<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> This squib examines a special kind-referring expression in Mandarin Chinese, the N-leikind compound. We show that like Mandarin bare nouns, N-leikind compounds also denote kinds, but they can only be instantiated by sets of (sub) kind entities at type &lt;k, t>, and not sets of individuals at type &lt;e, t>. Specifically, those kind entities belong to basic-level categories in some folk taxonomy. We claim that N-lei is the nominalization counterpart of the classifier phrase lei-N, and it denotes superkinds, which are instantiated by sets of subkind entities. Accordingly, Mandarin bare nouns are comparable to bare plurals in English, whereas N-lei is comparable to definite singulars in English.</abstract>

This squib examines a special kind-referring expression in Mandarin Chinese, the N-leikind compound. We show that like Mandarin bare nouns, N-leikind compounds also denote kinds, but they can only be instantiated by sets of (sub) kind entities at type <k, t>, and not sets of individuals at type <e, t>. Specifically, those kind entities belong to basic-level categories in some folk taxonomy. We claim that N-lei is the nominalization counterpart of the classifier phrase lei-N, and it denotes superkinds, which are instantiated by sets of subkind entities. Accordingly, Mandarin bare nouns are comparable to bare plurals in English, whereas N-lei is comparable to definite singulars in English.

A Note on Reference to Kinds in Mandarin: the N-leikind Compound

Studies in Chinese Linguistics

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

A Note on Reference to Kinds in Mandarin: the N-lei Compound

This squib examines a special kind-referring expression in Mandarin Chinese, the N-leikind compound. We show that like Mandarin bare nouns, N-leikind compounds also denote kinds, but they can only be instantiated by sets of (sub) kind entities at type , and not sets of individuals at type . Specifically, those kind entities belong to basic-level categories in some folk taxonomy. We claim that N-lei is the nominalization counterpart of the classifier phrase lei-N, and it denotes superkinds, which are instantiated by sets of subkind entities. Accordingly, Mandarin bare nouns are comparable to bare plurals in English, whereas N-lei is comparable to definite singulars in English.

This squib examines a special kind-referring expression in Mandarin Chinese, the N-leikind compound. We show that like Mandarin bare nouns, N-leikind compounds...

A Note on Reference to Kinds in Mandarin: the N-lei_kind Compound

Published Online: Jun 30, 2017

Page range: 18 - 34

Received: Jun 02, 2015

Accepted: Aug 17, 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/scl-2017-0002

Keywords
kind terms, bare noun, kind classifier, N-lei

© 2017

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

A Note on Reference to Kinds in Mandarin: the N-leikind Compound

Published Online: Jun 30, 2017

Page range: 18 - 34

Received: Jun 02, 2015

Accepted: Aug 17, 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/scl-2017-0002

Keywordskind terms, bare noun, kind classifier, N-lei

© 2017

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

A Note on Reference to Kinds in Mandarin: the N-lei_kind Compound

Keywords
kind terms, bare noun, kind classifier, N-lei