My paper “Countability in Ticuna” was accepted for publication at the open-access journal LIAMES/Línguas Indígenas Americanas, published in Brazil. The article is part of a special issue on the mass-count distinction in languages spoken in Brazil, edited by Suzi Lima (University of Toronto).

The article abstract reads:

This study examines the count-mass distinction in Ticuna (isolate). Based on original field data, I show that count and mass nouns pattern apart in several grammatical domains. In the language’s number system, I demonstrate that mass nouns are incompatible with both nominal and verbal plural marking. In the quantifier system, I show that Ticuna numerals and quantifiers combine only with nouns introduced by determiners, never with bare nouns. Despite this restriction, numerals and quantifiers remain sensitive to countability.  Even when introduced by determiners, mass nouns cannot combine with numerals, nor with three of the six quantifiers available to count nouns.

May 2021 update: This article has now been published. It is available open access at the journal’s website here.

January 2021: Article in LIAMES / Dr. Amalia Skilton - Chancellor's Fellow by is licensed under a