The Noun Phrase - Norwegian

The Noun

Norwegian common nouns undergo two types of inflection: for number, and for definiteness. The inflection for number reflects a distinction singular vs. plural, and resides in a suffix for plural vs. no marking for singular. The inflection for definiteness reflects a distinction ‘definite’ vs. ‘indefinite’, and resides in a suffix marking definiteness vs. no marking in the case of indefiniteness. When a noun is both definite and in plural, this is marked by a single suffix expressing the two values in combination. There are thus four possible forms of a common noun in Norwegian:

No inflection, signifying ‘indefinite singular’

Single suffix for Plural, signifying ‘indefinite plural’

Single suffix for Definite, signifying ‘definite singular’

Single suffix for Definite Plural, signifying ‘definite plural’.