L-Parameter: Different classifiers for humans and animals

From Contribution: Sinitic between Altaic and Mainland Southeast Asia

This feature indicates whether distinct numeral classifiers are used for people and animals. Southern Sinitic strictly differentiates them, whereas some Northern Mandarin dialects use a general classifier for both, potentially linked to the lack of obligatory classifiers in Altaic languages, the contact of which is responsible for the reduction of classifier inventories in Northwestern Mandarin dialects.