Number and Quantity Expressions

Abstract

This chapter examines the interactions between quantity expressions and number across languages. Quantity expressions may require the presence of specific number markers on the noun or noun phrase they combine with. They may also trigger a singular or plural interpretation for the noun phrase as a whole, as in one N or several N. An important criterion used to distinguish classes of quantity expressions is the way these expressions interact with countability. While some quantity expressions depend on the presence of countable units in order to be interpreted, others do not. Examples of the former type are numerals, vague cardinal quantity expressions (several), and distributive universal quantifiers (each, every), while non-cardinal quantity expressions (a lot) and non-distributive universal quantifiers (all) belong to the second category. The chapter mainly focuses on the nominal domain. The use of quantity expressions in relation to verbal plurality is considered briefly.