quantifier (n.) (Q)

A term used in SEMANTIC or logical analysis, referring to a set of ITEMS which express contrasts in quantity, such as all, some, each. The status of some of these items has particular significance in the construction of logical systems, and the distinctions made in logic between universal quantification (i.e. ‘for all X, it is the case that . . .’) and existential quantification (i.e. ‘for some X, it is the case that . . .’) may be found in semantic studies. In some MODELS OF GRAMMATICAL description, quantifiers refer to a class of items expressing contrasts in quantity occurring with restricted DISTRIBUTION in the NOUN PHRASE, e.g. much/many, several, a lot of. Adverbs of quantification (e.g. usually, seldom) may also be recognized, especially in semantic studies. The rule of quantifier-floating has been proposed by some TRANSFORMATIONAL LINGUISTS, to handle the mobile properties of quantifiers in SENTENCES, as in All the people arrived v. The people all arrived. Quantifier-raising is a process assumed in GOVERNMENT-BINDING THEORY which applies in the mapping from S-STRUCTURE to LOGICAL FORM and moves a quantified noun phrase such as everyone into CLAUSE-INITIAL position, giving structures similar to those assumed in logic.