Quantificatori generalizzati II

This paper is the sequel of “Quantificatori generalizzati e logica del primo ordine - I”. In that paper I argued that from the point of view of Generalized Quantifier theory one can single out some classes of quantifiers that cannot be identified by first order logic. The discovery of these classes is important because it allows to explain some regularities observed in natural language: in some contexts, only the quantifiers of one of these classes may appear. In this paper I examine existential and partitive contexts in particular. Existential contexts are those in which a NP follows the expression “there is/are...”. I show that only one of the three types of quantifiers singled out in the first part of this work is allowed in these contexts, while the other two are not. I try to explain why this happens on the basis of the characterization of those classes I gave in the first paper. Partitive contexts are those of the type “NP1 of NP2”. Only the NPs determined by one of identified classes of quantifiers are allowed in NP2 position. Again I try to explain why.