Adjective Classes - A Cross-Linguistic Typology

112 Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald

stative verb whyume which can be turned into a modifier with the help of a noun
class marker, e.g. whyumite (be.lastNCL.ANiM) 'last (one)'.

3.2. MORPHOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF ADJECTIVES

3.2.1. Morphological properties of adjectives compared with nouns

All adjectives in Tariana share a number of morphological properties with nouns.
The morphological properties of all adjectives compared to nouns are summarized
in Table 7. This shows that adjectives have certain superficial similarities with nouns;
however, there are considerable differences. Below, we discuss them one by one.

A. Number as agreement category
Similarly to nouns, adjectives distinguish singular and plural. In contrast to nouns,
number with adjectives is an agreement category which depends on the number
choice made for the noun.

B. Number marking
The choice of a number morpheme for an adjective is mostly regular: -pe for
human feminine and inanimate referents, and -peni for animate referents; number
marking with nouns can be irregular—see §2.1. We have seen that just some di-
mension adjectives have idiosyncratic plurals: the adjective 'big' has a fully supple -
tive plural, and the adjective 'small' attaches the plural marker to an additional clas-
sifier rather than to the root. This is not found with nouns.

TABLE 7. Morphological properties of adjectives compared to nouns

Property Adjective Noun

1. Number as agreement
   category


2. Number marking


3. Co-occurrence with noun
   classes or classifiers


4. Several noun class or
   classifier morphemes
   in one word


5. Diminutive marker


6. Approximative marker

Yes

Marking different from

that on nouns

Noun class agreement

marking

Stacking of several noun

class markers in one ad-

jective signals inflection-

al complexity: agreement

with different embedded

heads

sg =tiki; plural =tupe

all adjectives: -iha; some

adjectives: -l=iha (cf.

Table 9)

No

Marking different from that

on adjectives

Classifiers as derivational

morphemes

Stacking of several classi-

fiers in one noun signals

derivational complexity

sg =tiki or =tuki; pi =tupe

=iha