A Universal in Indefinite Quantifiers

Abstract

À universal in the indefinite quantificators.
Interest is given to the pronouns of the paradigm «n'importe qui, n’importe quel, n’im- porte où ; etc...» which, in many languages, cor respond to linguistic features derived from inter- rogative pronouns or adverbs. The proposed uni versal is as follows : «the universal quantificator is expressed by means of interrogative pronouns or adverbs (this universal has now been verified in more than sixty languages)- This mode of for mation need not be the only one : for instance, in English, beside tobo-so-ever, there is a linguistic feature anybody ; in German wer-auch- immer is used in parallel with a derivate of ir gend but the etymology of irgend reveals an in- terrogative word, which is combined with a fea ture related to the Latin feature cum (cum + substantive noun : «although»)- To obtain the universal quantificator either a word meaning <or » Malagasy Tibetan, Mongolian, Hausa, Rumanian, Quéchua) is generally added, or « too »,
(German, Basque, Chinese, Japanese, Mongolian, Vietnamese, or «even if» (Hungarian, Kikongo,
Latin, Persan, Turkish), or « to want » (Latin, Spanish, Portugese, Berber, Russian} ; or the
interrogative word is doubled (as it frequently occurs). Doubling may be considered equivalent to the operation lying under the operation «or, also even if ». Some languages use in parallel several processes (Latin : quisquis, quivis, quicumque). Further on, the case of existential quantificators (quelque), and the relations between quantificators and conjonctions of the na- tural language, are examined.