Quantifiers and Degrees

How do we express how much there is of something? Languages offer a surprisingly complex toolbox for talking about quantities and degrees. The challenge in this line of work is to make sense of that complexity. One sub-theme concerns the meaning of number words? Surely 'two' just means 2, right? It turns out to be quite a bit more interesting.

Publications

2025

  1. VAQUUM: Are vague quantifiers grounded in visual data?
    H. M. Wong, Rick Nouwen, and Albert Gatt
    In Findings of the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL Findings), 2025
    arXiv

2022

  1. Unknown numbers
    Rick Nouwen
    In Measurements, Numerals and Scales, 2022
    PDF

2020

  1. Numeral Semantics
    Lisa Bylinina and Rick Nouwen
    Language and Linguistics Compass, 2020
    DOI
  2. Is there any licensing in non-DE contexts?
    Stavroula Alexandropoulou, Lisa Bylinina, and Rick Nouwen
    In Proceedings of Sinn und Bedeutung 24, 2020
    Website
  3. Degree modification across categories in Afrikaans
    Robyn Berghoff, Rick Nouwen, Lisa Bylinina, and Yaron McNabb
    Linguistic Variation, 2020
    PDF

2019

  1. Scalar vagueness regulation and locative reference
    Rick Nouwen
    Snippets, 2019
    PDF

2018

  1. Splitting Germanic negative indefinites
    Dominique Blok, Lisa Bylinina, and Rick Nouwen
    2018
    Manuscript
    PDF
  2. A remark on conceptual metaphor and scalarity
    Rick Nouwen
    2018
    Manuscript
    PDF
  3. On “zero” and semantic plurality
    Lisa Bylinina and Rick Nouwen
    Glossa, 2018
    DOI
  4. Cumulative comparison: experimental evidence for degree cumulation
    Rick Nouwen and Jakub Dotlačil
    In The semantics of gradability, vagueness, and scale structure: experimental perspectives, 2018
    PDF

2017

  1. The scope of nominal quantifiers in comparatives
    Rick Nouwen and Jakub Dotlačil
    Semantics and Pragmatics, 2017
    PDF
  2. Pragmatic effects of more than and at least in incremental interpretation
    Stavroula Alexandropoulou, Jakub Dotlačil, and Rick Nouwen
    In Semantics and Linguistic Theory (SALT) 27, 2017
    Website

2016

  1. ‘At least’ ignorance inferences come at a processing cost: Support from eye movements
    Stavroula Alexandropoulou, Jakub Dotlačil, and Rick Nouwen
    In Semantics and Linguistic Theory (SALT) 26, 2016
    Website
  2. The comparative and degree pluralities
    Jakub Dotlačil and Rick Nouwen
    Natural Language Semantics, 2016
    Website
  3. Pragmatic inferences with numeral modifiers: Novel experimental data
    Stavroula Alexandropoulou, Jakub Dotlačil, Yaron McNabb, and Rick Nouwen
    In Semantics and Linguistic Theory (SALT) 25, 2016
    Website
  4. The likelihood of upper-bound construals among numeral modifiers
    Yaron McNabb, Stavroula Alexandropoulou, Dominique Blok, Sofia Bimpikou, and Rick Nouwen
    In Proceedings of Sinn und Bedeutung 20, 2016
    Website

2015

  1. Modified numerals: the epistemic effect
    Rick Nouwen
    In Epistemic Indefinites, 2015
    Website

2013

  1. Best nogal aardige middenmoters: de semantiek van graadadverbia van het middenbereik
    Rick Nouwen
    Nederlandse Taalkunde, 2013
    Website

2011

  1. Absolutely relative or relatively absolute
    Naomi Kamoen, Bregje Holleman, Rick Nouwen, Ted Sanders, and Huub Bergh
    Journal of Pragmatics, 2011
    DOI

2010

  1. Two puzzles of requirements
    Rick Nouwen
    In Logic, Language and Meaning: 17th Amsterdam Colloquium, 2010
    Website
  2. Two kinds of modified numerals
    Rick Nouwen
    Semantics and Pragmatics, 2010
    DOI
  3. What’s in a Quantifier?
    Rick Nouwen
    In The Linguistic Enterprise, 2010
    PDF

2008

  1. Two kinds of modified numerals
    Rick Nouwen
    In Proceedings of Sinn und Bedeutung 13, 2008
  2. Upperbounded no more: the exhaustive interpretation of non-strict comparison
    Rick Nouwen
    Natural Language Semantics, 2008
    PDF
  3. Directionality in Numeral Quantifiers: the Case of up to
    Rick Nouwen
    In Semantics and Linguistic Theory (SALT) 18, 2008
    PDF

2007

  1. At least et al.: the semantics of scalar modifiers
    Bart Geurts and Rick Nouwen
    Language, 2007
    Website

2006

  1. Remarks on the polar orientation of almost
    Rick Nouwen
    In Linguistics in the Netherlands, 2006
    PDF

2003

  1. Complement Anaphora and Interpretation
    Rick Nouwen
    Journal of Semantics, 2003
    Website