CLASSIFIERS IN KOKBOROK

Classifiers are defined as morphemes which occur ‘in surface structures under specific conditions’; denote ‘some salient perceived or imputed characteristics of the entity to which an associated noun refers’ (Allan 1977: 285). The classifiers are primarily divided into sortal and mensural subtypes. Sortal classifiers typically individuate referents in terms of the kind of entity it is, particularly with respect to inherent properties such as shape and animacy while the mensural one distinguishes the referents in terms of quantum or amount (Lyons 1977: 463). Thepresent paper is a humble attempt to describe morphosemantic aspects of Kokborok classifiers in the light of synchronic approaches. The study is confined to the West Tripura district of Tripura State.