Rethinking the use of collective-singulative pairs in contemporary Welsh

Rees, Iwan Wyn. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5859-3839 2025. Rethinking the use of collective-singulative pairs in contemporary Welsh. Language Typology and Universals Sprachtypologie und Universalienforschung 78 (4) Item availability restricted.

PDF - Draft Version Restricted to Repository staff only Download (807kB) | Request a copy

Abstract

This article offers new insights on the ongoing debate surrounding number categories in Welsh, namely whether the collective-singulative distinction can be regarded as a full number category in its own right, separate from the more common singular-plural category. Based on new data obtained from online questionnaires, it will be argued for the first time that some “morphological collectives” are in fact being used in a singular manner in contemporary varieties of Welsh. The potential relevance of this emerging development to the variation patterns of Welsh diminutives will therefore be probed. Moreover, the implications of this study’s findings for some previous research on morphological typology will be explored, as well as their possible pertinence to studies of the acquisition of Welsh. Keywords: Collective-singulative pairs Diminutives Contemporary Welsh Natural Morphology Morphological variation

Item Type:	Article
Status:	In Press
Schools:	Schools > Welsh
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > P Philology. Linguistics P Language and Literature > PB Modern European Languages > PB1001 Celtic languages and literature
Date of Acceptance:	14 July 2025
Last Modified:	17 Jul 2025 09:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/179819

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item