Difference between revisions of "Bare plural"

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(from Utrecht Lexicon of Linguistics)
 
 
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Bare plurals can have a [[generic interpretation]] (in (i)) or an [[existential interpretation]] (in (ii)):
 
Bare plurals can have a [[generic interpretation]] (in (i)) or an [[existential interpretation]] (in (ii)):
  
''*(i)  Cats are intelligent.''
+
*''(i)  Cats are intelligent.''
''*(ii) Cats ruined my garden.''
+
*''(ii) Cats ruined my garden.''
  
 
===Link===
 
===Link===

Latest revision as of 13:28, 6 March 2008

Bare plural refers to a plural noun phrase without an overt determiner.

Examples

Cats, or pretty girls with blond hair are bare plurals.

Comments

Bare plurals can have a generic interpretation (in (i)) or an existential interpretation (in (ii)):

  • (i) Cats are intelligent.
  • (ii) Cats ruined my garden.

Link

Utrecht Lexicon of Linguistics

Reference

Carlson, G. 1977. Reference to kinds in English. Ph.D. diss., University of Amherst.