Chapter 6

Measure constructions in Hungarian and the semantics of the -nyi suffix

This paper examines the distribution and meaning of the -nyi suffix. -nyi naturally attaches to container classifiers and induces a measure interpretation of the container noun. I show that -nyi is not restricted to the dimension of volume but applies generally to count nouns. -nyi combines with N to create a measure head, analogous to expressions such as kilo. I maintain that being a measure head, N-nyi combines with a numeral to form a complex phrasal modifier. I then examine the semantics of -nyi itself. I show that it has two interpretations: it induces a measure reading of the N pohár in két pohár-nyi bor, and it forces an approximative interpretation when suffixed to an explicit measure expression as in kiló-nyi.