A comparison of abstract and concrete mass nouns in terms of their interaction with quantificational determiners
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Stefan Hinterwimmer
Abstract
In this paper, I compare concrete mass nouns such as water with abstract mass nouns derived from gradable adjectives like generosity in terms of their interaction with quantificational determiners. The main focus is on vague quantifiers such as a lot and little, on the one hand, and specificity markers such as a certain, on the other. In both cases the crucial factor setting the abstract mass nouns apart from the concrete ones is that the latter make available only a quantity/cardinality related scale for measurement and identification. The former, in contrast, give rise to an additional reading since they are associated with a second scale – namely one that orders the states denoted by the respective noun according to the degree with which they instantiate the corresponding property.
Abstract
In this paper, I compare concrete mass nouns such as water with abstract mass nouns derived from gradable adjectives like generosity in terms of their interaction with quantificational determiners. The main focus is on vague quantifiers such as a lot and little, on the one hand, and specificity markers such as a certain, on the other. In both cases the crucial factor setting the abstract mass nouns apart from the concrete ones is that the latter make available only a quantity/cardinality related scale for measurement and identification. The former, in contrast, give rise to an additional reading since they are associated with a second scale – namely one that orders the states denoted by the respective noun according to the degree with which they instantiate the corresponding property.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
- Re-examining the mass-count distinction 13
- Activewear and other vaguery 37
- A comparison of abstract and concrete mass nouns in terms of their interaction with quantificational determiners 61
- Can mass-count syntax be derived from semantics? 83
- Countability and grammatical number 103
- Comparatives in Brazilian Portuguese 141
- Lexical, syntactic, and pragmatic sources of countability 159
- Countability shifts and abstract nouns 191
- Name Index 225
- Subject Index 227
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
- Re-examining the mass-count distinction 13
- Activewear and other vaguery 37
- A comparison of abstract and concrete mass nouns in terms of their interaction with quantificational determiners 61
- Can mass-count syntax be derived from semantics? 83
- Countability and grammatical number 103
- Comparatives in Brazilian Portuguese 141
- Lexical, syntactic, and pragmatic sources of countability 159
- Countability shifts and abstract nouns 191
- Name Index 225
- Subject Index 227
