View source for Pluractionality

{{Short description|Grammatical aspect denoting that a verb's action or participants is/are plural}}
{{Grammatical categories}}

In [[linguistics]], '''pluractionality''',<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233521052 |doi=10.1163/187666310X12688137960786|title=Event Internal Pluractionality in Modern Hebrew: A Semantic Analysis of One Verbal Reduplication Pattern |year=2010 |last1=Greenberg |first1=Yael |journal=Brill's Annual of Afroasiatic Languages and Linguistics |volume=2 |pages=119–164 }}</ref> or '''verbal number''', if not used in [[iterative aspect|its aspectual sense]], is a [[grammatical aspect]] that indicates that the action or [[Verb argument|participants]] of a [[verb]] is, or are, [[grammatical number|plural]]. This differs from [[frequentative]] or [[iterative aspect]]s in that the latter have no implication for the number of participants of the verb.

Often a pluractional [[transitive verb]] indicates that the [[direct object|object]] is plural, whereas in a pluractional [[intransitive verb]] the [[agent (grammar)|subject]] is plural. This is sometimes taken as an element of [[ergativity]] in the language. However, the essence of pluractionality is that the action of the verb is plural, whether because several people perform the action, it is performed on several objects, or it is performed several times. The exact interpretation may depend on the semantics of the verb as well as the context in which it is used. The lack of verbal number does not generally mean that the action and participants are singular, but rather that there is no particularly notable plurality; thus it may be better described as [[paucal number|paucal]] vs. multiple rather than singular vs. plural.

Although English does not have verbal number as a grammatical device, many English verbs such as ''stampede'' and ''massacre'' are used when one of the participants involves a large number. English also has a number of verbs (often ending in {{nowrap|''-le''}}, such as ''nibble'') which indicate repetitive actions, and this is similar to some types of grammatically-marked pluractionality in other languages.

==In Ainu==
The [[Ainu language]] of Japan has a [[closed class]] of 'count verbs'. The majority of these end in ''-pa,'' an iterative suffix that has become [[lexicalization|lexicalized]] on some verbs. For example, ''kor'' means 'to have something or a few things', and ''kor-pa'' 'to have many things'; there are also [[causative]] forms of the latter, ''kor-pa-re'' 'to give (one person) many things', ''kor-pa-yar'' 'to give (several people) many things'. The ''-pa'' may occur more than once; this may be a case of the pluractional verb in its iterative aspect:

:''hosip-pa-pa'' "everyone came back"

There are also [[suppletive]] forms:

{|class=wikitable
|+Ainu suppletive pluractionals
!Paucal!!Multiple!!Trans.
|-
|an||oka(y)||''to be''
|-
|as||roski||''to stand''
|-
|a||rok||''to sit''
|-
|arpa,<br/>oman||paye||''to go''
|-
|ek||arki||''to come''
|-
|rayke||ronnu||''to kill''
|-
|uk||uyna||''to take''
|}

In addition to literal number, pluractionality can be used for politeness, much as plural pronouns are in many languages. (See [[T–V distinction]].)

==In Georgian==
[[Georgian language|Georgian]] shows an illuminating distinction between verbal and nominal number.  Georgian verbs may be suppletive for tense and animacy as well as number. When a noun occurs with a numeral in Georgian, it takes the singular form regardless of its semantic number. Verbal agreement is syntactic, and therefore is also singular. However, the pluractionality of the verbal root remains plural.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Corbett |first1=Greville |title=Number |date=2000 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=254 |language=en}}</ref> Thus,

Singular participant, singular verb:
{{interlinear|number=ex:
|ivane da-ǧd-a
|John(SG) PFV-sit(SG)-3SG
|"John sat down"}}

Plural participant, plural verb:
{{interlinear|number=ex:
|čem-i mšobl-eb-i da-sxd-nen
|my-NOM parent-PL-NOM PFV-sit(PL)-3PL
|"My parents sat down"}}

Grammatically singular but semantically plural participant, mixed verb:
{{interlinear|number=ex:
|čem-i sam-i megobar-i da-sxd-a
|my-NOM three-NOM friend(SG)-NOM PFV-sit(PL)-3SG
|"My three friends sat down"}}

(See [[Interlinear gloss]] to explain the format of these examples.)

==In Mongolic==
The [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]] verb has no personal conjugation, but three different voices requiring a plural subject – reciprocal, cooperative and pluritative –, of which the pluritative may be seen as a true verbal plural.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Janhunen |first1=Juha A. |title=Mongolian |date=2012 |publisher=John Benjamins Publishing |isbn=9789027273055 |page=225 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7MQ-2hmvMu0C&q=pluritative&pg=PA225 |language=en}}</ref> Cognate forms are found in other [[Mongolic languages]] and can be reconstructed to [[Proto-Mongolic language|Proto-Mongolic]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Janhunen |first1=Juha |title=The Mongolic Languages |date=2006 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781135796907 |page=11 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DuCRAgAAQBAJ&q=pluritative&pg=PA11 |language=en |chapter=Proto-Mongolic}}</ref>

==In Muskogean==
[[Muskogean languages]] such as Koasati have a three-way distinction, with singular, dual, and plural verbs. However, it is not clear if this is pluractionality or simply suppletive verbal agreement for number. See [[Koasati language]] for details.

