Glossary:Quantifiers

Pronunciation

BE /ˈkwɒntɪfaɪə/, AE /ˈkwɑntɪˌfaɪər/

Definition

A quantifier is an expression (e.g. all, some) that indicates the scope of a term to which it is attached. It is used to make general statements about whole classes of entities rather than statements which are only true of a particular entity.

There are different types of quantifiers: logical quantifiers (universal quantifier, existential quantifier), restricted quantifiers

Examples

-Ramon signs every sculpture he makes

-Several cars crashed.

-‘All cities are dirty’ (or for that matter ‘no cities are dirty’) involve quantifiers, whereas ‘London is dirty’ only conveys information about a particular entity.

References

• Gregory, Howard. 2000. Semantics. Language Workbook. London/New York: Rutledge.
• http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/quantifier?q=quantifier

References

• Logical quantifiers
• Universal quantifier
• Existential quantifier
• Restricted quantifier
• Predicate logic (first-order predicate logic)
• Logical form