In:Weak Referentiality
Edited by Ana Aguilar-Guevara, Bert Le Bruyn and Joost Zwarts
[Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today 219] 2014
► pp. 335–364
Basque nominals
from a system with bare nouns to a system without
Published online: 3 December 2014
https://doi.org/10.1075/la.219.14etx
https://doi.org/10.1075/la.219.14etx
The first aim of this paper is to make a thorough description of the use of nominals as well as of the use of the definite determiner in both Souletin (the most eastern dialect of Basque) and Standard Basque (plus the rest of Basque dialects). Then, assuming that Souletin is a previous stage of Standard Basque (cf. Michelena 1964; Camino 2014; cf. also Manterola 2012), the main aim of this paper is to explain how Basque historically moves from a situation in which bare nouns (BNs) are allowed (in some restricted argument positions and only in Souletin) to a situation in which BNs are not allowed in argument position (Standard Basque).
References (81)
Artiagoitia, X. 1997. DP predicates in Basque. University of Washington Working Papers on Linguistics 15, A. Taff (ed.), 161–198. Seattle WA: University of Washington.
. 2002. The functional structure of Basque noun phrases. In Erramu Boneta: Festschrift for Rudolf P.G. de Rijk, X. Artiagoitia, P. Goenaga & J. Lakarra (eds), 73–90. Vitoria-Gasteiz: ASJU.
. 2004. Izen-sintagmaren birziklatzea: IS-tik izenaren inguruko funtzio-buruetara. In Euskal Gramatika XXI Mendearen Atarian:Arazo Zaharrak, Azterbide Berriak, P. Albizu & B. Fernandez (eds), 13–38.Vitoria-Gastezi: UPV/EHU.
. 2006. Euskarazko izen sintagma: arkitektura eta egitura funtzionala. Ms, UPV/EHU.
. 2012. The DP hypothesis in the grammar of Basque. In NPs and Nominalizations in Basque: Syntax and Semantics [Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today 187], U. Etxeberria R. Etxepare & M. Uribe-Etxebarria (eds), 21–78. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Bourciez, E. 1895. Introduction au recueil des idiomes de la région gasconne. Revue des Pyrénées et de la France Méridionale, 321–324.
Camino, I. 2014. Ekialdeko euskararen iragana. In Euskal dialektologia: lehena eta oraina, I. Epelde & K. Zuazo (eds). Bilbo: ASJU.
Carlson, G. 1977. Reference to Kinds in English. PhD dissertation, University of Massachusetts.
Cheng, L. & Sybesma, R. 1999. Bare and not-so-bare nouns and the structure of NP. Linguistic Inquiry 30: 509–542.
. 2005. Classifiers in four varieties of Chinese. In Handbook of Comparative Syntax, G. Cinque & R. Kayne (eds), 259–292. Oxford: OUP.
Chierchia, G. 1998a. Plurality of mass nouns and the notion of ‘semantic parameter’. In Events and Grammar, S. Rothstein (ed.), 53–103. Dordrecht: Kluwer.
Contreras, H. 1986. Spanish bare NPs and the ECP. In Generative Studies in Spanish Syntax, I. Bordelois, H. Contreras & K. Zagona (eds), 25–49. Dordrecht: Foris.
Coyos, B. 1999. Le parler basque souletin des Arbailles: Une approche de l'ergativité. Paris: L’Harmattan.
Dayal, V. 2004. Number marking and (in)definiteness in kind terms. Linguistics & Philosophy 27: 393–450.
Doetjes, J. 1997. Quantifiers and Selection. On the Distribution of Quantifying Expressions in French, Dutch and English. The Hague: HAG.
Eguren, L. 2006. Non-canonical uses of the article in Basque. In Proceedings of the 32nd Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society, M. Hauser, Y. Kim, D. Mortensen, M. Park-Doob & M. Toosarvandan (eds). Berkeley CA: BLS.
. 2012. Predication markers in Basque. In NPs and Nominalizations in Basque: Syntax and Semantics [Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today 187], U. Etxeberria R. Etxepare & M. Uribe-Etxebarria (eds), 243–266. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Espinal, M.T. & McNally, L. 2011. Bare nominals and incorporating verbs in Spanish and Catalan. Journal of Linguistics 47(1): 87–128.
