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2 - Mass vs. Count: Where Do We Stand? Outline of a Theory of Semantic Variation

from Large-Scale Architectures for Count and Mass

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 May 2021

By
Gennaro Chierchia
Edited by
Tibor Kiss ,
Francis Jeffry Pelletier  and
Halima Husić
Tibor Kiss
Affiliation:
Ruhr-Universität, Bochum, Germany
Francis Jeffry Pelletier
Affiliation:
University of Alberta
Halima Husić
Affiliation:
Ruhr-Universität, Bochum, Germany
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Summary

I will illustrate and discuss the extent to which grammars may vary vis-à-vis the mass/count distinction with three main phenomena and use this as a springboard for outlining a theory of semantic variation, with a universal logical basis. The first form of variation concerns the most widespread empirical test associated with the mass/count distinction, namely how noun phrases (NPs) combine with numerals. The second is that of the so called ‘fake’ mass nouns (like furniture). The third concerns alternations between mass vs. count interpretations of nouns like beer or chicken.

Keywords

Types of count/mass languagesFake mass nounsCognitive individuationVariation of numerals between languagesambiguous nouns and re-conceptualizationMass-count coercions
Type
Chapter
Information
Things and Stuff
The Semantics of the Count-Mass Distinction
 , pp. 21 - 54
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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