Genericity sans Gen

<jats:p>Generics are exception‐admitting generalisations, which find expression in apparently diverse linguistic forms. A standard claim is that there is a hidden linguistic unity to genericity in the form of a covert operator, <jats:italic>Gen</jats:italic>. This article surveys and rejects a range of considerations that purport to show <jats:italic>Gen</jats:italic> to be syntactically essential to the explanation of a range of linguistic phenomena connected to genericity. The conclusion reached is that genericity is not a specifically linguistic property insofar as it does not supervene upon any especial linguistic device; rather, genericity supervenes on broader cognitive competencies within linguistic constraints.</jats:p>