Etxeberria, U. 2005. Quantification and Domain Restriction in Basque. PhD dissertation, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU & HiTT.
. 2008. On quantification in Basque and on how some languages restrict their quantificational domain overtly. In Quantification: A crosslinguistic perspective, L. Matthewson (ed.), 225–276. Bingley: Emerald.
. 2010. Making a definite be interpreted as an indefinite. In Thematic Volume on Bare Nominals – Journal of Portuguese Linguistics, R. Pires & C. Dobrovie-Sorin (eds), 29–52. Lisboa: U. Lisboa.
. 2012a. Quantification in Basque. In Handbook of Quantifiers in Natural Language, E. Keenan & D. Paperno (eds), 83–164. Berlin: Springer.
. 2012b. The way the definite determiner affects quantifiers in Basque (and beyond). In Noun Phrase and Nominalizations in Basque [Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today 187], U. Etxeberria R. Etxepare & M. Uribe-Etxebarria (eds), 79–110. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
. In prep. Nominal expressions in Basque. Ms, CNRS-IKER.
Etxeberria, U. & Etxepare, R. 2012. When quantifiers do not agree: Three systems. Journal of Portuguese Linguistics 11(1): 61–82.
Etxeberria, U. & Giannakidou, A. 2010. Contextual restriction and the definite determiner. In Context-Dependence, Perspective and Relativity, F. Recanati, I. Stojanovic & N. Villanueva (eds), 93–126. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
. 2014. D-heads, domain restriction, and variation: From Greek and Basque to St’át’imcets Salish. In The Structure of NP/DP in Slavic and Beyond, L. Schürcks, U. Etxeberria & A. Giannakidou (eds). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
Etxepare, R. 2003. Valency and the argument structure in the Basque verb. In: A Grammar of Basque, J. Hualde & J. Ortiz de Urbina (eds), 282–323. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
. 2013. Basque Primary Adpositions from a Clausal Perspective. Ms, CNRS-IKER.
van Geenhoven, V. 1998. Semantic Incorporation and Indefinite Descriptions: Semantic and Syntactic Aspects of Noun Incorporation in West Greenlandic. Stanford CA: CSLI.
. 1991. Izen Sintagmaren Egituraz. In Memoriae L. Mitxelena Magistri Sacrum, J. Lakarra (ed.), 847–865.Donostia: UPV/EHU.
Greenberg, J.H. 1978. How does a language acquire gender markers? In Universals of Human Language, J.H. Greenberg, C.A. Ferguson & E. Moravcsik (eds), 47–82. Stanford CA: Stanford University Press.
Himmelmann, N.P. 2001. Articles. In Language Typology and Language Universals: An International Handbook, M. Haspelmath E. König, W. Osterreicher & W. Raible (eds), 831–841. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
Irigoien, A. 1981. Haur Ora Çirola. In Euskalarien Nazioarteko Jardunaldiak. Iker-1, 365–402. Bilbo: Euskaltzaindia.
Jiang, L.J. 2011. Nominal phrases and language variation. Talk given in the Dept. of East Asian Language and Literatures, The Ohio State University.
Krifka, M. 2004. Bare NPs: kind-referring, indefinites, both, or neither? In Empirical Issues in Formal Syntax and Semantics, O. Bonami & P. Cabredo Hofherr (eds). Paris: CNRS.
Krifka, M. Pelletier, F.J. & Carlson, G.N. et al. 1995. Genericity: An introduction. In The Generic Book, G. Carlson & F.J. Pelletier (eds), 1–124. Chicago IL: The University of Chicago Press.
. 1970. Structure de la déclinaison basque. Actes du Xeme Congrès International de Linguistes, 279–301.
Laka, I. 1993. Unergatives that assign ergative, unaccusatives that assign accusative. In Papers on Case and Agreement, J. Bobaljik & C. Phillips (eds), 149–172. Cambridge MA: MITWPiL.
Longobardi, G. 1994. Reference and proper names: A theory of N-movement in syntax and logical form. Linguistic Inquiry 25(4): 609–665.
. 2001. How comparative is semantics? A unified parametric theory of bare nouns and proper names. Natural Language Semantics 9(4): 335–369.
