If yes, does any language have this feature?
By 'half-plural' I mean, somewhere between singular and plural, but not dual, trial, or quadral.
-
1Uncountable nouns?– vectoryMay 5, 2019 at 10:07
-
5From your comment, I think you might believe that "paucal" is derived from "five". It isn't. It just means "a few, an unspecified small number >2", it has nothing to do with five. If you're a speaker of a Slavic language I could see this mistake as an easy one to make.– Mark BeadlesMay 5, 2019 at 14:29
-
1That doesnt answer my question: do you think that paucal means "relating to 5 items"? The way you list it after dual, trial, and quadral, and your answer to sumelic make it seem like you do.– Mark BeadlesMay 6, 2019 at 1:10
-
1Yes, I think that paucal relates to five items– RockMay 6, 2019 at 17:26
-
4Rock, ok, that is the source of your confusion. "Paucal" just means "relating to a few items", and it is actually the most direct answer to your question. I asked your native tongue because I know that many languages have a number for 5 that sort of sounds like "paucal", such as Lithuanian penki or Polish pięć; and I suspected that you might have assumed that "paucal" was related.– Mark BeadlesMay 6, 2019 at 22:49
|
Show 7 more comments
1 Answer
I believe you may be looking for the paucal number. Paucal, from Latin paucus, "a few", means:
pertaining to a language form referring to a few of something (three to around ten), as a small group of people; contrast singular, dual, trial and plural.
answered May 6, 2019 at 22:53
-
1
-
@Rock no need to be sorry, it's easy to see how you made the mistake. That's how we learn. If you think that this answer satisfies your question, you can mark it as the accepted answer so that future users can benefit from our discussion. May 8, 2019 at 21:46