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A Contrastive Analysis of the Category of Number in English and Albanian Nominal System

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A Contrastive Analysis of the Category of Number in English and Albanian Nominal System European Scientific Journal November 2016 edition vol.12, No.32 ISSN: 1857 – 7881 (Print) e - ISSN 1857- 7431 A Contrastive Analysis of the Category of Number in English and Albanian Nominal System Agnesa Canta, PhD Candidate University of Tirana, Albania & University of Prishtina, Kosovo doi: 10.19044/esj.2016.v12n32p33 URL:http://dx.doi.org/10.19044/esj.2016.v12n32p33 Abstract English and Albanian as members of the Indo-European trunk of languages undoubtedly share certain characteristics, common for all members of this family of languages, but as two structurally different languages, they also show significant differences. The main aim of this paper is to highlight not only some of the differences, but also similarities in regard to the grammatical category of number in English and Albanian nominal system. The paper is based on various English and Albanian grammar books, written by prominent authors, which provide an abundance of data examined through the contrastive method. The results indicate that nouns in these two languages show differences which concern several aspects of the grammatical category of number. Some of these differences concern the way these two languages treat nouns in the singular and plural number, the ways of forming the plural number, and their usage with articles and numerals. One essential difference, however, concerns the collective and compound nouns which show an almost complete discrepancy in these two languages due to the ways they write these nouns, and the ways these nouns function in these languages. Nevertheless, in spite of the differences, there are also some similarities that concern mainly the ways of forming the plural number, but also the group of nouns used only in the singular called “singularia tantum”, and those used only in the plural “pluralia tantum”. Keywords: Nouns, category, number, differences, similarities Introduction The category of number is a grammatical category which English, Albanian and many other modern languages share. Nevertheless, while in Albanian, the issue of grammatical categories, including the category of number, has never been a matter of dispute, this is not the case with grammatical categories of nouns in English which have been the cause of 33 European Scientific Journal November 2016 edition vol.12, No.32 ISSN: 1857 – 7881 (Print) e - ISSN 1857- 7431 debate among different researchers, both native and foreign ones. However, despite their reserves concerning other grammatical categories, they all acknowledge number as a grammatical category of nouns in English. Furthermore, according to Trask, L.R. (2007), the category of number is the only grammatical category that affects English nouns. Nouns as the largest word class in both, English and Albanian, have two numbers: 1) the singular number, and 2) the plural number. Number as a grammatical category of nouns in English and Albanian, and not only, indicates the difference between the singular and plural, namely, the number of people, animals, things, concepts, idea, etc. The singular number always refers to one person, one animal, one thing, one concept, one idea, etc., and it may be preceded by the numeral one, whereas the plural number has two references. It may refer to: a) More than one person, animal, thing, concept, idea, etc., and this means that the noun may be preceded by all numerals, except the numeral one. b) Several or more people, animals, things, concepts, ideas, etc., and this means that the noun in plural may be used with or without a numeral. However, even when used without a numeral, the plurality is implied. The first part of this paper examines precisely the way English and Albanian treat their nouns in the singular and plural, whether each of these languages allows articles with nouns in the singular and plural, the kinds of numerals that may be used with nouns in the singular and plural, and exceptions to the rules concerning the usage of articles and numerals with nouns in both numbers, whereas the second part focuses mainly on the ways they form the plural number emphasizing the differences and similarities. The Category of Number in English and Albanian Nominal System The grammatical category of number is one of the categories that English and Albanian have in common. But, English as an analytic language and Albanian as an inflectional language, being structurally different, show many differences and also similarities in the way they treat nouns in the singular, and the way they form the plural. In English, nouns in the singular number are always used either with the numeral one or with an article, the indefinite article a/an which