This database shows the distribution of associative plural constructions and some of their subtypes across 221 languages. It has been prepared by Mikhail Daniel (daniel@qub.com) and Edith Moravcsik (edith@uwm.edu) for the book Word Atlas of Language Structures, edited by Matthew Dryer, Martin Haspelmath, David Gil, and Bernard Comrie, now in preparation. Comments of any kind are very welcome! If you would like further detail on our data or would like to suggest changes in or additions to the database, please do get in touch with us. 

The associative plural construction consists of a noun X - usually a proper name or a kin term - and some other material such as an affix or a word in close construction with the noun or, sometimes, elsewhere in the sentence such as on the verb; the meaning is 'X and others associated with X', where the associates may be relatives, friends, or an occasional group. An example is Japanese Tanaka-tachi, meaning 'Tanaka and his associates'.

For each language, we give the name of the language, a rough genetic classification (or geographic area), and a code: A, or B, or C, or D. Below is their explanation. Please note that "plural" means "non-singular" - that is, plural or dual; and that by "additive plural", we mean the "normal" kind (e.g. boy - boys). We are considering only those associative constructions that are productive in the language. 

A          the language has morphological or syntactic 
           associative plurals and the ASP marker 
           also marks additive plurals on at least some 
           nouns
   Example:
(a)	morphological subtype:
        ZULU (Bantu): u-faku 'Faku'
                      o-faku 'Faku and his company'
                      cf. u-kova 'banana'
                          o-kova 'bananas'
                      (Lewis 1893: 52-53) 
   (b)  syntactic subtype:
        HIXKARYANA: Waraka komo        'Waraka and those 
                    Waraka COLLECTIVE   accompanying him'
                    cf. hawana  komo   'visitors'
                        visitor COLLECTIVE 
                    (Derbyshire 1985: 132-133; Derbyshire, 
                    p.c.)

B          the language has morphological associative 
           plurals and no ASP affix is known to mark 
           also additive plurals on any noun
   Example:
   HUNGARIAN: Pál-ék 'Paul and company'
              Paul-ASP
              cf. toll-ak 'pens'
                  pen-PL
                 *toll-ék 'pens'
             (Edith Moravcsik, personal knowledge)

C          the language is not known to have morphological 
           associative plurals but it does have syntactic 
           associative plural constructions such that no 
           ASP element is known to mark also additive 
           plurals on any noun
   Example:
   OLD ICELANDIC: their Gizorr 'Gizorr and his associates'
                  they  Gizorr
                  cf. *their grithungr 'bulls'
                       they  bull
                  /Paul Hopper, p.c.; A. Heusler 1964: 124, 
                  125/

D          to the best of our knowledge, the language does    
           not have any kind of associative plurals 

Here are the numbers of languages according to these subclasses: 
-	A:           88
-	B:           42
-	C:           54
-	D:           37
-	TOTAL:      221 
 
