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Re: [lojban] singular vs. plural

On 7/12/06, MorphemeAddict@wmconnect.com <MorphemeAddict@wmconnect.com> wrote:


But are there any languages that distinguish between low-number, e.g.,
perhaps 1 through 5, and high-number, greater than 5?  IOW, where the
'singular'/'low-number' category includes more than just 1?  Many languages
have duals, but do any of them have no singular?


There are many languages that have no grammatical number, therefore
no singular, but I don't know if there is any that does have grammatical
number but no singular.

An interesting case with respect to number is Pirahã:
<<
Pirahã is unusual among the world's languages today in having no
numerals, although this appears to have been more common before the
spread of modern trade and technology. There are apparently only three
words that roughly describe quantity, somewhat akin to "a few",
"some", and "many." There is no grammatical distinction between
singular and plural, even in pronouns (see below). There is little
distinction between individuated quantities and mass quantities,
although this in and of itself is not so uncommon among languages. It
is not thought to be possible to distinguish between, for example, one
big fish and several small fish. However, it might well be the case
that researchers simply have not yet learned how to make the
distinction.>>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirah%C3%A3_language>

mu'o mi'e xorxes