==In Hopi==
In [[Hopi language|Hopi]], [[dual number|dual]] nouns as subjects take the suffix ''-vit'' and singular verbs. Hopi does not have dual pronouns, but the plural pronouns may be used with singular verbs with a dual meaning. However, it is not clear if this is pluractionality or simply number agreement on the verb. See [[Hopi language]] for details.

==In Central Pomo==
The [[Pomoan languages|Central Pomo language]] of California distinguishes ''{{IPA|ʔčʰá·w}}'' 'sit, stay' and pluractional ''{{IPA|napʰów}}'' for more than one person. The [[perfective]] suffix ''-w'' on these verbs may be replaced with ''-t'' for a plural object:

{{interlinear|number=ex:
|háyu š-čé-w
|dog hook-catch-PFV
|"He tied up the dog."}}

{{interlinear|number=ex:
|háyu š-čé-t
|dog hook-catch-PFV.PL
|"He tied up the dogs."}}

As in Ainu, pluractionality may be used for politeness.

==In Hausa==
[[Chadic languages]] such as [[Hausa language|Hausa]] use reduplicated verbs with "a general meaning of a repeated action, an action simultaneously performed by several agents, and action performed on more than one object, or various combinations of these 'plural' meanings" (Eulenberg 1971). There are also derived forms:

*''naa aikee su'' 'I sent them'
*''naa a”aikee su'' 'I sent({{sm|pl}}) them'
The first implies that I sent them all together, whereas the second means that I sent them at different times or to different places.

==In Papuan languages==
Pluractionality is not uncommon in New Guinea. The [[Koiarian languages|Koiarian language]] Barai has suppletive forms: 
:{|
|fi||'one sits'||&nbsp;||kari||'many sit'
|-
|abe||'take one'|| ||ke||'take many'
|}

==In Slavic languages==
The Slavic verb can express pluractionality as part of its morphological equipment besides iterativity. In Slovak and Czech, it is often formed by the prefix po- + iterative form, cf Slovak: 
:*''išla'' 'she went' &nbsp;- ''chodila'' (iterative) 'she went (often, to many places); walked (about); wandered; circulated'
:*''pochodila'' (pluractional) 'she went (to all possible places); visited (all possible people)' 
Prefixation generally produces perfective meaning in Slavic verb, so due to the ''po-'' prefixation, the pluractional form is aspectually perfective while the iterative is imperfective. That is why, morphologically, this pluractional form may seem as just a perfective counterpart to iterative (''chodila'' - ''pochodila''), yet there is a difference. The pluractional form differs in valency from the iterative form. While the iterative retains the valency of the original verb, the pluractional takes a direct object. So, whereas ''išla'' and its iterative ''chodila'' requires a directional preposition (''išla (chodila) do Malej Fatry / k doktorovi''  'she went (often/regularly went) to the Malá Fatra mountains / to (see) a doctor'), the pluractional ''pochodila'' takes a direct object: ''pochodila (celú) Malú Fatru; pochodila (všetkých možných) doktorov''  'she wandered the whole of the Malá Fatra mountains; she went to / consulted (all possible) doctors'. (Alternatively, the accusative direct object can be replaced by the preposition ''po'' + locative: ''pochodila po (celej) Malej Fatre; pochodila po (všetkých možných) doktoroch'', which has a nuance of a weaker, less expressive perhaps, extent of the action. This construction is also possible with iterative, but then the pluractional meaning is lost.) The change in valency raises the question whether Slavic pluractional forms are lexical, rather than grammatical, derivations; a question similar to the case of Ainu and its suppletive forms.

==In American Sign Language==
{{main article|American Sign Language grammar#Verbal number}}
In [[American Sign Language]], verbal number is expressed through [[reduplication]]. There are several [[verbal aspect]]s using modified reduplication that indicate frequent or iterative action; these are unusual cross-linguistically in that transitive verbs lose their transitivity. In addition, transitive verbs may be reduplicated to show plurality of their object; the motion of the verb is either extended or repeated to cover the spatial locations of multiple objects or recipients. These are true [[dual number|duals]] and plurals, and so may be best thought of as [[object incorporation]] rather than pluractionality. For example, {{sm|ask someone a question}} is signed by flexing the index finger of an upright G hand in the direction of that person; the dual involves flexing it at both object loci (sequentially with one hand or simultaneously with both), the simple plural involves a single flexing, which spans the object group while the hand arcs across it, and an individuated plural involves multiple rapid flexings while the hand arcs.

==References==
{{Reflist}}
*Campbell, G. (2000). ''Compendium of the World's Languages.'' Taylor & Francis.
*Corbett, G. (2000). ''Number.'' Cambridge University Press.
*Eulenberg (1971). ''Papers in African Linguistics''
*Liddell, Scott K. (2003). ''Grammar, Gesture, and Meaning in American Sign Language.'' Cambridge University Press.
*Mithun, Marianne (1999). ''The Languages of Native North America.'' Cambridge University Press.
*Tamura, Suzuko (2000). ''The Ainu Language.'' Tokyo: Sanseido.

[[Category:Linguistic morphology]]
[[Category:Syntax]]