The algebraic structure of amounts: Evidence from comparatives

Daniel Lassiter*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Heim [9] notes certain restrictions on quantifier intervention in comparatives and proposes an LF-constraint to account for this. I show that these restrictions are identical to constraints on intervention in wh-questions widely discussed under the heading of weak islands. I also show that Heim's proposal is too restrictive: existential quantifiers can intervene. Both of these facts follow from the algebraic semantic theory of weak islands in Szabolcsi & Zwarts [25], which assigns different algebraic structures to amounts and counting expressions. This theory also makes novel predictions about the interaction of degree operators with conjunction and disjunction, which I show to be correct. Issues involving modal interveners [9], interval semantics for degrees [23,1], and density [4] are also considered.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationInterfaces: Explorations in Logic, Language and Computation
Subtitle of host publicationESSLLI 2008 and ESSLLI 2009 Student Sessions, Selected Papers
EditorsThomas Icard, Reinhard Muskens
Place of PublicationBerlin, Heidelberg
PublisherSpringer
Pages38-56
Number of pages19
Edition1
ISBN (Electronic)9783642147296
ISBN (Print)9783642147289
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 27 Jul 2010
Event21st European Summer School in Logic, Language and Information - Bordeaux, France
Duration: 20 Jul 200931 Jul 2009

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
PublisherSpringer-Verlag Berlin, Heidelberg
VolumeLNCS, 6211
ISSN (Print)0302-9743
ISSN (Electronic)1611-3349

Conference

Conference21st European Summer School in Logic, Language and Information
Abbreviated titleESSLI '09
Country/TerritoryFrance
CityBordeaux
Period20/07/0931/07/09

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • algebraic semantics
  • comparatives
  • degrees
  • disjunction
  • quantification
  • weak islands

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The algebraic structure of amounts: Evidence from comparatives'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this