1         ñu and poŋ here do not indicate gender.

             2          (Ə)pi is not used with human nouns.        
       `blind' mikpom                                                                          

`friend'  sim-                                                                                         

`grand   hù                                                                            

`child'                   (húseƏy)                                           (hùyáƏy)

All the agentive nouns :

`write'   ñan                                                                                          

`act'      hƏm                                                                                        

       The above chart gives a general behaviour of nouns as regards the gender markers.

2.2.2. Number : Nouns are classified into singular and plural.  This classification clearly rests upon the recognition of persons and objects which can be enumerated (as `one' or `more than one') and referred to individually or collectively by means of nouns.  (Lyons 1969, pp.281).  In Konyak, nouns are classified on the above basis, into countable and non-countable nouns.

       By and large, count nouns take number markers and non-count nouns do not take these markers.

       The Konyak number system comprises of : 1. Singular, which denotes `one', and 2.  Plural, which denotes `more than one'.  The singular is unmarked; while the plural is marked.  The plural marker is –lan.  It has another allomorphman which is used only with personal pronouns, other than the 3^rd person neuter plural where –lan itself is used.

eg.:  a)    lay          `book'               laylan      `books'

              nòk         `house'              nòklan     `houses'

              ka?         `field'                ka?lan     `fields'

              ka?ta      `man'                ka?talan  `men', etc.

       b)    tƏw        `I'                     timan      `we' (inclusive)

                                                    tuman     `we' (exclusive)

              nàŋ         `you'                 nùman     `you' (pl.), etc.

       When a noun and a numeral are used in a construction, the plural marker is optionally used, eg.:

       hàtƏwpuŋ(lan) ŋa                   `these five stories'

                                          Or

       htƏw(lan) puŋawŋ                  these five stories'

          1               2      3                       1      3       2

       The construction without the  plural marker is preferred.  As can be noted above, the plural marker occurs either with the head nouns or with the demonstrative.

       By and large all count nouns take the plural marker and (mass) non-count nouns do not take the plural marker.

eg. :

i.     Count nouns

       lay             `book'                    laylan      `books'

       wi             `thread'                 wilan       `threads'

ii.     Non-count nouns

       yèŋ            `water'                  ka?tok     `earth'

       kƏm          `basket'                 ka?màk   `dust'

       phom         `cloud'                   yèŋleypu `cyclone'

       tƏpla         `ash'                      a             `fire'

       When a N+pl. marker construction contains one attribute, then, the attribute is added after the noun and before the plural marker, in most of the cases.  Then the construction is a noun phrase as illustrated below-

       naha Əcuylan                    `the small children'

      laytep Əyóŋlan                  `the big books'

      kowƏypoŋ Əheŋlan             `the white horses'

      phomñàklan                      `the dark clouds'

      phimyàk Əhiŋlan                `the green leaves'

      nòk Əyóŋlan                     `big houses'

      hàtƏwlan nòkƏyóŋ              `these big houses'

2.2.3.  Noun Formation

       Konyak language is agglutinative in character.  Also it is mono-syllabic in structure.  Affixes are added around the `root' to build poly-syllabic forms.  Usually a `morpheme' does not contain more than three syllables.  Also a `word' does not contain more than three morphemes.  Compounds consisting of three members is quite rare.  But when affixes are added to a root it can contain as many as four affixes.

       The predominant canonical shapes of monomorphemic nouns (roots) are the following:

       V, VC, VCV, CVC[C]; and CVCV [C]

       With the above canonical forms, combinations are possible.  But the higher combinations are mostly reducible into the above types.

       Morphologically these higher combinations consist of polymorphemic nouns can be decomposed off into – at least a noun root morpheme followed or preceded by certain optional elements.  The optional elements may be an affix, a reduplicated part of a root, or another noun root n compound formation or may be combinational of these.