Quantitative lexical classifiers: A taxonomy proposal

Abstract

The present paper proposes a taxonomy of Serbo-Croatian quantitative lexical classifi ers (words like sheet, as in a sheet of paper or bag as in a bag of potatoes). Based on the database of quantitative lexical classifiers extracted from the six-volume Matica Srpska Dictionary and a survey of native speakers, the author identifies the following binary oppositions: dividing/uniting, internal/external, resultative/non-resultative, quantitative/non-quantitative, countable/uncountable, shaping/non-shaping, categorizing/non-categorizing, and metaphorical/non-metaphorical. The top tier of the taxonomy is based on the opposition between dividing and uniting, its second level on the opposition between internal and external divisors and unifiers. All other oppositions are deployed at the third level of taxonomy. The taxonomy is intended as a contribution to further exploring Serbo-Croatian quantitative lexical classifiers and concurrently as a tool of their more efficient lexicographic and second language acquisition treatment.

Keywords

• lexical classifi ers
• serbo-croatian
• taxonomy
• unification
• division