Determiners
A type of word that describes the reference type of a noun. You could think of determiners as a special class of noun modifiers and the only ones that exist before the head noun.
[determiners][head noun] [modifiers]
Determiners involve something related to plurality (quantity), adequacy, or time. They are the fundamental attributes of nouns alongside what makes each noun unique.
Quantity
You can provide numerals as determiners and they allow you to specify the plurality or quantity of the nouns being referred to. Larger numbers are created by using the below method of assembling parts of a number:
- Latin
- ɽʋʄꜿɟʌ
Number | Hîsyêô |
0 | |
1 | |
2 | |
3 | |
4 | |
5 | |
6 | |
7 | |
8 | |
9 | |
10 | |
11 | |
12 | |
13 | |
14 | |
15 | |
16 | |
17 | |
18 | |
19 | |
20 | |
21 | |
22 | |
23 | |
100 | |
101 | |
234 | |
1000 | |
1,000,000 | |
1,999 |
Number | ɂ́ɟɀʇɽi |
0 | |
1 | |
2 | |
3 | |
4 | |
5 | |
6 | |
7 | |
8 | |
9 | |
10 | |
11 | |
12 | |
13 | |
14 | |
15 | |
16 | |
17 | |
18 | |
19 | |
20 | |
21 | |
22 | |
23 | |
100 | |
101 | |
234 | |
1000 | |
1,000,000 | |
1,999 |
Add one of these before your noun and you have provided a quantity determiner (a cardinal number).
- Latin
- ɽʋʄꜿɟʌ
Providing a quantity determiner of "one" (kut) can be used as a kind of indefinite article. Like the English article "a" or "an".
Ordinal
Place a numeral word after the nucleus (before, in the midst, or after other modifiers) and it will represent a relative position of an item in a sequence (an ordinal number).
- Latin
- ɽʋʄꜿɟʌ
The position of the ordinal does cause a split in the grouping of nouns.
- Latin
- ɽʋʄꜿɟʌ
Multiplier
Place a numeral word after (ônî) and use this as a modifier to represent the number of times something is to be multiplied.
- Latin
- ɽʋʄꜿɟʌ
Adverbial
Place a numeral word after the manner/material thematic role marker (ônî) and you get adverbial numerals.
- Latin
- ɽʋʄꜿɟʌ
Distributive
You can make distributive numerals using xokôn. First, to indicate that a predicate is occurring multiple times with the specified details, you would tack on a xokôn at the end of a noun phrase. Here's a non-distributive action and contrasting distributive one:
- Latin
- ɽʋʄꜿɟʌ
In order to specify that something is double the degree of the associated noun-phrase. You prefix a quantity phrase with xokôn.
- Latin
- ɽʋʄꜿɟʌ
motûo wohî noyo bi xokôn dûî dîyondê hôn xe bi elentêt li êo infultîn ônî dûstu wokût. My mother was always doubly careful when winding the clock.
li sonkon û xe besol zinkon, ûn bi xokôn niswî hôn bitûn. It is important to lock the door, and triply so at night.
lolû nîmû oncêmon êo xokôn dûî tônkô hôn doho noyo. Your words feel doubly hurtful given my sacrifices.
ƶcʄɽ ʒɂɟ ƨɀ ʋȷ ɋɔ̃ı ʌʄɽɟ ʌɟɀ̃ʌʇ ɂ̃ı ɋɿ ʋȷ ɽɿʓ̃ɿc̆ʇ ʓȷ ɽʇɽ ɽ̃ȷɤ͊ʃc̃ɟ ɽıƨɟ ʌ́ʄcʃ ʒɔ̆ʄ. My mother was always doubly careful when winding the clock.
ʓȷ ɐ̃ɔ̃ ɽʄ ɋɿ ʋɿɐ͊ ⱴ̃ȷɔ̃, ɽ̃ʄ ʋȷ ɋɔ̃ı ƨ́ȷʒɟ ɂ̃ı ʋȷc̃ʄ. It is important to lock the door, and triply so at night.
