Topic: Notes on Pirah?
As suggested by RdR and others, I shall be writing small notes on Daniel Everett's work, i.e., about the analyses he makes of Pirah? data.
Note #1
Everett'sCultural Constraints on Grammar and Cognition in Pirah?: Another Look at the Design Features of Human Language
page 7
Some examples which show how Pirah? expresses what in other cultures would
be numerical concepts:(10) a. t? 7?t?i7isi h?i hii 7aba7??gio 7oogabaga?
1 fish small pred. only want
'I only want {one/a couple/a small} fish.'
(NB: This could not be used to express a desire for one fish that was very large, except as a joke.)
Interesting. In Portuguese we may have parallel examples:
(10') a. Eu quero um pouco de peixe.
(10') may be translated as I want some fish or a little bit of fish. Indeed (10') may be interpreted as:
I want a small fish.
I want only one fish.
I want a small quantities of fish.
I want only a piece of a fish.
Of course, (10') cannot be used in the context where the speaker wants one very large fish.
Page 8
Interestingly, in spite of its lack of number and numerals, Pirah? superficially
appears to have a count vs. mass distinction:(12) a. 7ao?i 7aa?b?i 7ao7aag? 7o? kapi?7io
foreigner many exist jungle other
'There are many foreigners in another jungle.'
b. */? 7ao?i 7apag? 7ao7aag? 7o? kapi?7io
foreigner much exist jungle other
? 'There are much foreigners in another jungle.'
(13) a. 7?ga?si7apag? 7ao7aag? 7o? kapi?7io
manioc meal much exist jungle other
'There is a lot of manioc meal in another jungle.'
b. *7?ga?si 7aa?b?i 7ao7aag? 7o? kapi?7io
manioc mealmany exist jungle other
*'There is many manioc meal in another jungle.'
However, this distinction is more consistently analyzed as the distinction between things that can be individuated and things that cannot, thus independent of the notion of counting.
It is impossible to conclude that some mind has the notion of individuation, but lacks the concept of unity. The sentences about are without any doubt instances of mass versus count nouns. To affirm otherwise is not consistent with the data presented.
Posted by Tony Marmo
at 13:30 BST
Updated: Thursday, 2 September 2004 14:33 BST
