Classifers before numerals Origin of an atypical morpheme order Jonathan P. Evans Institute of Linguistics, Academia Sinica Languages with sortal classifers (clf) are distributed across the world, with a large concentration in East and South (east) Asia. Across the world’s classifer languages, few are attested which order classifers before numerals in counted noun phrases (clf num). Te Sino-Tibetan language family includes languages without sortal classifers, languages with the more typical num clf order, as well as languages with clf num order. Te latter group of languages are concentrated in Northeast India and neighboring regions. Te Sino- Tibetan languages with clf num order do not ft under one genealogical node. Te present hypothesis is that the classifers arose through repetition of the counted noun, following which the order spread via contact. Te clf num order appears to have arisen at least as early as the time of Proto-Bodo-Garo. However, we do not yet fnd cog- nate classifers at a time depth beyond Proto-Bodo-Garo. A remaining mystery is why such a cross-linguistically rare morpheme order spread so easily within the Northeast India linguistic area. Keywords: classifer, morphosyntax, typology, historical 1. Introduction In a survey of 400 languages, Gil (2013) identifed sixty-two in which numeral classifers (also sortal classifers, clf) 1 are optional and seventy-eight languages in which numeral classifers are obligatory. Both types of languages are more concen- trated in South, Southeast, and East Asia than in other locations around the world (Gil 2013; Her et al. 2019). Mandarin Chinese presents a well-documented case of an obligatory classifer language; every counted noun is preceded by either a sortal or a mensural classifer (1). 1. Where possible, Leipzig glossing conventions have been followed. A list of other abbreviations occurs before the references. https://doi.org/10.1075/ltba.21013.eva Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area 45:1 (2022), 1–21 issn 0731-3500 / e-issn 2214-5907 © John Benjamins Publishing Company