Count noun
Encyclopedia
In linguistics
, a count noun (also countable noun) is a common noun that can be modified by a numeral
and that occurs in both singular
and plural
form, as well as co-occurring with quantificational determiners like every, each, several, etc. A mass noun
has none of these properties. It can't be modified by a numeral, occur in singular/plural or co-occur with the relevant kind of determiner.
Some determiners can be used with both mass and count nouns, including "some", "a lot (of)", "no". Others cannot: "few" and "many" are used with count items, "little" and "much" with mass. (On the other hand "fewer" is reserved for count and "less" for mass (see Fewer vs. less), but "more" is the proper comparative for both "many" and "much".)
concept and is not based on the innate nature of the object that the noun refers to. For example, "seven chairs" and "some furniture" could refer to exactly the same objects, with "seven chairs" referring to them as a collection of individual objects but with "some furniture" referring to them as a single undifferentiated unit. However, some abstract phenomena like "fun" and "hope" have properties which make it difficult to refer to them with a count noun.
Classifiers
are sometimes used as count nouns preceding mass nouns, in order to redirect the speaker's focus away from the mass nature. For example, "There's some furniture in the room" can be restated, with a change of focus, to "There are some pieces of furniture in the room"; and "let's have some fun" can be refocused as "Let's have a bit of fun".
In English, some nouns are used most frequently as mass nouns, with or without a classifier (as in "Waiter, I'll have some coffee" or "Waiter, I'll have a cup of coffee"), but also less frequently as count nouns (as in "Waiter, we'll have three coffees.")
and linguists like Manfred Krifka
, we know that the mass/count distinction can be given a precise mathematical definition in terms of notions like cumulativity
and quantization
. Recently, a new logical framework, called plural logic, has also been used for characterizing the semantics of count nouns and mass nouns.
and other quantifiers. The following examples are of nouns which, while seemingly innately countable, are still treated as mass nouns:
A classifier, therefore, implies that the object(s) referred to are countable in the sense that the speaker intends them to be enumerated, rather than considered as a unit (regardless of quantity). Notice that the classifier changes as the unit being counted changes.
Words such as "milk" or "rice" are not so obviously countable entities, but they can be counted with an appropriate unit of measure in both English and Mandarin (e.g., "glasses of milk" or "spoonfuls of rice").
The use of a classifier is similar to, but not identical with, the use of units of measurement
to count groups of objects in English. For example, in "three shelves of books", "shelves" is used as a unit of measurement.
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, a count noun (also countable noun) is a common noun that can be modified by a numeral
Number names
In linguistics, number names are specific words in a natural language that represent numbers.In writing, numerals are symbols also representing numbers...
and that occurs in both singular
Grammatical number
In linguistics, grammatical number is a grammatical category of nouns, pronouns, and adjective and verb agreement that expresses count distinctions ....
and plural
Plural
In linguistics, plurality or [a] plural is a concept of quantity representing a value of more-than-one. Typically applied to nouns, a plural word or marker is used to distinguish a value other than the default quantity of a noun, which is typically one...
form, as well as co-occurring with quantificational determiners like every, each, several, etc. A mass noun
Mass noun
In linguistics, a mass noun is a noun that refers to some entity as an undifferentiated unit rather than as something with discrete subsets. Non-count nouns are best identified by their syntactic properties, and especially in contrast with count nouns. The semantics of mass nouns are highly...
has none of these properties. It can't be modified by a numeral, occur in singular/plural or co-occur with the relevant kind of determiner.
Examples
Below are examples of all the properties of count nouns holding for the count noun chair but not for the mass noun furniture.- Occurrence in plural/singular.
- There is a chair in the room.
- There are chairs in the room.
- ✗ There is a furniture in the room.
- ✗ There are furnitures in the room.
- Co-occurrenceCo-occurrenceCo-occurrence or cooccurrence can either mean concurrence / coincidence or, in a more specific sense, the above-chance frequent occurrence of two terms from a text corpus alongside each other in a certain order. Co-occurrence in this linguistic sense can be interpreted as an indicator of semantic...
with count determiners
- Every chair is man made.
- There are several chairs in the room.
- ✗ Every furniture is man made.
- ✗ There are several furnitures in the room.
Some determiners can be used with both mass and count nouns, including "some", "a lot (of)", "no". Others cannot: "few" and "many" are used with count items, "little" and "much" with mass. (On the other hand "fewer" is reserved for count and "less" for mass (see Fewer vs. less), but "more" is the proper comparative for both "many" and "much".)
