The semantics of cardinal versus enumerative existential constructions

In this article, I will argue that the conceptual import of existential con structions is not, as has traditionally been held, to locate entities somew here, but to quantify instances of a general type. This general semantic sc hema is construed as two more specific schemata by the two main types of ex istential, the unmarked, or "cardinal", and the enumerative. A cardinal exi stential such as 'There are five weak spots in the human body' counts the i nstances of 'weak spots' to be found in the human body. The speaker searche s, as it were, the domain delimited by 'the human body' for instances of th e general type 'weak spots' and finds there are 'five'. Put more technicall y, this existential quantifies cardinally the instantiation of the type 'we ak spots' - the type specification part of the focal NP-manifested within t he search domain delimited by the circumstance 'in the human body'. In cont rast, an enumerative existential such as 'There's the theaters, ballets, op eras and art exhibitions' enumerates instances of "cultural activities". It holds up instances for consideration one after the other, i.e., in ordinal fashion. The "general type" under which these instances should be classifi ed is not named directly by the focal NPs, but is implied by their higher-o rder type specifications and further specified by contextual information. I will show that these semantic descriptions flow directly and naturally fro m the grammatical characteristics of cardinal and enumerative existentials, viz. the different kinds of quantification found in their focal NPs, as we ll as the different type-instantiation mechanisms activated by them. Moreov er, I will defend the view that existential 'there' is not an abstract spat ial adverb, but functions as a general pronoun with a systemic relation to ambient it.