See also: Duel
The duel (of Latin duet “two”) is a grammatical subcategory of the number. The duel announces that the elements in question go by two by employing verbal or nominal forms clean. It is also the case of the two additional categories of number the triel and the pauquel.
He is opposed to the Singulier and the vague Pluriel paucal, the more or less current collective and some other cases (triel, quadriel, partitive, or even absence of number).
Grammar of the duel
The expression of the duel follows the same rules as those which govern the other expressions of the number in the language concerned: affixation, alternations vocalic ou/et consonant, specification by a pronoun or a numeral adjective, etc
Evolution of the use of the duel
The use of the duel was current in many old languages: Greek, Sanskrit (but only in a sporadic way), Classical Arabic. It is it still in many current languages (Russian, Slovenien, Lithuanian, Arab arts person or median). It is very widespread still today in many non-European linguistic families. The greatest Semitic languages know it, for example, the Hebrew (only for the things which go by two like the eyes and the ears) and Arabic.The duel became rather marginal in the great languages of culture, like Russian or literary Arabic (but there remains long-lived in certain dialectal alternatives, in particular Bedouins). In the Indo-European Languages, the Paradigme of the duel even ended up being replaced by forms of plural. It also happened that primitive forms of the duel dealt with the function of plural. In Greek old and Gotique, the duel had been maintained.
The duel persists today especially in marginal Indo-European languages (with the direction where they are limited to a restricted geographical surface and have a rather low number speakers) such as the Slovenien and the Lituanien. One finds it in particular in the britonnic Celtic languages (Welsh, Breton, Cornique) and there also existed in certain old gaelic languages like the Vieil Irish. In Scottish Gaelic modern, the duelles forms are always employed after numeral the dà (“two”).
In the languages where the duel exists, not only the nouns but still the verbs generally have, beside the forms of singular and plural, of the clean forms for the duel. Thus in the Germanic languages it was current, even if its complexity made him take importance less and less. The greatest Slavic languages had they also the duel, but they lost it since, with the exception of the Slovenien, the Macedonian and the Sorabe.
Semantic of the duel
In the most important languages which have it, one uses it especially for what goes naturally by two; parts of the body which are presented in double like the ears, the arms, the legs, and for corresponding clothing, like the shoes; one also makes use of it for the couples. If on the contrary the number of objects or people is of two only by chance, normal plural rather is used.In Bavarian, two old forms of duel fill today the function of plural, the forms eß for “you” simple and enk for “you” of courtesy, and also the derivative enker for “you” (complement), within the meaning of “you two”. The souabe declines zwei (two) according to the sex: zwoa (definitely male, unspecified or mixed), zwee (female for both), zwua (neutral for both); also in the dialect of Salzkammergut: zwi Mãna, zwa Waiba, zween sind have Paarl .
One finds in German of the singular words but with a duelle significance, therefore words which suppose a duel, but not of which the significance is not equal to “two”, for example, the numeral adjective “two” and “pair”.
In the current Celtic languages, the duel remains as a kind of echo in the special words indicating the parts of the body which goes by two, except after 2 (for example after the other numeral adjectives) one found the singular. In former Irish, it was marked even more, until the inflection inside the names.
In the languages north-iroquoises, the duel exists as an alive form.
Examples of duel
In Arab
- hisan : (one) horse
- hisan-year : two horses
- ahsinah : horses
In German
- beide Männer : the two men
In English
- both off custom : you and me
In Latin
- ambo : both
In Czech
There exists a pronoun Oba : “us two”, “them two”, “these two things” which is declined. And, vestige of the Indo-European duel, dva , “two” are also declined whereas the cardinal numbers higher than “two” are invariable:The variation of the substantives which go per pair is also influenced by this antiquated duel especially in the set phrases:
- to give a letter “in clean hands” says “C vlastních ruk' ou' ” (see rental duel in the table above) whereas one would await “C vlastních ruk' ” (see standard variations in the article on the Czech ).
- “with the feet” of somebody says “U noh' ou' ” (identical reason)
- “eye” is declined also differently in the plural according to whether it is a question of a “pair of eyes” or “œils”.
See too
Internal bonds
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