ʓʓʄ ƨɟƶʄ ɽ̃ꞇʇƶ̃ ɽʇɽ ɋɔ̃ı ʌʄɽɟ c̃ıɔı ɂ̃ı ʌɂ ƨɀ. Your words feel doubly hurtful given my sacrifices.
Fractional
- Latin
- ɽʋʄꜿɟʌ
Relative
Relative determiners provide relativistic information about the head phrase that they are attached to. They can be relative quantities which are like the above numerical quantities but with a non-exact non-finite understanding of what the exact numerical quantity the noun actually is.
- Latin
- ɽʋʄꜿɟʌ
total/all: môî sûtûô noyo sûko kontol doî osyen. All my friends like classical music
highest/most: ôfo li numûno yê eswen sonkon en môî. This is the most important example.
high/many: li êto tolîko bêsu yê xe côûfon. "There are many different ways to cook a meal."
higher/more: li eswen tolîko yê xe tûu ôfo, en fos noyo kôî tûek tô kut. "There are more ways to xe this than I can count."
lower/fewer: li mênûs umo hoî ôfo bi îbûdû. "There are less people here now."
low/some: yoûtî umo sûko kon mûhoyon. "Some people like camping."
lowest/least: noyo bi tôlkî yûnyoû zôtêstô oxon xe cifû mênûs cino yê niwos en môî. I can only afford to pay the least of the bills.
zero/none: xûnyu yê dûî umo li sumon. No two people are the same.
total/all: ƶıɽɟ ɐʄcʄɽı ƨɀ ɐʄɔ ɔ̃c͊ ʌɽɟ ɽ́ɀ̃ɿ. All my friends like classical music
highest/most: ɽıɤ ʓȷ ƨʃƶʄƨ ɀʇ ɽ́ɿʒ̃ɿ ɐ̃ɔ̃ ɽ̃ɿ ƶıɽɟ. This is the most important example.
high/many: ʓȷ ɽʇc cʓɟɔ ʋʇɐʃ ɀʇ ɋɿ ꞇıɽʄɤ̃. "There are many different ways to cook a meal."
higher/more: ʓȷ ɽ́ɿʒ̃ɿ cʓɟɔ ɀʇ ɋɿ cʄɽʃ ɽıɤ, ɽ̃ɿ ɤ́ ƨɀ ɔıɽɟ cʄɽ̑ɿ cı ɔ̆ʃ. "There are more ways to xe this than I can count."
lower/fewer: ʓȷ ƶʇƨ́ʄ ɽʃƶ ɂɽɟ ɽıɤ ʋȷ ɽɟʋʄʌʄ. "There are less people here now."
low/some: ɀɽʄcɟ ɽʃƶ ɐʄɔ ɔ̃ ƶʄɂɀ̃. "Some people like camping."
lowest/least: ƨɀ ʋȷ c͊ıɔɟ ɀ̃ʄɀɽʄ ⱴıćʇcı ɽɋ̃ ɋɿ ꞇȷɤʄ ƶʇƨ́ʄ ꞇȷƨ ɀʇ ƨȷʒ́ ɽ̃ɿ ƶıɽɟ. I can only afford to pay the least of the bills.
zero/none: ɋ̃ʄɀʃ ɀʇ ʌʄɽɟ ɽʃƶ ʓȷ ɐʃƶ̃. No two people are the same.
There's also the universal classifications of "every" and "each". The former is used for speaking of a group as a whole and the latter is used for speaking of each individual within a group.
- Latin
- ɽʋʄꜿɟʌ
kûu li gufis yê fos nîmû xûsten xokôn xolu bi xôn. Make sure you wash each bowl well.
bînton lono onô li nô bi cên hoî xokôn lono hêlxun ûn li nô bi sêl hoî xokôn bitûn. The sun comes up each morning and sets each night.
môî umo xe hoî kûncên onô, dî sî totsi ûn hokûxi. Every person in the room stood and cheered.
