Prefixes as quantifiers in modern Japanese language

In this article we have analyzed meaning and using of polysemantic prefix 片 as a quantifier. Analyzed words with prefix 片 were taken by sampling from Japanese-Russian dictionaries and Japanese Internet sites. Syntactic using of the nouns with prefix 片 has been defined with sentences on the Internet site of Scientific Research Institute of Japanese Language. The frequently used meanings of studied prefix have been revealed. One of the meanings of prefix 片 kata- is “part into opposition to the whole, one of…”. The using of the prefix in the given meaning is one the ways in Japanese language to show singularity of object when we select it from pair objects or group of pair objects. In this case the words with prefix 片 kata- may be in opposition to the words with prefix 諸 shou (in Japanese reading moro-) with meaning “both, the both side” and the words without prefix. Sometimes when prefix 片 kata- can’t be joined to the words meaning “pair”, it can be joined to the words such as 方 hou, 面 men, 側 gawa meaning “side” according to animate and inanimate subjects and these words are used as a subject or attribute to the word with meaning “pair”. Prefix 片 in this meaning together with prefixes 数 suu-, 両 ryou:-, 双 sou may be qualified as excisional quantifiers with meaning “exist some or extremely one” and are in opposition to prefixes 諸 shou-, 万 ban-, 各 kaku-, which may be qualified as universal quantifiers with meaning “every, all, any”. Moreover there are words with prefix 片kata- that haven’t any relation to the expression of singularity and have meanings such as “deviating from standard, not numerous, invalid, far from the center”.