Article
English
ID: <
10.4000/rlv.1741>
·
DOI: <
10.4000/rlv.1741>
Abstract
This paper defends the hypothesis that number and classifiers behave differently in nominal and in verbal structures. When numerals are used in order to ‘count’ a number of objects or events, they interact differently with nouns and verbs (compare three visits with to visit three *(times)). Degree modifiers, on the other hand, behave rather similarly in the nominal and in the verbal domains (compare a lot of visits with to visit a lot). The paper discusses the source of this difference. In many languages, numerals require the presence of classifiers and/or number, while degree modifiers are sensitive to cumulative reference, a property shared by nominal and verbal structures. Given the hypothesis that nouns and verbs interact differently with number and classifiers, the different behaviour of numerals with nouns and verbs can be understood.