***********
DATABASE:
Abkhaz (NW Caucasian)          B               
Acoma (isolate)                D       
Adyghe (NW Caucasian)          C            
Afrikaans /Standard/ (creole)  C       
Agul (NE Caucasian)            A                      
Ainu (isolate)                 A             
Alamblak (Sepik)               C       
Albanian (Indoeuropean)        D       
Alutor (Chuckchee-Kamchatkan)  A             
Amele (Bogia)                  D       
Amharic (Semitic)              B       
Ancient Greek (Indoeuropean)   C             
Apurina (Arawakan)             D       
Araona (Tacana)                A        
Armenian (Indo-European)       D             
Asmat (West Papuan)            C       
Avar (NE Caucasian)            A       
Bagvalal (NE Caucasian)        A       
Bambara (Mande)                A       
Bandi (SW Mande)               A          
Baniwa-Kurripako (Arawakan)    D       
Barasano (E Tucanoan)          C       
Bare (Arawakan)                D                
Bashkir (Turkic)               A                        
Basque (isolate)               C       
Batad Ifugao (NW Austronesian) C       
Bengali (Indic)                B       
Brahui (Dravidian)             B                     
Bukiyip /=Mountain Arapesh/
  (Torricelli)                 B    
Bulgarian (Slavic)             B                         
Burmese (Burmese-Lolo)         A       
Buru (Austronesian)            C                        
Cantonese Chinese 
  (Sino-Tibetan)               B       
Central Pomo (Pomoan)          C                
Chalcatongo Mixtec (Mixtecan)  D       
Chamalal (NE Caucasian)        B                 
Chamorro (Philippine)          A       
Chantyal (Tibeto-Burman)       A       
Chechen (NE Caucasian)         A         
Cheremis (Uralic)              B            
Chukchi (Chuckchee-Kamchatkan) A           
Chuvash (Turkic)               A       
Comanche (Uto-Aztecan)         A       
Cree (Algonquian)              C        
Dargwa (NE Caucasian)          B                
Desano (Tucanoan)              B       
Dogon (Gur)                    A       
Dutch (Germanic)               D          
Dyirbal (Pama-Nyungan)         B       
Egyptian Arabic (Semitic)      D              
English (Germanic)             D       
Estonian (Finno-Ugric)         D           
Evenki (Tungus)                A                
Ewe (Kwa)                      A       
Finnish (Finno-Ugric)          D           
French (Romance)               D        
Frisian (Germanic)             B        
Fulfulde (W Atlantic)          A          
Gagauz (Turkic)                A        
Garo (Bodo-Naga-Kachin)        A       
Georgian (S Caucasian)         B           
German (Germanic)              C       
Gold (Tungus)                  B           
Gooniyandi (Kimberley)         A           
Greek /Modern/ (Indoeuropean)  D           
Guarani (Tupi)                 D       
Gude (Chadic)                  C       
Gurindji (Ngumbin)             B        
Haruai (Highland New Guinea)   C           
Hausa (Chadic)                 C       
Hawaiian (Polynesian)          C       
Hawaiian Creole English 
  (creole)                     B       
Hayu (Tibeto-Burman)           A        
Hebrew (Semitic)               D        
Hindi (Indic)                  D           
Hixkaryana (Carib)             A       
Hungarian (Finno-Ugric)        B        
Icelandic (Germanic)           C        
Ik (Nilo-Saharan)              B       
Imbabura Quechua (Andean)      D           
Indonesian (Austronesian)      C           
Ingush (NE Caucasian)          D         
Irianese Indonesian 
  (Austronesian)               C       
Irish (Celtic)                 D       
Italian (Romance)              D             
Jamaican Creole (creole)       A            
Japanese (Altaic)              A       
Kabardian (NW Caucasian)       A       
Kalispel (Salish)              A        
Kannada  (Dravidian)           C       
Kanuri (Saharan)               A       
Kayah Li (Austronesian)        C                 
Kayardild (Pama-Nyungan)       C       
Kazakh (Turkic)                A       
Kera (Chadic)                  C       
Khakas (Turkic)                A       
Khalkha (Mongolian)            A       
Khanty (Finno-Ugric)           A       
Kiribatese (Micronesian)       C       
Komi (Finno-Ugric)             A           
Kongo (Benue-Congo)            C                
Korean (Altaic)                A             
Koryak (Chuckchee-Kamchatkan)  A                
Koyraboro Senni Songhai
 (Nilo-Saharan)                A                
Koyukon (Athapascan)           A        
Kpelle (SW Mande)              A           
Krongo (Kordofanian)           A           
Kriol (creole)                 B        
Kulung (Tibeto-Burman)         A       
Kumyk (Turkic)                 A           
Kutenai (American Indian 
