Datapoint Berbice Dutch/Expression of nominal plural meaning

Reduplicated nouns refer to individual occurrences of the item denoted by the noun (giving a distributive sense), in contrast with regular plurals, formed by suffixing -apu, which may refer to accumulations of an object. Reduplicated nouns are not attested with the plural suffix. The marginal status of noun reduplication is also seen in the fact that elicitation of reduplicated nouns proved impossible: Speakers invariably rejected them.

Values

Plural suffix Frequency: 90.0%

Example 28-49:
ɛkɛ timi mɛtɛ di hogo skunapu ababaka
ɛkɛ
1sg
timi
be.able
mɛtɛ
with
di
the
hogo
high
skun-apu
shoe-pl
ababa
anymore
ka
neg
I cannot cope with high-heeled shoes anymore.

Source: Kouwenberg 2007: 445

Confidence:
Very certain

Plural reduplication Frequency: 10.0%

Example 28-50:
idri daka ɛk justu kriki skeliŋskeliŋ
idri
every
daka
day
ɛkɛ
1sg
justu
pst.hab
kriki
get
skelingi-skelingi
cent-cent
Every day I would find an 8-cent coin.

Source: Kouwenberg 1994: 245

Confidence:
Very certain