Kumari Mamta
Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Deutscher Platz 6
04103 Leipzig
phone: +49 (0) 341 3550 260
e-mail:
kumari_mamta@[>>> Please remove the text! <<<]eva.mpg.de
About me
I am a professional observant linguist possessing a wide range of theoretical and practical knowledge in the morphology of South-Asian (SA) languages and Indian Sign Language. My work mainly includes the morpho-syntactic and typological structure of the numeral systems of SA languages focusing mainly on the tribal/indigenous languages of India and I hope to add more broader perspectives to my research.
Currently, I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution. The project I am working on studies the “Evolution of Cognitive tools for Quantification” (QUANTA). My research interest here lies in looking at the cultural and linguistic drivers of the diversification of numeral systems in Southeast Asia and beyond.
Being a linguist has always made me inquisitive about exploring the various cultures and languages worldwide. As a linguist, I have often considered language preservation as a part of my profession, and I intend to do it with full passion and perseverance. Waking everyday with an impact to make both professionally and personally.
Curriculum Vitae
| 2022- Present | Postdoctoral researcher at DLCE (MPI-EVA), Leipzig, Germany |
| 2021 | Project Associate, IGNCA, Ministry of Culture, New Delhi, India |
| 2021 | Ph.D. in Linguistics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India |
| 2016 | MPhil in Linguistics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India |
| 2014 | MA in Linguistics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India |
| 2012 | BA in Functional English, St. Xavier’s College, Ranchi, India |
Publications and Presentations
Mamta, K., List, J.-M., & Rzymski, C. (2025). South Asian Numerals Database (SAND). Zenodo. |
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Mamta, K., Koile, E., & Allassonnière-Tang, M. (2025). Internal order and areal patterns in South Asian numerals. STUF - Language Typology and Universals, 78(4), 699-724. |
Open AccessMamta, K. (2024). A typology of numeral systems in South Asian languages. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. |
Mamta, K. (2020). Numeral Systems of Five Tibeto-Burman Languages of India. Aligarh Journal of Linguistics, 10(2), 127-148. |
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Saikia, A., & Mamta, K. (2020). A comparative analysis of Kuki-Chin numeral system. Working Papers on Linguistics and Literature, XIV, 90-97. |
Mamta, K. (2019). How different is Numeral ONE? International Journal of English Language, Literature in Humanities, 7(7). |
2025
Mamta, K., Englisch, J., & Haspelmath, M. (2025). Special numerals in South Asian languages. Zenodo. |
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Mamta, K., List, J.-M., & Rzymski, C. (2025). South Asian Numerals Database (SAND). Zenodo. |
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Mamta, K., Koile, E., & Allassonnière-Tang, M. (2025). Internal order and areal patterns in South Asian numerals. STUF - Language Typology and Universals, 78(4), 699-724. |
2024
Mamta, K. (2024). A typology of numeral systems in South Asian languages. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. |
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Mamta, K. (2024). Mamta-Kum/NumQuest: Numeral Questionnaire. Zenodo. |
2023
Mamta, K. (2023). Austro-Asiatic numeration. International Journal of Social Science and Human Research, 6(7), 4453-4464. |
2022
Gaur, R. C., Dey, S., & Mamta, K. (2022). Tribal and indigenous languages of India. New Delhi: Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts. |
2020
Mamta, K. (2020). Typology of number borrowing. In Language Endangerment and Language Revitalisation: Policies, Planning and Practices (pp. 245-255). Mysuru: Central Institute of Indian Languages. |
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Mamta, K. (2020). Numeral Systems of Five Tibeto-Burman Languages of India. Aligarh Journal of Linguistics, 10(2), 127-148. |
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Saikia, A., & Mamta, K. (2020). A comparative analysis of Kuki-Chin numeral system. Working Papers on Linguistics and Literature, XIV, 90-97. |
2019
Mamta, K., & Kishore, K. (2019). Interrogative and negative constructions of Indian sign language. International Journal of English Language, Literature in Humanities, 7(9). |
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Mamta, K. (2019). How different is Numeral ONE? International Journal of English Language, Literature in Humanities, 7(7). |
2017
Mamta, K. (2017). The morphosyntax of numeralsystem of Mundari and Santali. Society for Endangered and Lesser known Languages (SEL), 2(1), 8-24. |
2025
Presented a paper on “A Glimpse on the Counting Systems of the Tibeto-Burman (Himalayan) Languages” in the 58th International Conference on Sino-Tibetan Languages and Linguistics (ICSTLL58), in the University of Bern, Switzerland, 3-5th September 2025.
Presented a paper on “Evolution and Typological Diversity of South Asian Numeral Systems” in 27th International Conference on Historical Linguistics, in Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago de Chile, 18-22nd August 2025.
2024
Presented a paper on “Documentation of Numeral Systems” in Language Documentation and Archiving Conference, jointly organised by ELAR and Paradisec, in Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Berlin, on 4-6th September 2024.
Presented a paper on “Word Order and Areal Patterns in South Asian Numerals” in 57th Annual meeting of Societas Linguistica Europaea (SLE), organised by University of Helsinki, Finland from 21-24th August 2024.
Presented a paper on “A Glimpse on the Numeral Systems of Himalayan Languages”, in Linguistics and Asia Language Conference 2024, held in Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, from 8-9th March 2024.
2023
Presented a paper on “On Convolution of South Asian Numeration”, in 37th South Asian Languages Analysis Roundtable (SALA-37), held in Ca’ Foscari University, Venice, Italy, from 4th-7th October, 2023.
