Diane Massam

This paper examines the expression of determiners and number  in Niuean, a Polynesian language with VSO word order and ergative case.  The study reveals a left peripheral nominal system that is quite different from those in European languages, yet which also shows  interesting similarities. In particular, the determiner system appears  to be optional, other than the encoding of case and a proper/common  distinction, and it only obliquely encodes definiteness. The number system seems to include both a plural marker and classifiers, which  have been argued by many to be in complementary distribution. I  present an analysis for the functional systems in Niuean that allows  for a unified cross-linguistics approach.