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11. Implicit determination and plural

  • Viviane Déprez
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Noun Phrases in Creole Languages
This chapter is in the book Noun Phrases in Creole Languages

Abstract

The paper explores and compares the distributions and interpretations of nominal expressions without determiner (bare nouns) in a number of French based creole and in one Portuguese based creole, Cape Verdean creole. The goal of this exploration is to determine on the one hand whether the range of meanings that bare nouns can have in creole languages parallels the one observed in non-creole languages and to examine on the other hand the role that various morpho-syntactic factors and in particular the morphological expression of number can play in restricting the available interpretations of bare nouns. The paper also evaluates the success of an alternative approach to Chierchia's Nominal parameter, termed here the Plural parameter in accounting for the observed data. One prediction of this approach that takes nouns to denote kinds terms in all languages is that no language with optional plural should fail to allow for a Kind reading of its bare nouns. This and other predictions are shown to be verified in the sample of languages explored here.

Abstract

The paper explores and compares the distributions and interpretations of nominal expressions without determiner (bare nouns) in a number of French based creole and in one Portuguese based creole, Cape Verdean creole. The goal of this exploration is to determine on the one hand whether the range of meanings that bare nouns can have in creole languages parallels the one observed in non-creole languages and to examine on the other hand the role that various morpho-syntactic factors and in particular the morphological expression of number can play in restricting the available interpretations of bare nouns. The paper also evaluates the success of an alternative approach to Chierchia's Nominal parameter, termed here the Plural parameter in accounting for the observed data. One prediction of this approach that takes nouns to denote kinds terms in all languages is that no language with optional plural should fail to allow for a Kind reading of its bare nouns. This and other predictions are shown to be verified in the sample of languages explored here.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgment ix
  4. Part I: An introduction
  5. 1. Noun phrases in creole languages 3
  6. Part II: Portuguese-lexified Creoles
  7. 2. Bare nouns and the nominal domain in Santome 37
  8. 3. On the syntax and semantics of DP in Cape Verdean Creole 61
  9. 4. Papiamentu and Brazilian Portuguese 107
  10. 5. On the interpretation of bare noun phrases in Guinea-Bissau Portuguese Creole (Kriyol) 145
  11. Part III: Spanish-lexified Creoles
  12. 6. Some aspects of NPs in Mindanao Chabacano 173
  13. 7. Bare nouns in Palenquero 205
  14. Part IV: French-lexified Creoles
  15. 8. Bare nouns in Réunionnais Creole 225
  16. 9. The bare NP in Lesser Antillean 243
  17. 10. Bare NPs and deficient DPs in Haitian Creole and French 265
  18. Part V: A comparison of romance Creoles
  19. 11. Implicit determination and plural 301
  20. Part VI: English-lexified Creoles
  21. 12. Bare nouns and articles in Sranan 339
  22. 13. Aspects of the syntax and semantics of bare nouns in Jamaican Creole 383
  23. Part VII: African American English
  24. 14. NPs in aspectual Be constructions in African American English 403
  25. 15. Bare nouns in African American English (AAE) 421
  26. Part VIII: Dutch-lexified Creoles
  27. 16. Bare nouns in Berbice Dutch Creole 437
  28. Part IX: A Synthesis and a postface
  29. 17. Properties of noun phrases in creole languages 461
  30. 18. Functional deficiency, ellipsis or innovation in creole languages? 471
  31. Index 485
https://doi.org/10.1075/cll.31.17dep

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgment ix
  4. Part I: An introduction
  5. 1. Noun phrases in creole languages 3
  6. Part II: Portuguese-lexified Creoles
  7. 2. Bare nouns and the nominal domain in Santome 37
  8. 3. On the syntax and semantics of DP in Cape Verdean Creole 61
  9. 4. Papiamentu and Brazilian Portuguese 107
  10. 5. On the interpretation of bare noun phrases in Guinea-Bissau Portuguese Creole (Kriyol) 145
  11. Part III: Spanish-lexified Creoles
  12. 6. Some aspects of NPs in Mindanao Chabacano 173
  13. 7. Bare nouns in Palenquero 205
  14. Part IV: French-lexified Creoles
  15. 8. Bare nouns in Réunionnais Creole 225
  16. 9. The bare NP in Lesser Antillean 243
  17. 10. Bare NPs and deficient DPs in Haitian Creole and French 265
  18. Part V: A comparison of romance Creoles
  19. 11. Implicit determination and plural 301
  20. Part VI: English-lexified Creoles
  21. 12. Bare nouns and articles in Sranan 339
  22. 13. Aspects of the syntax and semantics of bare nouns in Jamaican Creole 383
  23. Part VII: African American English
  24. 14. NPs in aspectual Be constructions in African American English 403
  25. 15. Bare nouns in African American English (AAE) 421
  26. Part VIII: Dutch-lexified Creoles
  27. 16. Bare nouns in Berbice Dutch Creole 437
  28. Part IX: A Synthesis and a postface
  29. 17. Properties of noun phrases in creole languages 461
  30. 18. Functional deficiency, ellipsis or innovation in creole languages? 471
  31. Index 485
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