Mess Mass Nouns

Mess mass nouns are interpreted as mess mass i-sets. A mess mass i-set is an i-set with a base that is either not atomistic (or even not atomic) or is atomistic with a set of base atoms that is not disjoint. The class of mess mass i-sets is an eclectic category which allows a spectrum of techniques for modeling the semantics of mess mass nouns. Section 8.1 gives examples of mess mass analyses across this spectrum. In many of these cases the base of the i-set is an overlapping set of variants for the i-set supremum, alternative ways of partitioning the i-set supremum into disjoint sets of parts. In Sect. 8.1.5 we apply the theory to the Supremum argument that was discussed in Chap. 4, and show how the Iceberg semantics given here allows both an analysis where the supremums of the interpretations of corresponding mass and count DPs are identified, and an analysis where they are not. Section 8.2 deals with grinding or downshifting interpretations. Downshifting is an operation that extends body and base of an i-set downwards. It is shown that we find downshifting both for count nouns and for neat mass nouns and it is argued that downshifting is always to mess mass. Section 8.3 argues that in Dutch under certain circumstances count comparison and modification with distributive adjectives is possible even for mess mass nouns: a highly salient contextual disjoint portioning of the body of the mess mass noun denotation can access a disjoint distribution set of portions, and hence allow what is normally only allowed for neat mass nouns.