What is it about?
In many languages, information about number—such as whether we are talking about one thing or several—is mainly expressed on nouns, for example through singular and plural forms like book vs. books. In Muyu, a longuage spoken in New Guinea, this information is organized very differently. Muyu has special pairs of verbs in which different verb forms indicate whether an action involves one participant or object or several. For instance, speakers use one verb meaning “to take one object” and a different verb meaning “to take many objects.” In some cases, verbs also distinguish whether an action happens once or repeatedly, such as “to hit once” versus “to hit several times.” Nouns themselves are usually not marked for plural at all. Interestingly, this system does not apply to all verbs but only to a limited part of the Muyu vocabulary. A total of 37 such verb pairs with number distinctions were identified. Although this number may seem small, these verbs are very frequent in everyday speech and therefore play an important role in communication.
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Why is it important?
his research matters because it shows that human languages can organize core grammatical information in ways that differ fundamentally from well-known European languages. In Muyu, number is not mainly expressed on nouns, but through verb choice. This challenges common assumptions about how grammatical systems are structured and highlights the importance of looking beyond familiar language types. The study also contributes to broader debates in linguistics about the boundary between grammar and vocabulary. By showing that number distinctions in Muyu are best understood as part of the lexicon rather than as a regular grammatical rule, it provides new empirical evidence for how linguistic systems can emerge and function. Finally, the research has relevance beyond theory. Muyu is an endangered language with limited intergenerational transmission. Documenting its grammatical patterns helps preserve linguistic knowledge that would otherwise be lost. In doing so, the study supports efforts to document and value linguistic diversity worldwide and reminds us that every language offers unique insights into human cognition and communication.
Perspectives
This article is the result of more than thirteen months of fieldwork with Muyu speakers in the rainforests of New Guinea. Learning about their language and culture was a deeply fascinating experience that repeatedly pushed me to my intellectual, physical, and emotional limits. Fieldwork in this context meant much more than data collection. It required building trust, adapting to unfamiliar living conditions, and learning to see language as part of everyday social life rather than as an abstract system. Many insights presented in this article emerged from long conversations, shared routines, and patient collaboration with community members. Finally, this work reflects a sense of responsibility. As Muyu is no longer being passed on to children in a sustained way, documenting the language is not only a scientific task but also an effort to preserve knowledge that is meaningful to the community itself and valuable for understanding human language more broadly.
Alexander Zahrer
University of Münster
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Verbal number in Muyu, Studies in Language, September 2025, John Benjamins,
DOI: 10.1075/sl.24035.zah.
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