ABSTRACT
Greenberg observes that, 'it is generally the case that numeral classifier languages will apparently lack a classifier in nouns indicating periods of time, units of distance and the word 'time' in such phrases as 'five times'. Certain numeral classifier languages provide direct evidence for this conclusion as the apparently classifier-less N does not occupy the normal position of the noun but that of the 'absent' classifier. This is especially evident in Thai, where the noun and the numeral classifier are on opposite sides with respect to the numeral: N Num CL. The fact that when Italian anno, English year, and Bulgarian godina, are used as arguments, they can be modified by adjectives and, further suggests that they can also be ordinary nouns; which recalls the case of so-called 'self-classifiers' or 'repeaters' in many 'numeral classifier languages'. If this interpretation of the facts is plausible, then the conclusion is that even traditional 'nonnumeral classifier' languages are numeral classifier languages.
