Semantic universals of classifier systems

In this project we examine classifiers, a type of categorization that is widespread in the world’s languages and shows a remarkable diversity in terms of semantics and means of expression. Classifier systems are widespread in the languages of the world: they are found in languages of diverse typological profiles, ranging from the analytic languages of Southeast Asia to the polysynthetic languages of North America. While classifiers share several common features with grammatical gender, the other main type of nominal classification, they typically have more complex inventories, as in around 100 numeral classifiers in Mandarin Chinese. A wide range of semantic values serve as the basis for categorization, including animacy, humanness, sex, and social status, together with values found among inanimates, including physical properties such as shape and size as well as function, value, and arrangement. These properties tend to correlate with the type of classifier system, for example in the categorization for edible and drinkable items found in possessive classifiers in Oceanic languages.