maa2 plural marker

Part of Speech n2
Morphology maa
Gloss PLM
    • plural marker
      • quantification
      • comment The plural marker <maa> forms the head of NPs referring to people, animals, things, substances, abstract concepts. It hosts the basic proclitic article <a> ART.2.SG; see <amaa>. That the plural marker <maa2> is a noun of the 2nd class rather than a quantifier is shown by that fact that nouns of the 2nd class, e.g. <iana> 'fish', as well as nouns of the 3rd class, e.g. <sinivi> 'canoe', <kaku> 'kind', take the articles of the 2nd class, when preceded by <maa2> PLM.
      • Example 2204:
        E suburiori hoi vai maa bona maa iana.
        Their grandmother filled the fish into baskets.
        Source:
        Aro 04E(Eno) 064
      • Example 3965:
        Amaa moon to pasi nomaa tea tara bona maa sinivi iana.
        It is the women who come to see the canoes (full of) fish.
        Source:
        Sii 06RG 172
      • Example 3966:
        O beebee na tei me rori bona maa kaku giroas tea suin riori.
        The butterflies have many kinds of colours on their body.
        Source:
        Sir 01W 020
      • Example 3967:
        Eam toro gono maa ta maa asita ta maa berobero.
        You must get many putty nuts.
        Source:
        SiiSen 01W 027b

Related entries