itelmen collective plural

[moonflower77]

collective number lies outside the opposition between singular vs. plural. can be characterized as a category for a number that is technically plural (refers to several objects), but is treated as singular (these objects are seen as a single, indivisible unit or mass).

 

usually used with words that refer to plants or various peculiarities of the landscape, i.e., terms for flora or inanimate objects rather than animals and humans. practically every known plant name has a collective number form as well as a plural. the only exceptions are terms for insects, who are easiest to observe in large numbers.

 

collective number marker: -al

 

kəllasnom (a single hawthorn/thornapple shrub)

kəllasno?n (several such shrubs)

kəllasnal (hawthorn/thornapple thicket)

 

qazwum (a single nettle plant)

qazwu?n (several such plants)

qazwal (nettle thicket)

 

ninəm (a single willowherb plant)

ninɛ?n (several such plants)

ninal (willowherb thicket)

 

sis (one blade of grass)

sisɛ?n (several blades of grass)

sisal (grass)

 

lqlam (a single Virginia spring beauty/fairy-spuds plant)

lqlamɛ?n (several such plants)

lqlammal (Virginia spring beauty/fairy-spuds thicket)

 

nirɣin (one sorrel stem)

nirɣɛ?n (several sorrel stems)

nirɣal (sorrel thicket)

 

wach (a single stone or rock)

wa?n (several stones or rocks)

waɣal (a rocky place)

 

əmch'nom (a single rowan tree)

əmch'no?n (several such trees)

əmch'nal, alt. pronunciation emch'nowal (rowan grove)

 

ich' (a single Erman's birch tree)

ich'ɛ?n (several such trees)

ich'al (Erman's birch grove or forest)

 

ɬiwumch (a single poplar tree)

ɬiwumche?n (several such trees)

ɬiwumchal (poplar grove or forest)

 

ch'ɛch'ɛm (a single basket/purple willow shrub, or a small group of such shrubs)

ch'ɛ?n (several such shrubs, or small groups of shrubs)

ch'ɛwal (large thicket consisting of countless shrubs)

 

ɸizwum (one shrub)

ɸizwu?n (several shrubs)

ɸūzwal (shrubbery)

 

kskās (a single alder tree)

kskzɛ?n (several such trees)

kskəzzal (alder grove or forest)

 

nanx (a single, small willow shrub)

nanxa?n (several such shrubs)

nanxal (thicket of small willow shrubs)

 

stotɛm (a single dwarf cedar shrub)

sto?n (several such shrubs)

stowal (dwarf cedar thicket)

 

uɸt (forest, usually birch)

uɸtɛ?n (forests)

uɸtaɣal (a vast forest or forested region)

 

pŋilpŋil (one root)

pŋil? (several roots)

pŋillal (a multitude of roots)

 

ŋɛjŋɛ (a single hill or small mountain)

ŋɛjŋɛ?n (several hills or small mountains)

ŋɛjŋaɣal (a mountainous landscape)

 

simk' (a tuft of moss or grass on a marsh, tussock)

simk'a?n (several tussocks)

simk'aɣal (a stretch of marsh with tussocks)

 

ŋɛzzɛm (one star)

ŋɛzzɛ?n (sveral stars)

ŋɛzzal (the multitude of stars observable on a clear, cloudless night)

 

mumɣum (a single wave)

mumɣɛ?n (multiple waves)

mumɣal (the swell of the sea, stormy sea)

 

jajɛm (a single cloud)

jajɛ?n (multiple clouds)

jajal (clouds that cover the entire sky, overcast sky)

 

majolwūm (a single hillock in the tundra)

majolwɛ?n (several such hillocks)

majolwal (a tundra landscape where such hillocks are numerous)

 

u? (one tree)

ui?n (several trees; firewood)

u?al (timber; a supply of firewood)

 

pilwit (a single strand of sinew from a reindeer's back, used to make thread)

pilwitɛ?n (several such strands)

pilwital (a supply of sinew)

 

silqsilq (berries crushed with fat, fish or fish eggs, a traditional Itelmen dish)

silqa?n (several bowls of this food, or several distinct varieties)

silqal (an outstanding abundance of this food)

 

nowaɬɛs (a specific type of food, dish)

nowaɬɛzɛ?n (several distinct dishes)

nowaɬɛzal (a wide range of dishes, an abundance of diverse dishes)

 

k'ɛɬchum (a single mosquito)

k'ɛɬchu?n (several mosquitoes)

k'ɛɬchuwal (mosquitoes in great numbers, clouds or swarms of mosquitoes)

 

ikumchX (a single gnat)

ikumchXɛ?n (several gnats)

ikumchXal (gnats in great numbers, clouds or swarms of gnats)

 

klāmɬ (a single fly)

klāmɬɛ?n (several flies)

klamɬal, alt. pronunciation klamɬaɣal (flies in great numbers, clouds or

swarms of flies)

 

ɬokra (a single gadfly)

ɬokra?n (several gadflies)

ɬokraɣal (gadflies in great numbers, clouds or swarms of gadflies)

 

ch'ozaq (a single ant)

ch'ozaqa?n (several ants)

ch'ozaqal (anthill)

 

in some cases, the collective number is preferable to the plural, such as with: mɬim "blood", mɬimmal "a great quantity of blood, a (veritable) sea of blood", mɬimɛ?n (the plural form - it does exist, but respondents had difficulty explaining what it means).

 

there are other cases where the collective number is preferable either to the plural or to the singular, especially when it comes to plant names: e.g. the word stowal "thicket of dwarf cedars" is universally known, whereas stotɛm "a dwarf cedar shrub" and sto?n "dwarf cedar shrubs" were known only to some of the respondents.