is semantically equal to the numeral one, and the definite article the: one/a student or one/an apple the student or the apple In English, nouns in the singular number may not be used without an article or without the numeral one. Forms such as student or apple, used without the above mentioned functional words, are grammatically unacceptable. Proper nouns and uncountable nouns, such as Tom, William, 34 European Scientific Journal November 2016 edition vol.12, No.32 ISSN: 1857 – 7881 (Print) e - ISSN 1857- 7431 Jane, James, London, Washington, love, courage, peace, water, bread, sugar, milk, furniture, etc., are, of course, an exception to the rule. Proper nouns do not take the numeral one nor the indefinite article a/an, but they can be used with the definite article the. From this group, we can distinguish personal names which make use of the stressed definite article the /ði:/ which, according to Huddleston & Pullum (2002), is highly unusual. In this form, the definite article the [ði:] has three functions: 1. to verify the identity of the person we are addressing to - Are you the Mrs. Carlyle? (we recognize the person, but we are not quite sure of his/her identity, and expect a confirmation) 2. to distinguish two people with the same name from one another - I need to see the Mrs. Harrison who has organized this event. 3. to express surprise at someone’s behaviour - You are not the Rebecca I know! (I know who you are, but you are not acting accordingly) In this last function the [ði:] is especially used in American English. Uncountable nouns are not used with the numeral one, nor with the indefinite article a/an, but they use the unstressed definite article the: There is no time for regret. (an uncountable noun used without the numeral one or articles) This is the time to act and end the misery. (an uncountable noun used with the article the) Unlike English, in Albanian, nouns do not take articles. Singular nouns can be used with or without the numeral one, but when used with the numeral, they emphasize the number of animates, things, concepts designated by those nouns, and not solely the fact that they are singular nouns, that is, the category of number. E.g. një student/e (one student) student/e (a student) studenti/ja (the student) një klasë (one class) klasë (a class) klasa (the class) një libër (one book) libër (a book) libri (the book) një mollë (one apple) mollë ( an apple) molla (the apple) As seen in these examples, unlike English, the defineteness and the indefiniteness of singular nouns in Albanian is expressed by inflections and not by articles. When we use the expressions një student (one student) or nje libër (one book), we refer directly to the number of students or the number of apples, thus, in the first place, we highlight the fact that there is only one student or one apple, and in the second place comes the sematic implication of the noun student as member of a group of people, and the noun apple as a kind of fruit, unlike student/e (a student) and studenti/ja (the student), or mollë (an apple) and molla (the apple, which in the first place put emphasis on the group of people, respectively on the kind of fruit to which student, 35 European Scientific Journal November 2016 edition vol.12, No.32 ISSN: 1857 – 7881 (Print) e - ISSN 1857- 7431 respectively apple belongs to, and only in the second place emphasize their number which is obviously implied by their form. Both English and Albanian proper nouns and uncountable nouns are used only in the singular number, and they do not ordinarily take numerals, but there are exceptions to this rule in both languages. In English, surnames as proper nouns take the plural form when referring to the people in the family with the same name (Greenbaum & Nelson, 2009, p.33): The Hiltons have built hotels all ever the world. I have known the Clarks since 2001. In Albanian, proper nouns are used in the plural only in special cases to identify by surname a number of people who carry that surname (Newmark, Hubbard & Prifti, 1982, p. 127): Jasharajt janë familje e shquar nga Kosova. (The Jasharajs are a distinguished family from Kosova) Lekajt njihen si njerëz të urte e të kulturuar. (The Lekajs are known as wise and cultured people) As seen in these examples, in English, unlike Albanian, surnames as proper nouns, used in the plural, always take the definite article the. Proper nouns as personal names can be used with cardinal and ordinal numbers in both English and Albanian: a) with cardinal numbers - to refer to one, two, or more people, all at the same time, f.i. I met three Kellys in my cousin’s wedding. Unë u njoftova me tri Arta në dasmën e kushëririt tim. (I was introduced to three Artas in my coursin’s wedding.) Used with cardinal numbers, nouns in Albanian retain their singular form, whereas those in English change their form from singular to plural.
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