Abstract

GOMEZ GONZALEZ, Norma. Distributive numerals in Matlatzinca. Cuad. Lingüíst. Col. Méx. [online]. 2023, vol.10, e250.  Epub Sep 25, 2023. ISSN 2007-736X.  https://doi.org/10.24201/clecm.v10i00.250.

Distributive numerals are one of the resources by which languages express notions of distributivity. According to the typology of distributive numerals, they always introduce the distributive share and not the sorting key of a distributive relation (Gil 1982: 339-340; Choe 1987). In this work, two types of distributive numerals are analyzed in Matlatzinca (Otomanguean ISO-6393 MAT) and it is shown that in this language one of them can introduce the sorting key. The description is based on the truth and felicity conditions of the constructions that contain the numerals marked with the prefixes pu- or mún-, and on the reference of the nominal phrases introduced by these numerals. It is confirmed that these prefixes are exclusive distributivity markers of the cardinal numerals and that they fulfill two different functions: mún- is marked in the numeral that introduces the distributed share and its meaning in English can be translated as ‘n by n’, where n is any cardinal number, while pu- is attached to the numeral phrase that introduces the sorting key, and its approximate meaning in English would be ‘each one’.

Keywords : Matlatzinca; distributive numerals; descriptive semantics; compositional semantics; semantic judgments.

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