In this work we investigate the internal syntax and semantics of quantifier phrases (QP) involving cardinal numerals. Concentrating on a set of previously documented puzzles concerning Case and number agreement within the numeral phrase in Russian, we argue that these agreement patterns follow naturally if one recognizes three structural layers in a numeral-based QP: the countability layer, the number layer and the quantificational layer. Our central theoretical claim is that the countability layer is implemented as a (pseudo-)classifier structure whose morphological manifestation obeys a principle of syntactic ‘visibility’. Our specific claim for Russian is that, diachronically, this countability layer has emerged as a result of the loss of the dual number in the course of transition between Old and Modern Russian. We strengthen our conclusions with psycholinguistic evidence from a sentence completion study that tests Russian speakers’ sensitivity to the countability layer.

中文翻译：

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俄语中的可数性、一致性和双重性的丧失

在这项工作中，我们研究了涉及基数的量词短语 (QP) 的内部句法和语义。专注于一组先前记录的关于俄语数词短语中格和数一致性的难题，我们认为，如果人们识别基于数字的 QP 中的三个结构层：可数层、数层和量化层。我们的核心理论主张是，可数层被实现为（伪）分类器结构，其形态表现遵循句法“可见性”原则。我们对俄语的具体主张是，从历时来看，这个可数层是由于在古俄语和现代俄语之间的过渡过程中失去对偶数而出现的。