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Anatomy of a complex numeral: Overcounting, with special attention to Ch’ol
Abstract
This paper provides a comprehensive cross-linguistic overview of overcounting, whereby a target numeral is expressed by counting toward the next-higher multiple of the base. I identify three major morphological patterns in overcounting numerals: P-connector, V-connector and no overt connector. I then zoom in on the structure of overcounting numerals in Ch’ol (Mayan). I argue that these numerals are construed with a covert, latively interpreted P, whose silence is due to P-drop.