<p>One clear-cut example of a language that treats many things like predicates, numerals included, is Khoekhoe.</p>

<p><a href="https://web.stanford.edu/group/cslipublications/cslipublications/HPSG/2014/hahn.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Khoekhoe</a> marks many kinds of predicates the same way, including <em>numerals</em>. The paper argues that all three of the open word classes (nouns, verbs, and adjectives) in Khoekhoe can be analyzed as primarily predicates and non-predicative usage requires more morphology, specifically person-number-gender (PNG) affixes. Nominalizing stuff with a PNG clitic is extremely productive in Khoekhoe.</p>

<p>Here is an excerpt from page 3 of 21 from <em>Predication and NP Structure in an
Omnipredicative Language: The Case of
Khoekhoe</em> by Michael Hahn.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Khoekhoe is an SOV language. The V slot may be occupied by a word from
  any of the three open word classes: a verb (1a), an adjective (1b), or
  a noun (1cd). Both commons nouns (1c) and proper nouns (1d) can be
  used. Even deictic elements (1e-f), numerals (1g), and possessives
  (1h) can act as predicates. While the choice of the TAM marker depends
  on the predicate, the syntactic behaviour of the different predicates
  is entirely parallel:</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Here are some examples from the paper.</p>

<pre><code>1a) saa=ts  ge   ra  |khii
    you=2ms DECL TAM come
    You (m) are coming.

1b) om=s      ge    (a)  kai
    house=3fs DECL  TAM  big
    The house is big.

1c) saa=ts    ge    (a)  gao-ao
    you=2ms   DECL  TAM  king
    You are a king.

1d) saa=ts    ge    (a)  Petru
    you=2ms   DECL  TAM  Peter.
    You are Peter.

1e) om=s      ge    (a)  nee.
    house=3fs DECL  TAM  this
    The house is this one.

1f) tii=ta    ge    (a)   saa
    I=1sg     DECL  TAM   you
    I am you.

1g) tara=di   ge    a  !nona
    women=3fp DECL TAM three
    The women are three.

1h) om=s      ge    a   tii
    house=3fs DECL TAM  mine
    The house is mine.
</code></pre>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-15T04:57:46.037Z
2020-05-18T14:04:27.017Z
2020-05-18T14:04:27.017Z
Greg Nisbet
<p>I am aware that adjectives can pattern like verbs in some natural languages. Is it reasonable for numerals to do the same? Thus</p>

<pre><code>Some balls four.
There are four balls.

Fouring the balls were orange.
The four balls were orange.
</code></pre>

<p>Of course, my conlang has more interesting verbal forms than we have in English. Is something like this attested in a natural language?</p>

<conlang-creation><naturalism><syntax><verbs><natural-languages>
Is it reasonable for numerals to behave like verbs?
# Is it reasonable for numerals to behave like verbs?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-05-14)

I am aware that adjectives can pattern like verbs in some natural languages. Is it reasonable for numerals to do the same? Thus

```
Some balls four.
There are four balls.

Fouring the balls were orange.
The four balls were orange.

```

Of course, my conlang has more interesting verbal forms than we have in English. Is something like this attested in a natural language?

**Tags:** conlang-creation, naturalism, syntax, verbs, natural-languages


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2020-05-15. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

One clear-cut example of a language that treats many things like predicates, numerals included, is Khoekhoe.

[Khoekhoe](https://web.stanford.edu/group/cslipublications/cslipublications/HPSG/2014/hahn.pdf) marks many kinds of predicates the same way, including *numerals*. The paper argues that all three of the open word classes (nouns, verbs, and adjectives) in Khoekhoe can be analyzed as primarily predicates and non-predicative usage requires more morphology, specifically person-number-gender (PNG) affixes. Nominalizing stuff with a PNG clitic is extremely productive in Khoekhoe.

Here is an excerpt from page 3 of 21 from *Predication and NP Structure in an
Omnipredicative Language: The Case of
Khoekhoe* by Michael Hahn.

> Khoekhoe is an SOV language. The V slot may be occupied by a word from
> any of the three open word classes: a verb (1a), an adjective (1b), or
> a noun (1cd). Both commons nouns (1c) and proper nouns (1d) can be
> used. Even deictic elements (1e-f), numerals (1g), and possessives
> (1h) can act as predicates. While the choice of the TAM marker depends
> on the predicate, the syntactic behaviour of the different predicates
> is entirely parallel:

Here are some examples from the paper.

```
1a) saa=ts  ge   ra  |khii
    you=2ms DECL TAM come
    You (m) are coming.

1b) om=s      ge    (a)  kai
    house=3fs DECL  TAM  big
    The house is big.

1c) saa=ts    ge    (a)  gao-ao
    you=2ms   DECL  TAM  king
    You are a king.

1d) saa=ts    ge    (a)  Petru
    you=2ms   DECL  TAM  Peter.
    You are Peter.

1e) om=s      ge    (a)  nee.
    house=3fs DECL  TAM  this
    The house is this one.

1f) tii=ta    ge    (a)   saa
    I=1sg     DECL  TAM   you
    I am you.

1g) tara=di   ge    a  !nona
    women=3fp DECL TAM three
    The women are three.

1h) om=s      ge    a   tii
    house=3fs DECL TAM  mine
    The house is mine.

```


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