Quantity category

Author: Copert
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: Among various grammatical categories, the category of quantity may be overlooked, partly because people are accustomed to binary oppositions like singular and plural. However, for all human languages, this is merely one of numerous possibilities. In fact, distinctions of three, four, five, or even more numbers are not uncommon. How does Chinese manifest this? This may still remain a question worth exploring. The author of this book has collected materials from 250 languages to analyze the possible systems of the category of quantity from a broader perspective. Not only does this reveal the diversity of its expression, but it also uncovers various unexpected special functions. This research holds significant importance for typological exploration of linguistic categories. It may illustrate that the differences between languages are richer and more profound than we commonly believe.