'.
4. [h,y(w)ai], from [hit\-] and -[qwai~=] (a little quantity) 'cobuilt' and contracted into [h,y(w)ai=] for 'those'.
(See also section 7 of part 4: practice of 'A guide to Hoyloy phonetic transcriptions'.)

Categories of numeratives

Some numeratives can be seen as derived from words describing physical properties of objets to be counted; e.g. [kO=] meaning 'circle' for counting logs, [b(/w)e"] meaning 'tail' for counting fish, and
[dti(E)Ng"] meaning 'top' for counting hats. And oftener, names of containers, packages and measures are used as numeratives. Otherwise, most numeratives seem to have resulted simply from conventionalized usages. Whatever the way each of them may have derived, it is obvious to see them as falling into four categories: numeratives for individual objects, numeratives for portions or assemblages of matter, numeratives for grouping, and self-contained numeratives. For a collection of Hoyloy numeratives listed under these four categories, please go to part two of this article.

Deflection of numerative [e+]

Beyond 'cobuilding' with numbers for quantitative constructions, the same form of numerative [e+] is also used as a particle for a variaty of derived grammatical functions. Given below are some typical examples.

 
1. [tzit=nya=(+)/kO"tO' si_/gwa=(+)e+] 'this coat is mine'.
2. [tzit=hu"/baK_qya~' si_/bpa-bpa.=e+] 'this pair of eyeglasses is Daddy's'.
3. [bpa-bpa.=e-(_)/baK_qya~' dti_\tzya=] 'Daddy's eyeglasses are here'.
4. [i-e-(_)/baK_qya~' si_/O-ki(E)Ng=(-)|e=(')] 'his eyeglasses are of black frames'.
5. [tsi(E)~-tsi(E)~= e-(_)\swai~_a" it=dti(E)Ng_/si_/sNg=(-)|e=(')] 'green mangoes
    certainly taste sour'.
6. [qin-na=Rit.=(+/-)e-(_)/bpo"tzwa" dti_\dto"a=dti(E)Ng"] 'today's paper is on the
   desk/table'.
7. [dto"a=dti(ENg)" e-(_)\bpo"tzwa" si_/qin-na=Rit.=(+/-)e+] 'the paper on the desk/
   table is that of today'.
8. [dtan+|e' qan=|tzit'bpwe'] 'you whose name is [dtan+], have a bottoms-up'.
9. [hit=dtai-(_)/O-dtO=bai" si_/qe"bpyaQ.-e+] 'that motorcycle belongs to the nextdoor's
   neighbor'.
10.[tzit=dtai-(_)/sj(u)-ku"dta' si_/gwa" qa,Ng-(_)\tzyoQ-|e'] 'this scooter, I borrowed
   it from somebody'. Literally, 'this scooter is (by) me from somebody borrowed'.
11.[tzyu.=(-)e=(')e-(_)/tsya=(-) si_/qu-|e-(')//m_dtu=\en+tzin" ham_\sin=(-)|e=(') qaNg_
   kwan"]'of him whose name is [tzyu=] the car is old but the engine is like a new one'.
12.[tzit=nNg_tzyaQ"/yu~-(_)a" bo-(_)/hit_tzyaQ"/gu+ e-(_)\tzit_bpwa"/dtaNg-] 'these two
   goats are not so heavy as half of that cow'. 

Hopefully you din't overlook the punctuation mark of period inside the transcrtiptions of:
[bap-bpa.=e+], [qin-na=Rit.=(+/-)e+], [qe"bpyaQ.-e+] and [tzyu.=e=e+]. This period serves to indicate that the next particle [e+] should be taken part of the construction with the word in front of it, although the preceeding word bears a basic tone. If you replace the word [bpa-bpa=] here with the pronoun [i-] with a linking tone, the period becomes void as illustrated by the following example: [i-e-(_)/baK]_qya~'...] 'his eyeglasses...'. The difference between these two genitive constructions is as evident as that between a noun with ending 's and a pronoun of possessive case such as 'mine' or 'his'.

In the above examples, we see the deflected numerative [e+] turning into a genitive particle, an attributive particle*, a relative pronoun or a comparative particle. In view of all these various grammatical roles played by this single particle, I have ventured the designation of 'mighty-e' for the deflected numerative [e+].

*Quite often the application of an attributive particle is omissible in the formation of an attributive adjective with a noun or a quantitative construction; e.g.[tzit=sa~-ap=(+/-) e-(_)\bpya~"] or [tzit=sa~-ap_/bpya~"] 'these three boxes of cake' and [ko-haK=(+/-) e-(_)\si_dtai-] or [ko_haK_/si-(_)dtai-] 'age of science'. Ocassionally, the attributive particle is so weekly pronounced as to be hardly heard.

Positioning quantitative constructions in sentences

As we have seen in the examples so far, quantitative constructions used as attributive adjectives are placed in front of objects to be counted. This word order is reversed for certain sentence structures exmplified as follows.

1. [qam-a" tzit_qu(i)n= gwa_tz(/w)e-|a'] 'how much is tangerine per catty?'
2. [sa~-qu(i)n= gO_tzap=(+/-)] 'three catties (for) fifty'
3. [aQ"\na=(+)bwat-(_)a"|de'] 'how about guava?'
4. [tzit_lyap=(+/-) tzap_kO=] 'ten NT dollars apiece'
5. [na=(+)bpwat_a" teQ_/laK_lyap/_hO-|gwa'] 'give me six pieces of guava'  

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