Pronouns 187
noun to signify the plural. Pronouns are thus no different from regular noun
heads regarding inflecting for number. As shown in section 2.1, while common
nouns can be inflected for number through reduplication, this reduplication is
largely optional in actual usage. Whether a given NP is singular or plural is
sorted out through the discourse. The same is true of the pronouns in the follow-
ing sentences, all of which clearly stand for plural entities given the context of
the narratives in which they were uttered.
(26) Jelling cara-na engko' a-laban satreya Majapahit reya!
look way-DEF I AV-fight knight Majapahit this
‘Watch how we fight with these knights from Majapahit!’
(27) Enggi, ka'dhinto Pottre e-bagta’-a sareng dan kula ka tengnga alas
yes this princess OV-bring-IRR wtih I to center forest
kanna' ka'dhinto.
‘Yes, Princess, we will take it deep into the forest here.’
(28) Ba'eng tanto-na gi' enga' ta'iya dha' dungeng-nga Ke Juru
you certain-DEF still remember TAG to story-DEF Ke Juru
Kettheng ta'iya.
Kettheng TAG
‘Certainly, you still remember the story of Ke Juru Kettheng, right?’
(29) Aba'eng a-towat, a-cerreng, senneng, “O, Ebu' dhateng! Ebu'
they AV-shout AV-shout happy oh mother come mother
dhateng!”
come
‘They were shouting, shouting so happily, “Oh, Mother is coming!
Mother is coming!”’
(30) Mon se endha' kareb-a dibi' ajar-in.
if REL willing want-IRR self learn-LOC
‘If they want it, teach them.’
In (26) and (27), the first person pronoun denotes plural entities–in (26) two
young men sent to conquer two Majapahit warriors who are terrorizing a town,
and in (27) two maidservants being sent on a mission. In (27), a higher (alos)
form dan kula is used for first person because the speaker is talking to a mem-
ber of the royal family. In (28), the narrator addresses the audience of children
using the simple second person form ba'eng. In (29), aba'eng refers to the four
young daughters in the story Siti Lalumba, who had been awaiting the return of
their mother. Finally, in (30), there is an instance in which dibi' refers to a third