Originally generalized quantifiers were introduced to specify that a given formula was true for “many x's” e.g. ⊨ Qxφ(x) iff card{x ∈ ∣∣ ∣ ⊨ φ[x]} ≥ ℵ0, ℵ1, or some fixed cardinal κ. In this paper we formalize the notion that φ{x) is true “for almost all x”. This is accomplished by referring to structures = (′, μ) where ′ is a first-order structure and μ is a measure of a suitable type on the universe of ′. We will prove that the language Lμ obtained from first-order logic by adjoining a quantifier Qμ, which ranges over the measure μ, is fully compact if we assume the existence of a proper class of measurable cardinals. As a corollary to the compactness theorem we obtain the recursive enumerability of the validities of Lμ. Finally, the Magidor-Malitz quantifiers Qkn (n ∈ ω) will be added to Lμ together with analogous quantifiers Qμm (m ∈ ω) to form Lκμ<ω,<ω, which is compact for sets of sentences of cardinality < κ, where κ is a measurable cardinal > ℵ0.

An alternate approach to formalizing “for almost all” has been recently developed by Barwise, Kaufmann and Makkai [1] who follow a suggestion of Shelah [5].