Editing Grammatical number (section)

===Summary of number systems===

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible" style="text-align: center;"
|+ class="nowrap" | Grammatical number distinctions found in world languages
|-
! rowspan=2 | System
! rowspan=2 | Number of<br>distinctions
! colspan=3 | Example
|-
! Language
! Part(s) of speech
! Source
|-
| (Numberless)
| 1
| [[Pirahã language|Pirahã]]
| -
| <ref>{{cite book |last=Corbett |first=Greville G. |author-link=Greville G Corbett |year=2004 |orig-year=2000 |title=Number |series=Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics |location=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages=50–51 |isbn=0-511-01591-7 }}</ref>
|-
| Singular, plural
| 2
| [[English language|English]]
| Nouns, pronouns, verbs (3rd person)
| <ref name="Corbett2000p5"/>
|-
| General, singulative
| 2
| [[Sidama language|Sidama]]
| Nouns (some)
| <ref name="Kawachi2007"/>
|-
| General, plurative
| 2
| [[Japanese language|Japanese]]
| Nouns
| <ref>{{cite book |last=Corbett |first=Greville G. |author-link=Greville G Corbett |year=2004 |orig-year=2000 |title=Number |series=Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics |location=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages=13–14 |isbn=0-511-01591-7 }}</ref>
|-
| General, greater plural
| 2
| [[Burushaski]]
| Nouns (some)
| <ref name="Yoshioka2012"/>
|-
| Minimal, augmented
| 2
| [[Ilocano language|Ilocano]]
| Pronouns
| <ref name="Cysouw2003p87"/><ref name="Thomas1955"/>
|-
| rowspan=2 | Singular-dual, plural
| rowspan=2 | 2
| [[Kalaw Lagaw Ya]]
| Nouns
| <ref name="Comrie1981"/>
|-
| [[Hopi language|Hopi]]
| Verbs
| <ref name="Corbett2000p169"/><ref name="Harbour2020p60"/>
|-
| rowspan=2 | Singular-paucal, plural
| rowspan=2 | 2
| [[Zuni language|Zuni]]
| Nouns
| <ref name="Walker1966"/><ref name="Harbour2020p87"/>
|-
| [[Wakasihu language|Larike]]
| Verbs (non-human referents)
| <ref name="Corbett2000p123"/>
|-
| Singular-dual-trial, plural
| 2
| [[Tuyuca language|Tuyuca]]
| Nouns (inanimate)
| <ref name="Corbett2000p123"/><ref name="Barnes1990"/>
|-
| Singular-dual-trial-quadral, plural
| 2
| [[Wanano language| Piratapuyo]]
| Nouns (some)
| <ref name="Waltz2002"/><ref name="Waltz2012"/>
|-
| rowspan=2 | Nondual, dual
| rowspan=2 | 2
| [[Wilson River language|Wangkumara]]
| Nouns
| <ref name="McDonald1979"/>
|-
| [[Timbisha language|Timbisha]]
| Verbs (some)
| <ref name="McLaughlin2018"/>
|-
| Singular, dual, plural
| 3
| [[Alutiiq language|Alutiiq]]
| Nouns, pronouns, verbs
| <ref>{{cite book |author-last1=Counceller |author-first1= April {{lang|ems|Isiik|cat=no}} G. L. |author-last2=Chya |author-first2=Dehrich {{lang|ems|Isuwiq|cat=no}} |year=2023 |title=Kodiak Alutiiq Language Textbook |edition=1st |location=Kodiak, AK |publisher=Alutiiq Museum and Archaeological Repository |pages=31–33, 35, 48–49, 54–61, 66–69, 86–87, 90–91, 116–117, 125–126, 131–132, 138–143, 145–146, 152–158, 167–169, 171, 192–193, 201 |url=https://alutiiqmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/KodiakAlutiiqLanguageTextbook_FINAL.pdf |access-date=2024-03-10 |archive-date=2024-02-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215163545/https://alutiiqmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/KodiakAlutiiqLanguageTextbook_FINAL.pdf |url-status=live |isbn=978-1-929650-25-5 }}</ref>
|-
| Singular, paucal, plural
| 3
| [[Mocoví language|Mocoví]]
| Nouns
| <ref name="Corbett2017"/><ref name="Grondona1998"/>
|-
| Singular, plural, double plural
| 3
| [[Somali language|Somali]]
| Nouns (some)