  isolate)                     D       
Lahu (Burmese-Lolo)            A    
Lak (NE Caucasian)             A              
Lakhota (Siouan)               D           
Lango (Eastern Sudanic)        D            
Lao (Austro-Asiatic)           C            
Lavukaleve (Melanesian)        D       
Lepcha (Bodo-Naga-Kachin)      A       
Lesser Antillean Creole French
  (creole)                     C            
Lezgian (NE Caucasian)         A       
Limbu (Tibeto-Burman)          A       
Logbara (Central Sudanic)      A       
Logoma (SW Mande)              A       
Loko (SW Mande)                A       
Lower Grand Valley Dani 
  (West New Guinea Highlands)  A              
Luganda (Benue-Congo)          A           
Luvale (Benue-Congo)           A       
Madinka (Mande)                A       
Magar (Tibeto-Burman)          A                   
Makah (Wakashan)               A           
Malagasy (West Indonesian)     A       
Malay (Austronesian)           C       
Maltese Arabic (Semitic)       C       
Manchu (Tungus)                A           
Mandarin Chinese (Sino-Tibetan)C       
Mangap Mbula (Oceanic)         A       
Mangarayi (Western Australia)  B       
Maori (Polynesian)             C           
Margi (Chadic)                 A        
Marind (New Guinea)            C       
Marthuthunira (Western 
  Australia)                   D       
Masakin (Kordofanian)          B           
Mataco (Macro-Panoan)          A       
Mauritian 
  French Creole (creole)       C           
Meithei (Tibeto-Burman)        B       
Miskito Coast
  Creole English (creole)      C           
Mordvin (Finno-Ugric)          B       
Muna (Austronesian)            C        
Mwotlap
  /=Motlav/ (Eastern Oceanic)  C 
Nabiin (Nilo-Saharan)          A             
Nama /Khoekhoe/ (Khoisan)      B       
Nanai (Tungus)                 A       
Ndyuka (Surinam pidgin)        C       
Newari (Tibeto-Burman)         A        
Ngangi'tyemerri 
  (Non-Pama-Nyungan)           A          
Ngiyambaa (Eastern Australian) A            
Nias Seletan (West Indonesian) A            
Nivkh (isolate)                A       
Norwegian (Germanic)           C       
Nunggubuyu (Non-Pama-Nyungan)  B       
Nyimang (Eastern Sudanic)      B       
Old Georgian (S Caucasian)     A       
Old Icelandic (Germanic)       C             
Oneida (Iroquois)              D       
Oroch (SE Altaic)              B                 
Osetin (Indo-Iranian)          A       
Otomi (Oto-Manguean)           D           
Paiwan (Austronesian)          C       
Palikur (Arawakan)             D           
Papiamentu (creole)            C       
Paumari (Arawakan)             C       
Persian (Indo-Iranian)         C       
Polish (Slavic)                A       
Portuguese (Romance)           D                 
Rapanui (Austronesian)         C           
Russian (Slavic)               D            
Saami (Finno-Ugric)            B                  
Sango (Benue-Congo)            A       
Sesotho (Benue-Congo)          A       
Shatt (E Sudanic)              B       
Shila (E Sudanic)              B           
Sinhala (Indic)                A       
Slave (Athapascan-Eyak)        C           
Spanish (Romance)              D                
Supyire (Voltaic)              C               
Swahili (Benue-Congo)          C       
Tabasaran (NE Caucasian)       B           
Tagalog (Philippine)           C       
Tamang (Tibeto-Burman)         B       
Tariana (Arawakan)             A       
Tat /Muslim/ (Indo-Iranian)    B                      
Tatar (Turkic)                 A       
Telefol (Trans-New-Guinea)     C              
Thai (Kam-Tai)                 D       
Tobelo (West Papuan)           C       
Tofalar (Turkic)               A                    
Tok Pisin (Papua New Guinea
   creole)                     A            
Toqabaqita (E Oceanic)         C       
Tsez (NE Caucasian)            B       
Tucano (Tucanoan)              A            
Tukang Besi (Austronesian)     C           
Turkish (Turkic)               A       
Tuvaluan (Polynesian)          C       
Twi (Kwa)                      A        
Udihe (Tungus)                 A                
Udmurt (Uralic)                A       
Uighur (Turkic)                A        
Urubu-Kaapor (Tupi-Guarani)    A              
Uzbek (Turkic)                 A                  
Vietnamese (Mon-Khmer)         D       
Wardaman (Gunwingguan)         B              
Warekena (Arawakan)            D           
West Greenlandic (Eskimo)      B       
Wichita (Caddoan)              D       
Yagua (Macro-Carib)            B       
Yaqui (Uto-Aztecan)            B       
Yidiny (Pama-Nyungan)          B              
Yoruba (Kwa)                   C       
Yukaghir (Paleo-Siberian)      B             
Yup'ik /Central Alaskan/ 
  (Eskimo)                     B       
Zulu (Benue-Congo)             A