Deriving quantifiers from conceptual nouns: adaptation to the context and lexical creation

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.31810/RSEL.49.8

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to increase our knowledge of the phenomenon whereby some nouns with conceptual meaning are used as (or give rise to) units suitable for quantifying purposes to a greater or lesser extent. We are interested in describing its several manifestations and phases, and especially in showing the difference between: a) the cases where the association of a quantitative meaning with the expression of a conceptual noun ultimately depends on the context, irrespectively of whether it is more or less conventionalized, and b) the cases where that bond has become stable, so that there is a new sign which is an inherent quantifier but not a nominal one despite its appearance. This syntax-based division is consistent with some differences of substance on the content plane, which have to do with the (im)purity of the quantitative value on the examined units, that is, with the fact that they superimpose (or not) qualitative features on the quantified noun. We also provide some notes on the lexical characteristics that nouns taking part in this phenomenon usually present, as well as some reflections on the position which the resulting quantifiers take in the lexicon/grammar dichotomy.

Keywords: lexicogenesis; metaphor; metonymy; grammaticalization; quantifying /quantifier nouns.