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Chapter 8. Brazilian bare nouns in quantity judgments

Kinds and atomicity
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Abstract

The chapter reports the results of applying quantity judgment tests to bare nouns in Brazilian Portuguese. The results show that the bare singular and sentences with no nouns (no cues to atomicity, as argued in Scontras et al. 2017) behave alike, in contrast with plural nouns. Brazilian bare singulars allow for cardinal and volume readings. We show that this is explained by the fact that they carry no linguistic cues to atomicity. Finally, we argue that the difference between English and Brazilian Portuguese may be explained by Chierchia’s (2010, 2014) nominal parameter: English is a predicate language, whereas Brazilian Portuguese is a kind language. The conclusion explores some consequences of this semantic parameter.

Abstract

The chapter reports the results of applying quantity judgment tests to bare nouns in Brazilian Portuguese. The results show that the bare singular and sentences with no nouns (no cues to atomicity, as argued in Scontras et al. 2017) behave alike, in contrast with plural nouns. Brazilian bare singulars allow for cardinal and volume readings. We show that this is explained by the fact that they carry no linguistic cues to atomicity. Finally, we argue that the difference between English and Brazilian Portuguese may be explained by Chierchia’s (2010, 2014) nominal parameter: English is a predicate language, whereas Brazilian Portuguese is a kind language. The conclusion explores some consequences of this semantic parameter.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Preface vii
  4. Brazilian Portuguese, syntax and semantics 1
  5. Informal formal conversation on Syntax-Semantics 7
  6. From discourse to the DP
  7. Chapter 1. Mood alternations in the history of German 33
  8. Chapter 2. Use-conditional expressions and nonlocal interpretation 67
  9. Chapter 3. Left- and Right-Dislocation and the speaker’s perspective 87
  10. Chapter 4. Brazilian double subjects and sentence structure 107
  11. Chapter 5. Wh -questions in Brazilian Portuguese and Quebec French 135
  12. Chapter 6. Some low ellipses in Portuguese 151
  13. Chapter 7. Diagnosing verb raising 167
  14. Chapter 8. Brazilian bare nouns in quantity judgments 191
  15. Afterword 213
  16. Index 215
Brazilian Portuguese, Syntax and Semantics
This chapter is in the book Brazilian Portuguese, Syntax and Semantics
https://doi.org/10.1075/la.260.08oli

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Preface vii
  4. Brazilian Portuguese, syntax and semantics 1
  5. Informal formal conversation on Syntax-Semantics 7
  6. From discourse to the DP
  7. Chapter 1. Mood alternations in the history of German 33
  8. Chapter 2. Use-conditional expressions and nonlocal interpretation 67
  9. Chapter 3. Left- and Right-Dislocation and the speaker’s perspective 87
  10. Chapter 4. Brazilian double subjects and sentence structure 107
  11. Chapter 5. Wh -questions in Brazilian Portuguese and Quebec French 135
  12. Chapter 6. Some low ellipses in Portuguese 151
  13. Chapter 7. Diagnosing verb raising 167
  14. Chapter 8. Brazilian bare nouns in quantity judgments 191
  15. Afterword 213
  16. Index 215
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