Do we need to count numerals as a part of speech in Lithuanian?

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Kalbos dalys; Kiekybinis vertinimas; Kvantifikacija; Priklausomybių gramatika; Skaitvardis; Skaitvardžiai; Įvardiškumas; Įvardžiuotinės formos; Dependency grammar; Lithuanian; Numerals; Parts of speech; Pronominality; Quantification.

ENIn traditional Lithuanian grammar, numerals are considered to be a part of speech. In spite of numerous contributions that challenge the status of this inherited class, numerals remain in most grammatical descriptions, even in the field of language technologies. The present paper proposes a better articulation between parts of speech, based on their morphological and syntactic properties, and semantic subsystems. This alternative model revolves around an opposition between adjectives and nouns on the one hand, and semantic categories such as quantification and pronominality on the other. Some specific features of complex numeral expressions are also briefly discussed. As an exploratory study for a future parser, the paper attempts to provide a few practical examples so as to show that the problematic category of numerals increases grammatical complexity without providing obvious descriptive benefit. [From the publication]