Borer 2005a semantic argument

Borer (2005a) develops a model of the noun phrase in which the categories D, #, and Cl figure importantly. Each introduces an open value, represented by (e). Open values are assigned range, either by heads or by specifiers, which restrict their value. The lowest of the three important categories in the DP is (e) div, Div for “division” (Borer 2005a: 59) or “divided” (Borer 2005a: 95), of which one important manifestation is Cl. A noun in which (e) div is assigned range is a count noun ((e) div is absent from mass nouns).

Above (e) div is the category Quantity, or (e)#. This allows masses and count entities to be enumerated or quantified. (e) _# may be assigned range by a quantifier, and is the level at which numerals and most determiners are introduced. Borer’s system explicitly allows heads to assign range to more than one value, and determiners in general are introduced at the (e)# level but then move up to assign range to the next higher level, (e)_d (d for “determiner”), the highest important level in an ordinary noun phrase.

(e)d can unproblematically be equated with the Article and Demonstrative here. Borer’s category (e)# is the level at which numerals are introduced, and so could be equated with the category unit. Borer’s category (e)div and its manifestation Classifier are intended to capture properties both of the Asian classifier types and of English-style plurals. Thus, in the model here it is clearly Pl/sort which is closest to Borer’s (e)div.

Borer argues that Chinese classifiers can assign range to both (e)div and (e)# (moving from the one to the other). Following this, I have suggested that many of the Asian classifiers are properly thought of as conflations of unit and sort (if head-movement is an option, then a typical Asian classifier might move from sort to unit, essentially as Borer suggests).