Grammatical distinction
The concept of a "mass nouns" is a grammaticalGrammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
concept and is not based on the innate nature of the object that the noun refers to. For example, "seven chairs" and "some furniture" could refer to exactly the same objects, with "seven chairs" referring to them as a collection of individual objects but with "some furniture" referring to them as a single undifferentiated unit. However, some abstract phenomena like "fun" and "hope" have properties which make it difficult to refer to them with a count noun.
Classifiers
Classifier (linguistics)
A classifier, in linguistics, sometimes called a measure word, is a word or morpheme used in some languages to classify the referent of a countable noun according to its meaning. In languages that have classifiers, they are often used when the noun is being counted or specified...
are sometimes used as count nouns preceding mass nouns, in order to redirect the speaker's focus away from the mass nature. For example, "There's some furniture in the room" can be restated, with a change of focus, to "There are some pieces of furniture in the room"; and "let's have some fun" can be refocused as "Let's have a bit of fun".
In English, some nouns are used most frequently as mass nouns, with or without a classifier (as in "Waiter, I'll have some coffee" or "Waiter, I'll have a cup of coffee"), but also less frequently as count nouns (as in "Waiter, we'll have three coffees.")
Theory
Following the work of logicians like Godehard LinkGodehard Link
Godehard Link is a professor of logic and philosophy of science at the University of Munich.-External links:*...
and linguists like Manfred Krifka
Manfred Krifka
Manfred Krifka is director of the Center for General Linguistics at the Humboldt University of Berlin, and editor of the academic journal Theoretical Linguistics.- Bibliography :...
, we know that the mass/count distinction can be given a precise mathematical definition in terms of notions like cumulativity
Cumulativity
In linguistic semantics, an expression X is said to have cumulative reference if and only if the following holds: If X is true of both of a and b, then it is also true of the combination of a and b. Example: If two separate entities can be said to be "water", then combining them into one entity...
and quantization
Quantization (linguistics)
In linguistics, a quantized expression is such that, whenever it is true of some entity, it is not true of any proper subparts of that entity. Example: If something is an "apple", then no proper subpart of that thing is an "apple". If something is "water", then many of its subparts will also be...
. Recently, a new logical framework, called plural logic, has also been used for characterizing the semantics of count nouns and mass nouns.
Linguistic Differences
Some languages, such as Mandarin Chinese, treat all nouns as mass nouns, and need to make use of a noun classifier to add numeralsNumber names
In linguistics, number names are specific words in a natural language that represent numbers.In writing, numerals are symbols also representing numbers...
and other quantifiers. The following examples are of nouns which, while seemingly innately countable, are still treated as mass nouns:
- 那個人吃完了 (nà gè rén chī wán le) - "That unit person has eaten", "That person has eaten"
- 那三個人吃完了(nà sān gè rén chī wán le) - "Those three unit person' have eaten", "Those three people have eaten"
- 她有七本书在桌子上 (tā yŏu qī bĕn shū) - "She has seven unit book", "She has seven books."
A classifier, therefore, implies that the object(s) referred to are countable in the sense that the speaker intends them to be enumerated, rather than considered as a unit (regardless of quantity). Notice that the classifier changes as the unit being counted changes.
Words such as "milk" or "rice" are not so obviously countable entities, but they can be counted with an appropriate unit of measure in both English and Mandarin (e.g., "glasses of milk" or "spoonfuls of rice").
The use of a classifier is similar to, but not identical with, the use of units of measurement
Units of measurement
A unit of measurement is a definite magnitude of a physical quantity, defined and adopted by convention and/or by law, that is used as a standard for measurement of the same physical quantity. Any other value of the physical quantity can be expressed as a simple multiple of the unit of...
to count groups of objects in English. For example, in "three shelves of books", "shelves" is used as a unit of measurement.
See also
- Collective noun
- Grammatical numberGrammatical numberIn linguistics, grammatical number is a grammatical category of nouns, pronouns, and adjective and verb agreement that expresses count distinctions ....
- Measure wordMeasure wordIn linguistics, measure words are words that are used in combination with a numeral to indicate an amount of some noun. They denote a unit or measurement and are used with nouns that are not countable. For instance, in English, is a mass noun and thus one cannot say *"three muds", but one can say...