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Anonymous Posted 21 years ago
Linguistics Studies
countable or uncountable? That is the question...
I am one of those people who learned American English as a second language.
American English dictionaries never mention anything about a particular noun being countable and uncountable. I learned mass nouns and abstract nouns, both of which are uncountable. I had thought it was up to an individual to decide whether a noun is mass or abstract one, therefore uncountable.
After having lived in the States for so many years, I discovered that British English dictionaries do designate each noun as countable noun or uncountable or both.
I am quite curious as to who decides such things. Do they take votes among the "expert grammarians"?
I discovered yesterday that 'announcement' is a countable noun and I had thought until then it was an uncountable one because it sounded as if it were an abstract one.
I hope somebody will have some good answers to this thought-provoking( (-; ) question.
American English dictionaries never mention anything about a particular noun being countable and uncountable. I learned mass nouns and abstract nouns, both of which are uncountable. I had thought it was up to an individual to decide whether a noun is mass or abstract one, therefore uncountable.
After having lived in the States for so many years, I discovered that British English dictionaries do designate each noun as countable noun or uncountable or both.
I am quite curious as to who decides such things. Do they take votes among the "expert grammarians"?
I discovered yesterday that 'announcement' is a countable noun and I had thought until then it was an uncountable one because it sounded as if it were an abstract one.
I hope somebody will have some good answers to this thought-provoking( (-; ) question.
Top answer
No one votes on anything grammatical or lexical in the English language. We the speakers decide these things, by how we use them. However, it may ease your mind to know that many nouns can be used in both senses.
- No one votes on anything grammatical or lexical in the English language.
- We the speakers decide these things, by how we use them.
- However, it may ease your mind to know that many nouns can be used in both senses.
- Announcement is an embarrassing way to find out about one's divorce settlement.
- There were seven announcements about the earthquake on the radio last night .
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1 Answers
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No one votes on anything grammatical or lexical in the English language. We the speakers decide these things, by how we use them.
However, it may ease your mind to know that many nouns can be used in both senses.
Announcement is an embarrassing way to find out about one's divorce settlement.
There were seven announcements about the earthquake on the
However, it may ease your mind to know that many nouns can be used in both senses.
Announcement is an embarrassing way to find out about one's divorce settlement.
There were seven announcements about the earthquake on the
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