What is it about?
Upper Necaxa Totonac has a system of numeral classifiers whose semantic categories include classes that select inherent properties of the noun (type of living being, shape, dimension, form) and classes contingent on configuration or arrangement of the nominal referent (roll, bunch, handful). This article explores the etymological origins of numeral classifiers in Upper Necaxa, and the functions of the classifier system in counting.
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Why is it important?
Languages vary in the way numeral systems function in the process of counting. Upper Necaxa Totonac, like many other indigenous languages around the world, have a unique system of counting that add to our understanding of the cognitive processes involved in classification and categorization.
Perspectives
This article involved fieldwork with speakers from a remote community in Mexico. I hope the study will inspire others to explore the many fascinating aspects of undocumented and lesser studied languages.
Michelle Garcia-Vega
University of Lethbridge
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Functions and Uses of Numeral Classifiers in Upper Necaxa Totonac, Anthropological Linguistics, January 2018, Project Muse,
DOI: 10.1353/anl.2018.0006.
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