Abstract
Abstract This chapter surveys nominal classification systems in Australian languages, focussing on noun class systems proper—those where all nouns are assigned to a class, and govern concord on other elements of the noun phrase and/or verb phrase. Noun class systems are widely attested and richly diverse on the continent. Non-Pama-Nyungan languages possess the most elaborate systems, with as many as eight noun classes in the lexicon and eight constituent types undergoing noun class agreement. Though these noun class systems vary widely in form, some aspects of their structure—such as the number of noun classes and the semantic basis of noun class assignment—are extremely similar, even across unrelated language families. By contrast, Pama-Nyungan languages with noun class typically display smaller systems, with only two noun classes in the lexicon, and demonstratives and pronouns as the sole targets of noun class agreement.
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