英语中名词的可数性

The Countability of Nouns in English

可数性除了指被计数的可能性外,还可以指可数语义或用法,以及可数名词。可数名词就是那些最基本语义为可数用法的名词,并且在这个语义下可以被枚举和复数化。可数性与复数性分属语义和句法领域,且没有一一对应的关系。结合语义和句法两根轴线,英语中的名词可以分成四组,其中可数名词一组,不可数名词三组,一些传统意义上的可数名词如clothes,scissors,cattle,audience等被重新划分为不可数名词。

Apart from the possibility of being counted, countability also refers to countable meanings or usages as well as count nouns. A count noun is the one whose basie meaning is a countable usage and can be enumerated and pluralized on the basis of this meaning. Countability and plurality belong to semantics and syntax respectively and there is no such one-to-one eorrespondenee between them. Under the combined criterion of semantics and syntax, nouns in English fall into four Categories, with one group of count nouns and three groups of mass nouns. Some traditional count nouns like clothes, scissors, cattle, audience are renamed as mass nouns according to this principle.