On rank and successor relations: Numerical and non-numerical expression of relative position in Akan

There are two principal means of expressing relative position/rank in ordered sequences – numerical and non-numerical means. For Akan, Christaller (1875) subsumed both of them under the heading of ordinal numerals. Based on data drawn from a variety of sources, we attempt to make a clear distinction between the two in this paper, noting that a numeral must express the properties of empirical object by means of numbers. We find this to be true of only one class of the constructions. Therefore, they are qualified as ordinal numerals and they can refer to the exact ranks of ordered items numerically. The other construction type, which refers to successor relations non-numerically, are clearly identified and their properties discussed. It is shown that the two kinds of constructions divide any sequence of ordered items, called the ordinal space, differently. Ordinal numerals partition the ordinal space into two, first position and others, excluding the last, which are referred to specifically by means of cardinal numeral constituents. The successor relation constructions divide the ordinal space into three (first, last and others in-between) or two (first and next) where the speaker deliberately avoids mentioning the expression for the last position in a set of ordered items. Ideas and formalism from Construction Morphology are employed for the analysis and presentation of the data.