• Dutch1
  • Frisian
  • Saterfrisian
  • Afrikaans
Show all
Alle all
quickinfo

The quantifier alle all is unable to support noun ellipsis. Instead, a quantifier float structure is required, featuring the adverbial form allegear all.

readmore

The quantifier alle all is unable to support noun ellipsis in subject position, in object position or as a prepositional complement, as shown in the example below:

1
a. *Alle / allen wiene moai
all were beautiful
They were all beautiful
b. *Ik ha alle / allen sjoen
I have all seen
I've seen all
c. *Hy bewarre him foar allen
he kept him for all
He kept him for all of them

Instead, it requires a quantifier float structure, that is, a structure in which the quantifier appears as an adverb accompanying a coreferring pronoun. The quantifier alle all shows up in its adverbial form as allegear all:

2
a. Se wiene allegear moai
they were all beautiful
They were all beautiful
b. Ik ha se allegear sjoen
I have them all seen
I've seen them all
c. Oft er man en heit hoedzje woe en foar har allegear bewarje
whether He husband and father guard wanted and for them all keep
Whether he wanted to guard husband and father to protect them for them all

The form allegear all occasionally shows up without an accompanying pronoun:

3
a. By myn berte ... bin ik op 'e grûn delkommen, lykas it mei allegear giet
at my birth ... am I on the ground landed as it with all went
At my birth .. I landed on the ground, just as it happens to all
b. Wiif, bern, tsjinstfolk, allegear dy't men dêr fûn
wife children servants all who one there found
Wife, children, servants, all who they found there
c. Ik stjer en allegear dy't my kenne stjerre ienris
I die and all who me know die once
I will die and all who know me will die one day

The form allen all does occur as a prepositional complement in a specific construction in which the mei withAdposition Phrase (PP) specifies the nature of the subject. This construction is discussed elsewhere:

4
a. Se geane der mei har allen op út
they go there with them all on out
All of them are going on a trip together
b. *Se geane der mei har allegear op út
all of them are going on a trip together
All of them are going on a trip together

Alle all is unable to occur with the suffix -enien, which must be due to its inherent pluralty and, possibly, to a property which alle all shares with definite articles and demonstratives, since these may not occur with -enien either. According to the theory of Generalised Quantifiers, alle all forms a natural class with definite articles and demonstratives. Alle all can itself precede mass nouns, but it cannot be used elliptically with mass nouns, unless the special nominal form alles everything is used. This phenomenon is insensitive to gender and is illustrated below:

5
a. Alle bûter is op
all butter.CG is up
All the butter is finished
b. *Alles bûter is op
all butter.CG is up
All the butter is finished
c. En de bûter? Alles is op
and the butter.CG all is up
And the butter? It is finished, all of it
d. *En de bûter? Alle is op
and the butter.CG all is up
And the butter? It is finished, all of it
e. Alle bier is op
all beer.NG is up
All the beer is finished
f. *Alles bier is op
all beer.NG is up
All the beer is finished
g. En it bier? Alles is op
and the beer.NG all is up
And the beer? It is finished, all of it
h. *En it bier? Alle is op
and the beer.NG all is up
And the beer? It is finished, all of it

When alle all occurs with a mass noun of common gender, the form al de all the can be used instead as well. When alle all occurs with a mass noun of neuter gender, the combination al it all the can be used:

6
a. Al de bûter
all the.CG butter
All the butter
b. Al it bier
all the.NG beer
All the beer
References
    printreport errorcite