Grammatical number (singular, plural etc.) is central to the structure of languages, yet we know fairly little about the factors that shape number systems. E.g. why do many languages denote natural pairs (e.g. hands) differently from non-pairs? In Finnish, compare käsi 'hand' and kynä 'pen' in exactly the same plural construction: kahdet kädet 'two pairs of hands' vs. *kahdet kynät (unacceptable). This project investigates the basis of number-marking patterns: what is the role of semantics (the meaning of words) and pragmatics (the usage of words, incl. their cultural context)? I will develop a new fieldwork methodology to answer these questions and apply it to gather data in a sample of endangered and minoritized languages, including East African languages spoken in Helsinki. The results will not only be significant to linguistics but also to our understanding of the human mind and cognition: What is the relationship between language and how we perceive the world and interact with it?

2022

2027