Слайд 2 Differentiated nouns are nouns where ending -s
(in plural number) changes the semantic meaning of a
word.
Слайд 3
On the surface of semantic relations, the meaning
of the singular will be understood as simply "one",
as opposed to the meaning of the plural as "many" in the sense of "more than one".
This is apparently obvious for such correlations as book — books, lake — lakes and the like.
Слайд 4
However, alongside of these semantically unequivocal correlations, there
exist plurals and singulars that cannot
be fully accounted for by the above ready-made approach.
Слайд 5 This becomes clear when we take for comparison
such forms as
potato (one item of the vegetables) and potatoes (food), paper (material) and papers (notes or documents), sky (the vault of heaven) and skies (the same sky taken as a direct or figurative background), etc.
"plurality" in the grammatical sense, should be described as the potentially dismembering reflection of the structure of the referent, while the sememic mark of the singular will be understood as the non-dismembering reflection of the structure of the referent, i.e. the presentation of the referent in its indivisible entireness.
Слайд 7 On the other hand, there are semantic varieties
of the plural forms that differ from one another
in their plural quality as such. The extreme point of this semantic scale is marked by the lexicalisation of the plural form, i.e. by its serving as a means of rendering not specificational, but purely notional difference in meaning. Cf. colours as a "flag", attentions as "wooing", pains as "effort", quarters as "abode", etc.
Слайд 8
Ilyish says that “the difference between the two
numbers may increase to such a degree that the
plural form develops a completely new meaning which the singular has not got at all. Thus, for example, the plural form colours has the meaning 'banner' which is restricted to the plural (e. g. to serve under the colours of liberty). In a similar manner, the plural attentions has acquired the meaning 'wooing' (pay attentions to a young lady). Since, in these cases, a difference in lexical meaning develops between the plural and the singular, it is natural to say that the plural form has been lexicalised. What is essential from the grammatical viewpoint is the very fact that a difference in meaning which is purely grammatical in its origins is apt under certain conditions to be overshadowed by a lexical difference.”