same character are found among the Chinese classifying nouns. But the greatest part of the Chinese classifiers (as these nouns are commonly called) related to individual things, and become plural only, when preceded by a numeral greater than one; as, a piece of wood; a fibre of silk; a blade of grass; a stalk of grain; a kernel of corn; a grain of sand; a head of cabbage; a sprig of mint; a loaf of bread; a block of marble, &c. While in English comparatively few nouns have classifiers of this kind used with them, both in the singular and plural numbers, in the Fuh Chau Chinese every noun has its appropriate classifier attached to it, in almost every case where it is preceded by a numeral.
Generally several nouns have the same classifier, but when the same vocal sound is used as the names of different objects, the different classifiers that are used clearly distinguish them.
In the written language the numeral can frequently be joined to the noun without the classifier, but this usage is seldom or never admissible in the spoken language.
If we say in English two piece men, as the Chinese do when speaking English in the Chinese idiom, it sounds no more uncouth to us than lang7 nëng5 (literally two men) does to the Chinese, who say lang7 ka2 nëng5, for two men, using the clasiifier ka2 between the adjective lang7, two, and the noun nëng5, men. The combinations, a flock of tongs, a drove of wights, a kernel of twine, a prig of land, wound sound no more uncouth in English, than corresponding errors in the use of Chinese classifiers; and as very few Chinese nouns can be used without their classifiers, early attention to the proper use of this class of words is of great importance. Këng, a day’s work, is used without a classifier, and perhaps some others. The round numbers for twenty, thirty, forty, &c., one hundred, two hundred, on thousand, one myriad, &c., can be used before many nouns without classifiers; but these are rare exceptions to the rule, that Every noun must be accompanied by its appropriate classifier, when taking a numeral adjective before it.
The classifiers are called uah8 che7, living words; because they give life and precision to discourse. Two nouns, differing greatly in signification, though pronounced exactly alike, may be readily distinguished by the different classifiers with which they joined in discourse; as, süò8 kuò3 ua7, a phrase of speech; and süò8 hoh4 ua7, a scroll of painting; the word ua7, meaning discourse in one case, and painting in the other, being rendered perfectly definite by the classifying nouns with which it is joined in the two cases. Tiu5, plain silk cloth, and tiu5, a wardrobe, or cupboard, are distinguished in a similar manner, for we say, süò8 ka3 tiu5, one frame