| <ref name="Lecarme2002"/>
|-
| Singular, plural, greater plural
| 3
| [[Tswana language|Tswana]]
| Nouns (some)
| <ref>{{cite book |last=Cole |first=Desmond T. |year=1955 |title=An Introduction to Tswana Grammar |location=London |publisher=Longmans, Green and Co. |pages=79, 82 |isbn=0-582-61709-X }}</ref>
|-
| General, singulative, paucal
| 3
| [[Hamer language|Hamer]]
| Nouns (some)
| <ref name="Petrollino2016p72"/>
|-
| General, singulative, plurative
| 3
| [[Pular language|Pular]]
| Nouns
| <ref name="Caudill2000"/>
|-
| General, dual, paucal
| 3
| [[Warlpiri language|Warlpiri]]
| Nouns
| <ref name="Kashket1987"/>
|-
| General, dual, plurative
| 3
| [[Bambassi language|Bambassi]]
| Nouns
| <ref>{{cite thesis |degree=PhD |last=Ahland |first=Michael Bryan |year=2012 |title=A Grammar of Northern Mao (Màwés Aas'è) |url=https://cla.csulb.edu/departments/linguistics/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Ahland-2012.pdf |pages=195–199 |publisher=University of Oregon |access-date=2024-03-31 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231105044056/https://cla.csulb.edu/departments/linguistics/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Ahland-2012.pdf |archive-date=2023-11-05 }}</ref>
|-
| Minimal, unit augmented, augmented
| 3
| [[Bininj Kunwok]]
| Pronouns
| <ref name="Evans2003"/>
|-
| Minimal, paucal, plural
| 3
| [[Kayapo language|Kayapo]]
| Pronouns
| <ref name="Harbour2006"/><ref name="Harbour2014p214"/>
|-
| rowspan=2 | Singular, dual, trial, plural
| rowspan=2 | 4
| [[Kiwai language|Urama]]
| Nouns, pronouns
| <ref>{{cite book |author-last1=Brown |author-first1=Jason |author-last2=Muir |author-first2=Alex |author-last3=Craig |author-first3=Kimberley |author-last4=Anea |author-first4=Karika |year=2016 |title=A Short Grammar of Urama |url=https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/111328/3/BrownEtAl-2016-UramaGrammar.pdf |series=Asia-Pacific Linguistics 32 |location=Canberra |publisher=Australian National University |pages=20, 24–25 |isbn=978-1-922185-22-8 |access-date=2024-03-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240107232500/https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/111328/3/BrownEtAl-2016-UramaGrammar.pdf |archive-date=2024-01-07 }}</ref>
|-
| [[Lenakel language|Lenakel]]
| Verbs, pronouns
| <ref>{{cite book |author-last=Lynch |author-first=John |author-link=John Lynch (linguist) |year=1978 |title=A Grammar of Lenakel |url=https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/146494/1/PL-B55.pdf |series=Pacific Linguistics, Series B - No. 55 |location=Canberra |publisher=Australian National University |pages=24–25, 55–58 |access-date=2024-03-16 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013104723/https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/146494/1/PL-B55.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-13 |isbn=0-85883-166-X }}</ref>
|-
| rowspan=2 | Singular, dual, paucal, plural
| rowspan=2 | 4
| [[Siwai language|Motuna]]
| Nouns
| <ref>{{cite thesis |degree=PhD |last=Onishi |first=Masayuki |year=1994 |title=A Grammar of Motuna (Bougainville, Papua New Guinea) |url=https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/handle/1885/12476 |pages=71–73 |publisher=Australian National University |access-date=2024-01-27 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231211105936/https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/12476/1/Onishi%20M%20Thesis%201994.pdf |archive-date=2023-12-11 }}</ref>
|-
| [[Yimas language|Yimas]]
| Pronouns
| <ref name="Corbett2000p92"/>
|-
