Re: 'together vs. to gather'

If you had to draw a symbol for "to gather" or "to
disperse" (both intransitive), how would you do ? You
would probably draw several arrows (at least three)
into separate directions from a same point, or
pointing to a single point from different directions
(see PowerPoint symbols for ex). With other verbs of
movement (to go, to go up / down, to go around, etc),
you would draw a single arrow, oriented one or another
way, straight or curve, etc. That's way I think that
those verbs contain a seme of "plural".

--- Andreas Johansson <andjo@...> wrote:
> Quoting Costentin Cornomorus <elemtilas@...>:
>
> > --- Andreas Johansson <andjo@...> did
> > screeve:
> >
> > > Quoting Philippe Caquant
> > > <herodote92@...>:
> > >
> > > > But how can we conceive verbs like "to
> > > > gather" or "to disperse" without the notion
> > > > of plural
> > > > ? Those verbs seem to BE plural in essence,
> > > > they require a plural subject.
> > >
> > > You mean the concept of number, don't you?
> > >
> > > I assume you're talking about the intransitive
> > > versions of those verbs?
> >
> > If so, I don't see how number could enter it at
> > all. The act of gathering or dispersing can take
> > place without ever having gathered or dispersed
> > anything.
>
> Explain that again? English grammar being what it
> is, number will rear its
> sibilant head as soon as count nouns are involved,
> and intr "to gather"
> and "to disperse" can certainly take count nouns as
> subjects. (Are there any
> English verbs that can't take both count and mass
> nouns as subjects?)
>
> > > As
> > > long as the subject is to be a count noun, the
> > > it pretty much has to be
> > > plural, it seems. But if it's mass, then the
> > > sg/pl contrast is simply
> > > transcended. "Dust gathered in the unused
> > > rooms" or whatever.
> >
> > Also with change of voice, there. [Like "soup
> > cooks".]
>
> Change of voice with regard to what?
>
>
>         Andreas

=====
Philippe Caquant

"Le langage est source de malentendus."
(Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

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