Japanese numeral quantifiers that count events

要旨

An event classifier is a unit for counting events rather than objects. This chapter discusses the Japanese event classifier that appears in the verbal domain. Since this topic has not been extensively discussed in the literature, the chapter provides a survey of Japanese event classifiers, sorting them into several types. Along the way, it examines two event classifiers, do ‘times’ and kai ‘times’, which are both frequently used due to their generality, both applying to virtually any type of event. The focus then shifts to one of the more productive constructions with Japanese event classifiers, namely those involving the light verb suru ‘do’. The chapter concludes with some general comments on the linguistic phenomena of counting events and counting objects, with special attention to the flexible nature of both modes of counting.

主題