1887
Volume 20, Issue 2
  • ISSN 2211-6834
  • E-ISSN: 2211-6842
USD
Buy:$35.00 + Taxes

Abstract

Abstract

In this paper we show that Guajajára has grammaticalized the distinction between mass and count nouns, but that the coding of this distinction is different from the systems of coding in classifier languages, number-marking languages, and number-neutral languages (Chierchia 1998a1998b2010Wilhelm 2008). As a result, we conclude that Guajajára presents a challenge to the tripartite classification of languages proposed in Chierchia’s work, since Guajajára number marking is non-inflectional and optional when plural is already expressed by other quantificational expressions. Furthermore, in Guajajára notional mass nouns can pluralize and directly combine with numerals without the mediation of container or measure constructions in contexts where conventional and non-conventional container and units of measurement are implied. This last observation suggests that coercion is not a mechanism that operates in this language.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1075/lv.00027.cha
2020-10-01
2023-10-04
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Bale, Alan, Michaël Gagnon, & Hrayr Khanjian
    2010 Cross-linguistic representations of numerals and number marking. Proceedings from Semantics and Linguistic Theory (SALT) 20. 1–15.
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Bale, Alan & Jessica Coon
    (eds) 2014Classifiers are for numerals, not for nouns: consequences for the mass-count distinction. MIT: Linguistic Inquiry 45. 4: 707–719.
    [Google Scholar]
  3. Chierchia, Gennaro
    2010 Mass Nouns, Vagueness and Semantic Variation. Synthese 174 (1). 99–149. 10.1007/s11229‑009‑9686‑6
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-009-9686-6 [Google Scholar]
  4. 1998a Plurality of mass nouns and the notion of “semantic parameter”. In Susan Rothstein (ed.), Events and grammar, 53–103. Dordrecht: Kluwer. 10.1007/978‑94‑011‑3969‑4_4
    https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3969-4_4 [Google Scholar]
  5. 1998b Reference to kinds across languages. Natural Language Semantics 6. 339–405. 10.1023/A:1008324218506
    https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008324218506 [Google Scholar]
  6. Doetjes, Jenny
    2012 Count/mass distinctions across languages. In Claudia Maienborn, Klaus von Heusinger & Paul Portner (eds), Semantics: an international handbook of natural language meaning, 2559–80. Berlin: de Gruyter.
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Duarte, Fábio Bonfim
    2007Estudos de morfossintaxe Tenetehára. Belo Horizonte: Faculdade de Letras da UFMG.
    [Google Scholar]
  8. 2008Coletâneas de narrativas Tenetehára. Belo Horizonte: Faculdade de Letras da UFMG.
    [Google Scholar]
  9. Duarte, Fábio
    2012 Tenetehára: A predicate-fronting language. Canadian Journal of Linguistics/Revue Canadienne De Linguistique, 57(3). 359–386. Cambridge University Press. doi:  10.1017/S0008413100002334
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S0008413100002334 [Google Scholar]
  10. Duarte, Fábio Bonfim
    2018 Clausal recursion, predicate raising and head-finality in Tenetehára. In Andrew Nevins, Luiz Amaral, Marcus Maia & Thomas Roeper (eds), Recursion across borders and beyond, 143–165. Cambridge: CUP.
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Gill, David
    2005 Numeral classifiers. In Martin Haspelmath, Matthew S. Dryer, David Gil, Bernard Comrie (eds), The world atlas of language structures, 226–29. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Harrison, Carl & Carole Harrison
    2013Dicionário Guajajara-Português. Anápolis: International Linguistic Association (SIL).
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Khady, Tamba, Harold Torrence & Malte Zimmermann
    2012 Wolof Quantifiers. In Edward L. Keenan and Denis Paperno (eds.), Handbook of quantifiers in natural languages, 891–939. London, New York: Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg.
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Lima, Suzi
    2014aNumerals and the universal packager in Yudja (Tupi). Ms.
    [Google Scholar]
  15. 2014b All notional mass nouns are count nouns in Yudja. Proceedings from Semantics and Linguistic Theory (SALT) 24. 534–554. 10.3765/salt.v24i0.2419
    https://doi.org/10.3765/salt.v24i0.2419 [Google Scholar]
  16. Mathieu, Eric
    2012 On the mass/count distinction in Ojibwe. In Diane Massam (ed), Count and mass across languages, 172–98. Oxford, UK: Oxford Univ. Press. 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199654277.003.0010
    https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199654277.003.0010 [Google Scholar]
  17. Munn, Alan & Cristina Schmitt
    2005 Indefinites and number. Lingua 115. 821–55. 10.1016/j.lingua.2004.01.007
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lingua.2004.01.007 [Google Scholar]
  18. Tsoulas, George
    2006Plurality of mass nouns and the grammar of number. 29th GLOW meeting, Barcelona.
    [Google Scholar]
  19. Wilhelm, Andrea
    2008 Bare nouns and number in Denë Suliné. Natural Language Semantics 16. 39–68. 10.1007/s11050‑007‑9024‑9
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s11050-007-9024-9 [Google Scholar]
  20. Wiltschko, Martina
    2008 The syntax of non-inflectional plural marking. Natural Language linguistic Theory 26. 639–94. 10.1007/s11049‑008‑9046‑0
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s11049-008-9046-0 [Google Scholar]
  21. 2012 Decomposing the mass/count distinction: evidence from languages that lack it. In Diane Massam (ed.), Count and mass across languages, 146–71. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199654277.003.0009
    https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199654277.003.0009 [Google Scholar]
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journals/10.1075/lv.00027.cha
Loading
  • Article Type: Research Article
Keyword(s): count nouns; Guajajara; mass nouns; plurality; Tupi-Guarani
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was successful
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error