MatrixDoc_Number

Documentation for the Grammar Matrix Customization Number Library

Introduction

This document presents background information on the number library of the Grammar Matrix Customization System (Bender et al., 2002; Bender and Flickinger, 2005; Bender et al., 2010). General instructions on using the questionnaire can be found here.

Options

The number library allows the user to specify the range of values for the feature NUMBER that will be available elsewhere in the customization system (especially the Lexicon and Morphology pages) and in the resulting grammar.

On the number page in Matrix Customization you are asked to describe the number hierarchy in your language. The complexity of number hierarchy is different for all languages. The number of values that you can enter for number names and their supertypes in questionnaire is unlimited. Please note that this page is for entering number values (and NOT numerals, such as one, two, three, etc.). Even though there can be an interaction between grammatical number and numerals, numerals are a very different phenomenon, which is not yet supported by the Matrix Customization system.

Using dropdown menu, please add numbers and their supertypes as applicable to your language. Unlike gender, in terms of filling out the questionnaire for Grammar Matrix, you need to represent number hierarchy in grammar even if it is not expressed grammatically through agreement. The reason why you need to enter all numbers existing in your language even if they are not expressed through agreement is a very consistent semantic representation of number, which needs to be reflected in your grammar. An example of a language with the lack of agreement in number between nominals and other parts of speech is Japanese. Despite this lack of agreement, both singular and plural numbers should be present in customization system, otherwise the sentences with nominals differing in number would be treated as the same semantically by your grammar.

Some of the common possibilities of the number values on this page are: singular (represents one entity), dual (two entities), trial (three entities), quadral (four entities), paucal (a few entities), plural (multiple entities), general (unspecified number of entities), with some further subdivisions for paucal and plural numbers.

Below is an example of options chosen for Slovene language, which has three numbers and a facultative number system (see next section Analyses for more details about the latter):

• Gender	Supertype
  Singular	number
  Dual	number
  Plural	number

For more information on how to use the questionnaire to define values for number feature in your language, please refer to the number page in Matrix Customization.

For more information on the implementation of number in Grammar Matrix please refer to the next section Analyses.

Analyses

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