Abstract This paper re-evaluates hypotheses about the agreement behaviour of nouns using plural suffixes in the Baïnounk languages (Niger Congo/ Atlantic/ North Atlantic). Although these languages dispose of a large and complex prefixing noun class systems which are involved in expressing number distinctions, a subgroup of nouns uses a suffix for pluralisation. It is shown here that plural-suffixing nouns do not engage in the typologically rare process of phonological agreement copying as has been claimed previously. Instead, they are prefixed nouns, triggering alliterative agreement. Several scenarios about the origin and further development of the plural suffixes are presented. Synchronic data suggest that plural suffixes are older than the split of Nyun-Buy languages from a common ancestor. It is highly unlikely that it is borrowed from Mandinka, a regionally influential lingua franca which does not have noun classes. Instead, it seems plausible that plural suffixes have arisen through internal processes in which animacy and collective semantics have played a role. Potential candidates for a source morpheme for the plural suffix include a plural morpheme from the verbal domain or alternatively an associative plural. The role and impact of language contact and large scale borrowing on the extent of plural suffixation in the various Baïnounk languages is discussed.

中文翻译：

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贝诺克语语言中带后缀的复数形式：约定模式和历时发展

摘要本文重新评估了Baïnounk语言（尼日尔刚果/大西洋/北大西洋）中使用复数后缀的名词一致行为的假设。尽管这些语言处理涉及表示数字区别的庞大而复杂的前缀名词类系统，但名词的子组使用后缀进行复数处理。此处显示，带有复数后缀的名词并不参与语音协定复制的类型学上罕见的过程，如先前所主张的那样。取而代之的是，它们被冠以名词，从而触发替代协议。介绍了有关多个后缀的起源和进一步发展的几种方案。同步数据表明，复数后缀比共同祖先的Nyun-Buy语言分割要早。它极不可能从曼丁卡（Mandinka）借来的，曼丁卡（Mandinka）是一种具有区域影响力的通用语言，没有名词类。取而代之的是，通过内部过程产生复数后缀似乎是合理的，在该过程中，动画和集体语义起了作用。复数后缀的源语素的潜在候选词包括来自语言域的复数词素，或者是关联复数。讨论了语言接触和大规模借用对各种Baïnounk语言中复数后缀的作用和影响。复数后缀的源语素的潜在候选词包括来自语言域的复数词素，或者是关联复数。讨论了语言接触和大规模借用对各种Baïnounk语言中复数后缀的作用和影响。复数后缀的源语素的潜在候选词包括来自语言域的复数词素，或者是关联复数。讨论了语言接触和大规模借用对各种Baïnounk语言中复数后缀的作用和影响。