Grammatical categories of the noun: number

The grammatical category of Number is defined as a set of word forms, which have a common invariant grammatical meaning of quantification of substance, distinguished between oneness and more than oneness. General quantitative characteristics of words determine the division of the nounal vocabulary into countable and uncountable. Countable nouns denote things or individuals that can be counted. Number is mostly realized by synthetical paradigmatic forms through a zero morpheme indicating singular of a noun and marked inflexions showing plurality, respectively:

day, hill, book – days, hills, books;

glass, box, bush – glasses, boxes, bushes;

fly, study, city – flies, studies, cities;

leaf, wife, calf – leaves, wives, calves;

criterion, radius, thesis – criteria, radia, theses.

Pertaining to the English language is the formation of plural by the way of so called irregular means: e.g. children, oxen; feet, teeth, mice, lice. English peculiarity lies also in existence of homonymous forms, similar both for singular and plural: e.g. sheep, salmon, trout, fish, series, species, means, headquarters. In addition, English number is specified due to some borrowed noun inflexions either of Latin or Greek origin: e.g. stimulus – stimuli, nucleus – nuclei, syllabus – syllabi, focus – foci, medium – media, datum – data, thesis – theses, analysis – analyses, criterion – criteria.

As regards uncountable nouns, they denote objects that cannot be counted and together with geographical names, abstract, collective and mass nouns set up classes of singularia and pluralia tantum.

Singularia Tantum are nouns used in the singular: mass nouns (e.g. air, water, iron, honey, snow, fish, fruit); abstract nouns (e.g. success, excitement, curiosity, fun, weather, news, advice);some collective nouns (e.g. linen, furniture, information, equipment, rubbish);nouns denoting parts of the world (e.g. North, East, Brussels, Wales, the United Nations);names of subjects (e.g. phonetics, linguistics, mathematics, physics).In this context it is important to observe that the choice between singular and plural in some nouns of these groups may be possible and depends on the meaning attached to the noun. Compare: much fruit – много фруктов, a lot of fruit were on the dish – много фруктов было на тарелке, the rich fruits of the labour – богатые плоды труда; at her age – в ее возрасте, for ages – целая вечность; the cost of the product – стоимость товара, at any costs – любой ценой; four million – четыре миллиона, millions of people –миллионы людей. In English homonymy, normally, occurs when the same form of the word being used singular or plural results in difference of the meaning: e.g. custom/customs –habit, duties; pain/pains – suffering, effort; experience/experiences – background, events; tin/tins – material, container; youth/youths – adolescence, a young person. In spite of this, some findings demonstrate double plurals used with some difference of meaning: e.g. brother – brothers (sons of one mother), brethren (members of one community); genius – geniuses (men of genius), genii (spirits); cloth – cloths (kinds of cloth), clothes (articles of dress).

Pluralia Tantum are nouns used in the plural: names of things consisting of two similar halves (e.g. scales, scissors, trousers, glasses, suspenders, sledges, pincers, leggings); names of remnants (e.g. scraps, sweepings, siftings, leavings); names of some games (e.g. cards, drafts, darts, skittles, billiards); some collective nouns (e.g. belongings, contents, memories, savings, slums, outskirts, wages, premises, goods); some geographical names (e.g. Athens, the Netherlands, the Alps, the Philippines, the Bermudas).

To conclude, the category of number is characterized by expressing quantity of substance depending on semantic classes of nouns outlined in the grammatical structure of English.

Key words:

grammatical category of number грамматическая категория числа

common invariant grammatical meaning of quantification of substance обобщенное инвариантное грамматическое значение количественности предмета

onenes s единичность

quantitative characteristics количественные характеристики

countable исчисляемые

uncountable неисчисляемые

synthetical paradigmatic forms синтетические парадигматические формы

zero morpeme нулевая морфема

singular единственное число

marked inflexion маркированная инфлексия

plurality множественное число

homonymous forms омонимичные формы

singularia tantum употребление только в единственном числе

pluralia tantum употребление только во множественном числе

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