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11.2 Nominal phrases<br />
(16) dä<br />
dä<br />
inijmä guäkte stuora<br />
ini-jmä [guäkte stuora<br />
then have-1pl.pst two big<br />
‘Then we had two big moose.’ (lit.: ‘long-leggers’)<br />
guhkajuolgagijd<br />
guhka-juolga-gi-jd] N P<br />
long-leg-nmlz-acc.pl<br />
[pit090702.331]<br />
If the context is sufficiently clear, it is possible that the head noun is not realized<br />
when a demonstrative and/or modifier is present; such cases are referred to as<br />
elliptical constructions. Numerals, for instance, can be in elliptical constructions,<br />
as in (17), in which the noun referring to ‘nets’ is not realized, so gålmát ‘third’<br />
composes the entire NP.<br />
(17) ja<br />
ja<br />
gålmát<br />
[gålm-át] N P 1<br />
and three-ord<br />
sjadda<br />
sjadda<br />
become\3sg.prs<br />
dä<br />
dä<br />
then<br />
Stutjaj<br />
[Stutja-j] N P 2<br />
Stutja-ill.sg<br />
‘And the third one is then placed at Stutja.’ (referring to ‘fishing net’)<br />
[pit090702.026-027]<br />
With the exception <strong>of</strong> the acc.sg form <strong>of</strong> akta ‘one’, numerals do not inflect for<br />
case and number (cf. §7.9).<br />
Less commonly, an adjectival phrase can be in an elliptical construction, either<br />
with or without a demonstrative (cf. §7.1.1). In the absence <strong>of</strong> a head noun, the<br />
adjective in the AP is the host for case and number, and is morphologically a<br />
nominal. In the example in (18) includes a demonstrative; here, the head noun<br />
referring to a girl is not overt, and the NP only contains the demonstrative dat<br />
‘that’ and the adjective tjábba ‘beautiful’. The sentence in (19) illustrates a similar<br />
structure, but without a demonstrative. In this case, the head noun referring to a<br />
piece <strong>of</strong> candy is not realized, and the NP consists only <strong>of</strong> the adjective rupsisav<br />
‘red’, which inflects for case and number. 4<br />
(18) dat<br />
[d-a-t<br />
tjábba<br />
tjábba] N P 1<br />
máhtta<br />
máhtta<br />
sáme<br />
[sáme<br />
beautiful\nom.sg can\3sg.prs <strong>Saami</strong>\gen.sg<br />
dem-dist-nom.sg<br />
gielav<br />
giela-v] N P 2<br />
language-acc.sg<br />
‘That beautiful one can speak the <strong>Saami</strong> language.’<br />
[pit090930a.148]e<br />
4 Cf. §7.1.1 for more details about adjectives in elliptical structures.<br />
217
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