TY - GEN
T1 - The semantics of count nouns
AU - Rothstein, Susan
PY - 2010
Y1 - 2010
N2 - We offer an account of the semantics of count nouns based on the observation that for some count nouns, the set of atoms in the denotation of the singular predicate is contextually determined. The denotation of singular count nouns is derived relative to a context k, where k is a set of entities which count as atoms in a particular context. An operation COUNTk applies to the mass noun denotation and derives the count meaning: a set of ordered pairs where d is a member of N ∩ k and k is the context relative to which d counts as one. Count nouns and mass nouns are thus typally distinct and the grammatical differences between them follow from this. We distinguish between naturally atomic predicates, which denote sets of inherently individuable entities or Boolean algebras generated from such sets, and semantically atomic predicates, which denote sets which are atomic relative to a particular context k. This distinction is orthogonal to the mass count distinction.
AB - We offer an account of the semantics of count nouns based on the observation that for some count nouns, the set of atoms in the denotation of the singular predicate is contextually determined. The denotation of singular count nouns is derived relative to a context k, where k is a set of entities which count as atoms in a particular context. An operation COUNTk applies to the mass noun denotation and derives the count meaning: a set of ordered pairs where d is a member of N ∩ k and k is the context relative to which d counts as one. Count nouns and mass nouns are thus typally distinct and the grammatical differences between them follow from this. We distinguish between naturally atomic predicates, which denote sets of inherently individuable entities or Boolean algebras generated from such sets, and semantically atomic predicates, which denote sets which are atomic relative to a particular context k. This distinction is orthogonal to the mass count distinction.
KW - atomicity
KW - counting
KW - homogeneity
KW - mass/count distinction
KW - measuring
KW - nominal interpretations
KW - semantics of number
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77958480161&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/978-3-642-14287-1_40
DO - 10.1007/978-3-642-14287-1_40
M3 - ???researchoutput.researchoutputtypes.contributiontobookanthology.conference???
AN - SCOPUS:77958480161
SN - 3642142869
SN - 9783642142864
T3 - Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
SP - 395
EP - 404
BT - Logic, Language and Meaning - 17th Amsterdam Colloquium, Revised Selected Papers
T2 - 17th Amsterdam Colloquium on Logic, Language and Meaning
Y2 - 16 December 2009 through 18 December 2009
ER -