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A typology of the mass/count distinction in Brazil and its relevance for mass/count theories
Edited by Suzi Lima and Susan Rothstein
[Linguistic Variation 20:2] 2020
► pp. 382–397

The count-mass distinction in Terena

| Universidade Federal Fluminense
| Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro/Museu Nacional
| Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro/Museu Nacional

This paper examines the count-mass distinction in Terena (Aruák, Brazil) by focusing on plural marking availability, numeral and quantifier distribution and cardinal versus volume interpretation in quantity judgment tests. The data collected from the initial research of these features in Terena reveals the relevancy of the count-mass distinction in the language with some signature properties: (i) only count nouns can be directly combined with numerals; (ii) only count nouns can be used with the quantifier êno with the interpretarion of many individuals rather than a large quantity; and finally, (iii) only count nouns can express cardinality of individuals in a comparative sentence such as John has more N than Peter. Plural morpheme distribution is unsuitable for distinguishing count from mass nouns (such as in English) since mass nouns can be pluralized in Terena, provided noun denotations have individuals to allow for number rather than volume quantity interpretation.

Keywords: countability, nouns, Terena, Arawakan, under-represented languages, plural, quantification, comparatives
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Nominal number in Terena
  • 2.Plural marking
  • 3.Terena number system and combination with numerals
  • 4.Constructions with ‘êno’: Measurement in terms of volume vs. cardinality
    • 4.1Quantification
    • 4.2Comparatives
  • 5.Final considerations
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • References
Published online: 1 October 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/lv.00028.san
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