Manterola, J. 2006. -a euskal artikulu definituaren gainean zenbait ohar. In Studies in Basque and Historical Linguistics in Memory of R.L. Trask - R.L. Trasken oroitzapenetan ikerketak euskalaritzaz eta hizkuntzalaritza historikoaz, J.A. Lakarra & J.I. Hualde (eds), 651–676. Gipuzkoako Foru Aldundia-UPV/EHU, Donostia-Bilbo: ASJU.
. 2008. -a morfemaren erabilera (eza) ekialdeko euskaretan. In Koldo Mitxeleran Katedraren II. Biltzarraren Aktak, J. Gorrotxategi, et al. (eds). Vitoria-Gasteiz: ASJU.
. 2012. Synchronic ubiquity of the Basque article -a: A look from diachrony. In NPs and Nominalizations in Basque: Syntax and Semantics [Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today 187], U. Etxeberria R. Etxepare & M. Uribe-Etxebarria (eds), 179–208. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
. 1979. La langue ibère. In Actas del II Coloquio sobre Lenguas y Culturas Prerromanas de la Península Ibérica, 23–39. Salamanca: Universidad de Salamanca.
. 1994. Contribution de la comparaison typologique à une analyse des rapports ergativité-(in)transitivité en basque. In La langue basque parmi les autres (influences et comparaison), J.B. Orpustan (ed.), 115–148. Saint-Etienne-de-Baigorry: Izpegi.
. 2006. Basque light verb constructions. In Studies in Basque and Historical Linguistics in Memory of R.L. Trask - R.L. Trasken oroitzapenetan ikerketak euskalaritzaz eta hizkuntzalaritza historikoaz, J.A. Lakarra & J.I. Hualde (eds), 787–806. Gipuzkoako Foru Aldundia-UPV/EHU, Donostia-Bilbo: ASJU.
Piriyawiboon, N. 2010. Classifier and Determiner-less Languages: The Case of Thai. PhD dissertation, University of Toronto.
Rodriguez, S. 2003. Euskal artikuluaren sintaxiaz. Unpublished manuscript, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU).
Rullmann, H. & You, A. 2006. General number and the semantics and pragmatics of indefinite bare nouns in Mandarin Chinese. In Where Semantics Meets Pragmatics, K. von Heusinger & K. Turner (eds), 175–196. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
de Swart, H, Winter, Y. & Zwarts, J. 2007. Bare nominals and reference to capacities. Natural Language and Linguistic Theory 25(1): 195–222.
Trask, L. 2003. The noun phrase: Nouns, determiners, and modifiers; Pronouns and names. In A Grammar of Basque, J.I. Hualde & J. Ortiz de Urbina (eds), 92–134. Dordrecht: Kluwer.
Uribe-Etxebarria, M. 1989. On noun incorporation in Basque and some of its consequences in the Phrase Structure. Ms, University of Connecticut.
Zabala, I. 1993. Predikazioaren teoriak gramatika sortzailean. PhD dissertation, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU.
. 2003. Nominal predication: Copulative sentences and secondary predication. In A Grammar of Basque, J.I. Hualde & J. Ortiz de Urbina (eds), 324–339. Dordrecht: Kluwer.
Zamparelli, R. 1998. A theory of kinds, partitives and of/z possessives. In Possessors, Predicates and Movement in the Determiner Phrase [Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today 22], A. Alexiadou, & C. Wilder (eds), 259–304. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
. 2002. Definite and bare kind-denoting noun phrases. In Romance Languages and Linguistic Theory 2000 [Current Issues in Linguistic Theory 232], C. Beyssade, R. Bok-Bennema, F. Drijkoningen & P. Monachesi (eds), 305–342. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Cited by (6)
Cited by six other publications
Vela-Plo, Laura
Cyrino, Sonia & M.Teresa Espinal
2020. Number as an adjunct in Romance. In Romance Languages and Linguistic Theory 16 [Romance Languages and Linguistic Theory, 16], ► pp. 77 ff.
Cyrino, Sonia & M.Teresa Espinal
Luraghi, Silvia, Merlijn De Smit & Iván Igartua
Etxeberria, Urtzi
Etxeberria, Urtzi
2016. Nominals in Basque and their existential interpretation. In Microparameters in the Grammar of Basque [Language Faculty and Beyond, 13], ► pp. 195 ff.
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 22 november 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.
