Closed classes = metalinguistic shorthand
• a) calling attention to differences in
pragmatic (reference, etc.), usage
(deference, etc.), or functional aspects (in
case of, e.g., ‘conjunctions’)
• b) simplifying lexicographers’ work by
grouping queer, anomalous, or out of the
ordinary lexical items in the same basket –
on grounds of considerations in (a)
• c) letting outsiders think that grammar is
‘orderly’: making statements about classes
of words, not just individual items.