Glossary:Quantifiers
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Quantifier
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
Related Terms
- Determiner
- Existential Quantifier
- Logical Form
- Logical Quantifier
- Predicate Logic (First-order Predicate Logic)
- Restricted Quantifier
- Universal Quantifier
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