[Lingtyp] Approximative numerals with emotive content

[Siva Kalyan]

I think I’ve heard muppattēẓu ‘37’ used this way in Tamil, though I’m not sure if it’s conventionalised or just an idiosyncratic preference.

Siva

> On 23 Feb 2022, at 12:27 am, Amanda Kann <amanda.kann at su.se> wrote:
> 
> Dear typologists,
>  
> (Apologies to those who have already seen this query through LinguistList!)
> I'm looking for corresponding expressions (in any language) to the approximative numeral phrases in the examples below – conventionalized numeral expressions which typically express larger, approximate numeric quantities and encode some kind of emotive function.
> I'm interested in the composition and value of these numerals, as well as their emphatic and emotive functions – if there are other expressions in the numeral domain in your language(s) that carry a similar illocutionary force, I would love to hear about them as well!
> 
> Swedish [swe]: (from Bloggmix 2013, accessed through http://spraakbanken.gu.se/korp <http://spraakbanken.gu.se/korp>)
> Det finns nämligen femtioelva sorters myror.
> 'There are actually many types of ants' (lit. 'There are actually fifty-eleven types of ants')
> 
> French [fra]: (Lavric 2010, https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004253247_008 <https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004253247_008>)
> Il n’y a pas trente-six façons de voir la chose.
> 'There aren't very many ways of seeing the thing' (lit. 'There aren't thirty-six ways of seeing the thing')
> 
> Danish [dan]: (from OpenSubtitles2018, accessed through http://opus.nlpl.eu <http://opus.nlpl.eu/>)
> Han fortalte mig 117 gange, at han ikke gjorde hende noget.
> 'He told me a thousand times that he didn't do anything to her' (lit. 'He told me 117 times that he didn't do anything to her')
> 
> English [eng]: (from OpenSubtitles2018, accessed through http://opus.nlpl.eu <http://opus.nlpl.eu/>)
> For the umpteenth time, we are not getting a dog.
> 
>  
> Thank you very much in advance for any tips, examples or comments!
> Best regards,
> Amanda Kann
> ____________________________________
> Amanda Kann
> Institutionen för lingvistik | Department of Linguistics 
> Stockholms universitet | Stockholm University
> 106 91 Stockholm 
> 
> amanda.kann at su.se <mailto:amanda.kann at su.se>
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