Presented a paper on “The Morpho-syntax of Numeral Systems in South-Asian Languages”, in 45th Annual Meeting of the DGfS (German Society of Linguistics) held in University of Cologne, Germany, from 7th-10th March 2023.
2022
Presented a paper on “Rarities Involved in Numeral Systems and Need of Documentation” in First International Language-for-All Conference ’22 (LFAC’22) organised by Cukurova University, School of Foreign Languages on 21-22 October 2022.
2020
Presented a paper on “Typological Study of Numerical Structure of Himalayan Languages” in 8th Endangered and Lesser-Known Languages Seminar on Himalayan Languages (ELKL 8) held on 21st and 22nd of February 2020, organized by the Doon Library and Research Centre (DLRC), Dehradun in collaboration with Society of Endangered and Lesser-Known Languages (SEL), Lucknow.
Presented a paper on “Morphology of Numeral Systems of Nepali and Tinkar lo” in 41st Annual Conference (Online) of the Linguistic Society of Nepal jointly organized by the Linguistic Society of Nepal and the Central Department of Linguistics held on 26-27 November 2020 at Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.
2019
Presented a paper on “Interrogative and Negative Constructions in Indian Sign Language” in 7th International Conference on Endangered and Lesser-Known Languages held on 22nd and 23rd of February 2019, organized by School of Languages and Linguistics, Jadavpur University, Kolkata.
Presented a paper on “Numeral Classifier Languages” in National Seminar on Linguistics and language Sciences in India (NASLILANSI) held on 9th and 10th of August 2019, organized by Centre for Linguistics, SLL&CS, Jawaharlal Nehru University in collaboration with Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore, India.
Presented a paper on “Numeral System of Austro-Asiatic Languages of India” in 8th International Conference on Austroasiatic Linguistics (ICAAL 8) held on 29th and 31th of August 2019, organized by The Myanmar Centre of the Faculty of Humanities, Chiang Mai University, Thailand.
2018
Presented a paper on “The Typology of Number Borrowing” in 6th International Conference on Endangered and Lesser-Known Languages (ELKL-6) held in Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysuru on 2018 February 21 to 23.
Presented a poster on “Numeral System of Tangkhul and Tinkar lo” in the 24th Himalayan Language Symposium organized by the Department of Linguistics, University of Lucknow, in collaboration with CIIL, Mysuru and Society for Endangered and Lesser Known Languages (SEL), Lucknow on 2018, June 8 to 10.
Presented a poster on “The Morphosyntax of Numeral Systems” in 34th South Asian Languages Analysis Roundtable (SALA-34) held in University of Konstanz, Germany on 2018, June 19 to 21.
Presented a paper on “Endangerment Scenario and the Numeral Systems of Bodo and Tinkar lo” at the International Seminar on ‘Endangered Languages of Central and Western Himalaya’ organized by the Doon Library and Research Centre, Dehradun, from October 11 to 13, 2018 at Kumaun University, S.S. Jina campus, Almora.
Presented a paper on “How Different is Numeral ‘One’?” in 40th International Conference of the Linguistic Society of India held at the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore from 05-07 December 2018.
2017
Presented a paper on “Unnoticed: Education of the Children of JNU Construction Workers”, in the workshop ‘Innovative Ideas and Practices in Education’, organized by Educational Records Research Unit (ERRU), Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi on 2017, February 15 to 16.
Presented a paper on “The Morphosyntax of Numeral System of Mundari and Santali” in 5th International Conference on Endangered and Lesser-Known Languages (ELKL-5) held in Centre for Tribal Folklore Language and Literature, Central University of Jharkhand, Ranchi on 2017, February 24 to 26.
Presented a paper on “Deaf Culture and Sign Language” in International Conference on Language, Culture and Identity held in Department of English IASH,GLA University, Mathura on 2017, 10-11 November.
Presented a paper on “Issues in Strengthening Sign Language” in National Conference on Language Education in the Age of Globalization held in Regional Institute of Education, Ajmer on 2017, December 20 to 22.
Presented a paper on “Suppletion in the Derivation of Ordinals and Multiplicative Numerals” in the 39th International Conference of Linguistic Society of India (ICOLSI-39) held in IIT Patna in association with CIIL Mysuru on 2017, December 8 to 11.
2016
Presented a paper on “Morphosyntax of Numeral System in Dravidian Languages” in International Conference on Dravidian Linguistics 2016 and 44th All India Conference of Dravidian Linguists, held at Centre for Applied Linguistics and Translation Studies, School of Humanities, University of Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram on 2016, June 16 to 18.
Presented a paper on “Morphosyntax of Counting System in Bodo and Meiteilon” in 38th International Conference of Linguistic Society of India held at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam on 2016, November 10 to 12.
2015
Presented a paper on “Pedagogy Involved in Indian Sign Language” in International Conference on English Language and Literature – A Tool for Humanising (ELLATH- 2015) held in Lingaya’s University, Jasana Road, Faridabad on 2015, February 23 to 24.
Presented a paper on “Primary Education System of Indian Sign Language” in International Mother Language Day held at Centre for Linguistics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi on 2015, February 21 to 22.
2014
Presented a paper on “LINGUISTIC INVESTIGATION OF EMERGING FORMS OF INDIAN SIGN LANGUAGE” in International Conference of Linguistic Society of India (ICOLSI-36) held in Department of Linguistics, University of Kerala on 2014 December 1 to 4.