Los numerales partitivos en español

Abstract

We study the grammar of partitive number determiners, which denote the idea of rational number in Spanish. Our data includes partitive numerals such as la mitad (“the half”, ‘half’), dos terceras partes (“two third parts”, ‘two-thirds’), dos tercios (“two-thirds”). Partitive numerals are a heterogeneous grammatical class. The different partitive numeral expressions categorize some of the algorithms used during the long process of inventing the idea of rational number. Except for the adjectival natural fraction medio (“half”), partitive numerals are com-plex nominal expressions which result from applying a partition operator to two number argu-ments (divisor and dividend). We propose that the partition operator, expressed in Spanish by the noun parte (“part”) or by a partitive nominal suffix, is the head of a partitive number phrase, which is projected in syntax as a split nP, NP shell. The partitive relation among two numbers conveyed by a partitive numeral is expressed by means of the plural morpheme of the nominal head of the partitive number phrase