How do Mayan languages do ordinal numbers? I only have one source on Mayan and it isn't the greatest. I am trying to understand how to construct something like "2nd star". My "dictionary" lists ka' as meaning two or second, u as the 3rd person possessive, ye' as the classifier for divine bodies, tal as the ordinal classifier, and ek' as star.
From all that, it makes sense then that:
uka'tal ek'
3S-two-CLF star
But if ka' could mean second then would the following work?
ka'ye' ek'
second-CLF star
At first that seems like that should mean two stars but that would require ek' to be in the plural. I could see how the lack of concordance in this situation might signal ordinal, and I might steal that for a conlang, but is it a legal construction? Is even the first construction correct?
Mayan ordinals
Re: Mayan ordinals
I'm taking a K'iche' class this semester. I have no idea what other Mayan languages do, but in K'iche' "second star" is
ukaab' lee ch'imil
second CLF star
Actually, that'd translate better as "the star is second", I think. lee ukaab'a ch'imil (or lu'kaab'a ch'imil with the elision) might be better. So you'd get something like
Nim lee ukaab'-a ch'imil.
big CLF second-LK star
"The second star is big."
According to my teacher, "two" is keb' and "second" is ukaab'.
ukaab' lee ch'imil
second CLF star
Actually, that'd translate better as "the star is second", I think. lee ukaab'a ch'imil (or lu'kaab'a ch'imil with the elision) might be better. So you'd get something like
Nim lee ukaab'-a ch'imil.
big CLF second-LK star
"The second star is big."
According to my teacher, "two" is keb' and "second" is ukaab'.
Kuku-kuku kaki kakak kakekku kaku kaku.
'the toenails of my grandfather's elder brother are stiff'
'the toenails of my grandfather's elder brother are stiff'
Re: Mayan ordinals
At least in K'iche, plural marking on a noun isn't necessary if there's a numeral. Most K'iche nouns don't have plural forms anyway; unless the noun refers to a human or (some) higher animals, you just use the pluralizing particle taq.Přemysl wrote:At first that seems like that should mean two stars but that would require ek' to be in the plural.
Kuku-kuku kaki kakak kakekku kaku kaku.
'the toenails of my grandfather's elder brother are stiff'
'the toenails of my grandfather's elder brother are stiff'
Re: Mayan ordinals
You are right as far as the plural goes. I found a few more grammars, although none of those give more good ordinal examples. But a Yucatec one did mention how the plural marker is not used with mayan numerals. If loaned spanish numbers are used then the plural may be used.