Properties of Lower Numerals and their Explanation: A Reply to Paweł Rutkowski

Hammarström, Harald

doi:10.22425/jul.2004.5.2.1

J. Univers. Lang. 2004; 5(2):1-20

pISSN: 1598-6381

DOI: https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2004.5.2.1

Article

Properties of Lower Numerals and their Explanation: A Reply to Paweł Rutkowski

Harald Hammarström ¹

Author Information & Copyright ▼

¹Chalmers University

Copyright ⓒ 2016, Sejong University Language Research Institue. This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Published Online: Jan 01, 2017

Abstract

In a recent article (Rutkowski 2003) Paweł Rutkowski argues that the numerals 1-4 are treated specially in their syntax in across languages. Rutkowski wishes to explain this contrast as due to the working memory’s limited capacity, which cognitivists argue is indeed four items. We challenge this claim by presentation typological data to show a decreasing tendency of lower numerals to be more idiosyncratic and that 4 is a soft and arbitrary cut-off point outside Indo-European languages. We therefore argue that frequency, with special attention to cognitive reference points, is a better explanation.

Keywords: numerals; frequency; typology of numerals; subitizing; cognitive reference points

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