Categorization as noun construction

Author:

Acquaviva Paolo

Abstract

Chapter 3 articulates a proposal about how syntax encodes the fundamental parameters of noun lexical semantics: entity type, part structure, atomicity, and numerosity, represented at different syntactic loci. It is claimed that the naming (not describing) of an entity type is what makes a noun a noun—more precisely, what turns a root into a noun. An ‘entity type’ is understood as an e-type element in the speaker’s ontology, not yet determined as denoting over kinds or their object instances. Higher projections turn this into a predicate, and further grammatical specifications may restrict the part structure of its denotation domain. Whether the reference is to kinds or to instances depends jointly on all these specifications. In particular, plurality in some cases (waters) enforces an instance reading where the partition it determines is based on spatiotemporally situated parts, in the absence of other criteria for individuality. Besides determining what types of plurals may not license a kind reading, this view of the division of reference analyses fake mass nouns (furniture) as a count structure inside a mass shell, relating their semantics to their morphology. The same analytical framework, with no additional stipulations, accounts for the properties of non-countable plural nouns. Finally, a type of mixed-gender DP which cannot be pluralized suggests that the attribution of a gender value can strongly constrain the determination of part structure.

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Cited by 7 articles. 订阅此论文施引文献 订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献

1. The Indefinite Article as an Exponent for Partition;Partitive Constructions and Partitive Elements Within and Across Language Borders in Europe;2024-05-16

2. The Slavic suffix -in/-yn as partition shifter;Natural Language Semantics;2023-11-15

3. Proprietary linguistic meaning;Synthese;2022-10-12

4. Hidden Trilogies of Universal Quantifiers: A syntactically based analysis of arabickulland its kins;Studia Linguistica;2020-02-21

5. Two syntactic positions of grammatical gender;Yearbook of the Poznan Linguistic Meeting;2018-12-01

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3