DuPl: The number system consists of singular, dual, and plural.
(1a) jawən qɔ̄nəŋ-nə qɔ̄t ɔ̄məs-ʌ.
river bank-loc house sit-prs.3sg
’There is a house on the riverbank.’
(1b) jawən qɔ̄nəŋ-nə qɔ̄t-ɣən ɔ̄məs-ʌ-əɣən.
river bank-loc house-du sit-prs-3du
’There are two houses on the riverbank.’
(1c) jawən qɔ̄nəŋ-nə qɔ̄t-ət ɔ̄məs-ʌ-ət.
river bank-loc house-pl sit-prs-3pl
’There are houses on the riverbank.’
(2a) qūt-əm
house-1sg
‘my house’
(2b) qɔ̄t-ɣəʌ-am
house-du-1sg
’my two houses’
(2c) qɔ̄t-ʌ-am
house-pl-1sg
’my houses’
(3a) wū-ʌ-em
see-prs-obj.1sg
’I see that’
(3b) wū-ʌ-ɣəʌ-am
see-prs-du-obj.1sg
’I see those two’
(3c) wū-ʌ-ʌ-am
see-prs-pl-obj.1sg
‘I see those’
(4) Indefinite conjugation in present tense, wū- ‘know, see’
Person/Number | Sg. | Du. | Pl. |
1. | wū-ʌ-əm | wū-ʌ-mən | wū-ʌ-əw |
2. | wū-ʌ-ən | wū-ʌ-tən | wū-ʌ-təɣ |
3. | wū-ʌ | wū-ʌ-ɣən | wū-ʌ-ət |
In Surgut Khanty, number is reflected both in the verbal and the nominal morphology, and in both categories, the singular, the dual and the plural can be coded. Nouns can take cases in all three numbers, and personal pronouns have three number forms too. The singular of nominals is unmarked, the dual and the plural forms are marked on nominals and verbs. Surgut Khanty uses different morphemes with nominal forms in the absolute declension paradigm (1a, b, c) than with possessive constructions to mark the number of the possessed (2a, b, c), or with the definite (determinate) conjugation to refer to the number of the object (3a, b, c). All three numbers can be indicated in the definite and indefinite conjugation, in the active and passive voice, and on the imperative form of verbs. In the indefinite conjugation, the three different numbers and the three different persons are coded by 9 distinct endings (4).