ɔʄɽʃ ʓȷ ꜿʃɤ́ȷ ɀʇ ɤ́ ƨɟƶʄ ɋ́ʄc̃ɿ ɋɔ̃ı ɋʓʃ ʋȷ ɋ̃ı. Make sure you wash each bowl well.
ʋ̃ɟc̃ ʓƨ ɽƨı ʓȷ ƨı ʋȷ ꞇ̃ʇ ɂɽɟ ɋɔ̃ı ʓƨ ɂ͊ʇɋ̃ʃ ɽ̃ʄ ʓȷ ƨı ʋȷ ɐ͊ʇ ɂɽɟ ɋɔ̃ı ʋȷc̃ʄ. The sun comes up each morning and sets each night.
ƶıɽɟ ɽʃƶ ɋɿ ɂɽɟ ɔ̃ʄꞇ̃ʇ ɽƨı, ʌɟ ɐɟ c̆ɐȷ ɽ̃ʄ ɂɔʄɋȷ. Every person in the room stood and cheered.
Using these with the location/time thematic relation (hoî) and the distance/duration thematic relation (lon) has subtle differences in interpretations.
- Latin
- ɽʋʄꜿɟʌ
nûs ke nîltûgu xe li nô bi fîkî, hoî 5 mônbili xokôn. "We will stop running at 5 miles"
nîmû ke dôstoc îskô hoî môî 5 mônbili xokôn. "You will get a drink every 5 miles"
ke li ônî nô fîkî bêsu hoî xokôn 5 mônbili xokôn. "There will be a different runner each 5 miles"
nûs ke li nô bi fîkî lon 5 mônbili xokôn. "We will run for 5 miles"
ke li ônî nô fîkî bêsu lon môî 5 mônbili xokôn. "There will be a different runner for every 5 mile stretch"
nîmû ke dôstoc îskô dîzel lon xokôn 5 mônbili xokôn. "You get another drink for each 5 mile stretch"
ƨ́ʄ ɔɿ ƨ͊ɟcʄꜿʃ ɋɿ ʓȷ ƨı ʋȷ ɤɟɔɟ, ɂɽɟ 5 ƶ̃ıʋȷʓȷ ɋɔ̃ı. "We will stop running at 5 miles"
ƨɟƶʄ ɔɿ ʌ́ıc̄ ɽ́ɟɔı ɂɽɟ ƶıɽɟ 5 ƶ̃ıʋȷʓȷ ɋɔ̃ı. "You will get a drink every 5 miles"
ɔɿ ʓȷ ɽıƨɟ ƨı ɤɟɔɟ ʋʇɐʃ ɂɽɟ ɋɔ̃ı 5 ƶ̃ıʋȷʓȷ ɋɔ̃ı. "There will be a different runner each 5 miles"
ƨ́ʄ ɔɿ ʓȷ ƨı ʋȷ ɤɟɔɟ ʓ̃ 5 ƶ̃ıʋȷʓȷ ɋɔ̃ı. "We will run for 5 miles"
ɔɿ ʓȷ ɽıƨɟ ƨı ɤɟɔɟ ʋʇɐʃ ʓ̃ ƶıɽɟ 5 ƶ̃ıʋȷʓȷ ɋɔ̃ı. "There will be a different runner for every 5 mile stretch"
ƨɟƶʄ ɔɿ ʌ́ıc̄ ɽ́ɟɔı ʌɟⱴ͊ɿ ʓ̃ ɋɔ̃ı 5 ƶ̃ıʋȷʓȷ ɋɔ̃ı. "You get another drink for each 5 mile stretch"
Lastly, there are relative quantities that refer to the speakers feelings that the quantity is an adequate amount for their purposes.