Number, (In)definiteness and Norwegian Nouns

Abstract

The Norwegian bare plural may help clarify the distinction between subjects of generic and true kind predicates since it may be used as the former, but not as the latter. Its interpretational and distributional properties are furthermore outnumbered by the truly bare Norwegian N which may be subject of both kinds and generics in addition to functioning as a nominal predicate. I cement the fact that the Norwegian bare plural is inherently indefinite, and propose that the properties of the truly bare N may be given a unified account if analysed as marked for general number rather than as an indefinite singular.