Many a plural
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Eric Mathieu
Abstract
The aim of the present paper is to contribute to the literature on plurals by showing that, cross-linguistically, not all plurals are unmarked semantically. Focusing on Arabic, where the plural comes in many guises, and proposing different syntactic positions for its different manifestations, I show that, while classifying plurals (broken and sound plurals) allow an inclusive reading ( one or more ), counting plurals (plural of the singulative and double plurals) do not: they tolerate only exclusive readings ( more than one ). I then show that classifying plurals in Arabic allow inclusive readings in environments that favour number neutrality (modals, negation, etc.) and argue that, in these contexts, plurals denote kinds (in the sense of Carlson 1977 and following Grimm 2013 for English plurals). Such plural nominals do not presuppose the existence of any particular referents: they are weakly referential and that is why they allow inclusive readings.
Abstract
The aim of the present paper is to contribute to the literature on plurals by showing that, cross-linguistically, not all plurals are unmarked semantically. Focusing on Arabic, where the plural comes in many guises, and proposing different syntactic positions for its different manifestations, I show that, while classifying plurals (broken and sound plurals) allow an inclusive reading ( one or more ), counting plurals (plural of the singulative and double plurals) do not: they tolerate only exclusive readings ( more than one ). I then show that classifying plurals in Arabic allow inclusive readings in environments that favour number neutrality (modals, negation, etc.) and argue that, in these contexts, plurals denote kinds (in the sense of Carlson 1977 and following Grimm 2013 for English plurals). Such plural nominals do not presuppose the existence of any particular referents: they are weakly referential and that is why they allow inclusive readings.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors vii
- List of abbreviations ix
- Advances in weak referentiality 1
- Modal inferences in marked indefinites 17
- Epistemic and scopal properties of some indefinites 45
- Antonymic prepositions and weak referentiality 73
- Weak referentiality and Russian instrumental nominals 101
- Predicate nominals in Papiamentu 129
- Many a plural 157
- Telic definites and their prepositions 183
- How weak and how definite are Weak Definites? 213
- Modified weak definites 237
- Functional frames in the interpretation of weak nominals 265
- Unscrambling the lexical nature of weak definites 287
- Inalienable possession 311
- Basque nominals 335
- Referential properties of definites and salience spreading 365
- Index 389
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors vii
- List of abbreviations ix
- Advances in weak referentiality 1
- Modal inferences in marked indefinites 17
- Epistemic and scopal properties of some indefinites 45
- Antonymic prepositions and weak referentiality 73
- Weak referentiality and Russian instrumental nominals 101
- Predicate nominals in Papiamentu 129
- Many a plural 157
- Telic definites and their prepositions 183
- How weak and how definite are Weak Definites? 213
- Modified weak definites 237
- Functional frames in the interpretation of weak nominals 265
- Unscrambling the lexical nature of weak definites 287
- Inalienable possession 311
- Basque nominals 335
- Referential properties of definites and salience spreading 365
- Index 389
