Numeral reduplication as a pluractional marker in Jordanian Arabic

Abstract

This paper presents a first study of numeral reduplication in Jordanian Arabic, which uses a syntactic strategy of numeral reduplication not previously recognized in other languages. This involves the reduplication of a numeral implies reduplication of the Noun Phrase (NP) that follows it (Num NP Num NP). Semantically, and at first glance, numeral reduplication mandates distributives readings. We show that numeral reduplication is in fact a marker of pluractionality (event plurality), and the distributive readings are the consequence of separating plural events.