Universal #1207

Legacy number: 1207

 Number  1203
 Original  Monotonicity constraint:
The simple NPs of any natural language express monotone quantifiers or conjunctions of monotone quantifiers.
 Standardized  Monotonicity constraint:
The simple NPs of any natural language express monotone quantifiers or conjunctions of monotone quantifiers.
 Keywords  quantification, monotonicity, NP
 Domain  syntax, semantics
 Type  unconditional
 Status  achronic
 Quality  absolute
 Basis  unspecified
 Source  Barwise & Cooper 1981: 187, U6

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Discussion
Counterexamples
Notes
Barwise & Cooper explain that this “proposed universal has the effect of ruling out many logically possible quantifiers as simple NP denotations. Examples are the denotations of ‘an even number of men’, ‘exactly three or exactly five men’, ‘all but one man’. It seems unlikely that any natural language would have a basic determiner meaning ‘an even number of’, ‘exactly three or exactly five’ or ‘all but one’.”
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
Barwise & Cooper explain that this "proposed universal has the effect of ruling out many logically possible quantifiers as simple NP denotations. Examples are the denotations of 'an even number of men', 'exactly three or exactly five men', 'all but one man'. It seems unlikely that any natural language would have a basic determiner meaning 'an even number of', 'exactly three or exactly five' or 'all but one'."