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Quantifier <i>None</i> and Its Relation to the Concept of Zero
Department of Linguistics and Translation, Taibah University, Madinah, KSA
- 1 Department of Linguistics and Translation, Taibah University, Madinah, KSA
Open Journal of Modern Linguistics·Volume 14 (2024)·Pages 95–115·Published 26 January 2024·DOI10.4236/ojml.2024.141006
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Abstract
Native speakers of English use the negative quantifier none in constructions followed by the singular or the plural form of the main verb in a sentence like None (of the students) is/are present . This article intends to explain why such choice is permissible and under which semantic circumstances. Our explanation is based on a possible relation between quantifier none and the concept of “zero”, “nothingness” or “zeroness” as we would like to name it, as well as the collective interpretation of “zero” as a cardinal with 0 value or the result of a mental subtraction that overlaps with the semantics of the empty set, i.e., a set with no members at all.
KeywordsSemanticsEnglish GrammarQuantifier None“Nothingness”Zero“Zeroness”
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