| Singular, dual, plural, dual + plural (4+)
| 4
| [[Breton language|Breton]]
| Nouns (some)
| <ref name="Corbett2000p36"/><ref name="Acquaviva2008"/>
|-
| Singular, dual, plural, plural + dual (6+)
| 4
| [[Classical Arabic]]
| Nouns (some)
| <ref name="Ojeda1992p322"/>
|-
| Singular, dual, plural, double plural
| 4
| [[Classical Arabic]]
| Nouns (some)
| <ref name="Ojeda1992p319"/><ref name="Mathieu2014"/>
|-
| rowspan=2 | Singular, dual, plural, greater plural
| rowspan=2 | 4
| [[Barngarla language|Barngarla]]
| Nouns
| <ref name="Zuckermann2020"/>
|-
| [[Mokilese language|Mokilese]]
| Pronouns
| <ref name="Corbettp34"/>
|-
| Singular, paucal, plural, greater plural
| 4
| [[Havasupai–Hualapai language|Hualapai]]
| Verbs (some)
| <ref name="Baerman2019"/>
|-
| rowspan=2 | Singular, plural, greater plural, greatest plural
| rowspan=2 | 4
| [[Warekena language|Warekena]]
| Nouns
| <ref name="Harbour2014p202"/><ref name="Aikhenvald2015"/>
|-
| [[Daatsʼiin language|Daatsʼiin]]
| Verbs (some cases)
| <ref name="Ahland2016"/>
|-
| General, singulative, paucal, and plurative
| 4
| [[Baiso language|Baiso]]
| Nouns
| <ref name="Corbett2000Baiso"/>
|-
| General, singulative, paucal, greater plural
| 4
| [[Hamer language|Hamer]]
| Nouns (some)
| <ref name="Petrollino2000p80"/>
|-
| General, dual, trial, plurative
| 4
| [[Arabana language|Arabana]]
| Nouns
| <ref name="Hercus1994"/>
|-
| General, dual, plurative, greater plural
| 4
| [[Kaytetye language|Kaytetye]]
| Nouns
| <ref name="Corbett2000Kaytetye"/><ref name="Turpin2000"/>
|-
| Singular, dual, trial, quadral*, plural
| 5
| [[Russian Sign Language]]
| Pronouns
| <ref name="Kimmelman2022"/>
|-
| Singular, dual, trial, paucal, plural
| 5
| [[Mussau-Emira language|Mussau]]
| Pronouns
| <ref name="Ross2011"/><ref name="Brownie2007"/>
|-
| Singular, dual, paucal, greater paucal, plural
| 5
| [[Sursurunga language|Sursurunga]]
| Pronouns
| <ref name="Corbett2000p26"/>
|-
| Singular, dual, paucal, plural, greater plural
| 5
| [[Mele-Fila language|Mele-Fila]]
| Pronoun/article combinations
| <ref name="Corbettp35"/>
|-
| Singular, dual, plural, double plural, triple plural
| 5
| [[Classical Arabic]]
| Nouns (some)
| <ref name="Ojeda1992p321"/>
|-
| General, singulative, dual, plurative, greater plural
| 5
| [[Damascus Arabic]]
| Nouns (some)
| <ref name="Corbett2000p32"/>
|-
| Singular, dual, trial, quadral*, quintal*, plural
| 6
| [[Levantine Arabic Sign Language]]
| Pronouns
| <ref name="Versteegh2009"/>
|-
| Singular, dual, trial, quadral*/paucal,<br>plural (5+), plural (2+)
| 6
| [[Marshallese language|Marshallese]]
| Pronouns
| <ref name="Bender2016"/><ref name="Cowper2022"/>
|-
| Singular, dual, trial, quadral*, quintal*,<br>[six referents]*, plural
| 7
| [[Ugandan Sign Language]]
| Pronouns
| <ref name="Lutalo2014"/>
|-
| Singular, dual, plural, double plural, triple plural,<br>quadruple plural, quintuple plural, sextuple plural
| 8
| [[Classical Arabic]] (15th century)
| The word for camel
| <ref name="Schub1982"/>
|-
| Singular, dual, trial, quadral*, quintal*,<br>[six referents]*, ... [nine referents]*, plural
| 10
| [[American Sign Language]]
| Pronouns (some speakers)
| <ref name="Jones2013"/>
|-
| Singular, dual, trial, quadral*, quintal*,<br>[six referents]*, ... [ten referents]*, plural
| 11
| [[Israeli Sign Language]]
| Pronouns
| <ref name="Meir2008"/>
|-
| Singular, dual, trial, ... plural
| ?<sup>†</sup>
|[[Bislama]]
| Pronouns
| <ref name="Tryon1987"/>
|-
|align="left" colspan="5" style="font-size: 9pt"| *Category's existence has been debated<br><sup>†</sup>No exact limit
|}