DE eng

Search in the Catalogues and Directories

Hits 1 – 4 of 4

1
Granularity in the Semantics of Comparison
In: Semantics and Linguistic Theory; Proceedings of SALT 31; 550-569 ; 2163-5951 (2022)
Abstract: This paper makes the novel observation that definite comparatives, such as the bigger circle, impose restrictions on the cardinality of the comparison class (CC) against which their truth conditions are evaluated. We show that the corpus frequency counts of definite comparatives sharply drop when the comparison class used for their interpretation is formed by more than two individuals. Two alternative theories of these distributional facts are considered and tested experimentally through an acceptability judgment task. According to the first theory, the 2-Individuals Theory, definite comparatives presuppose that the CC is of cardinality 2; under the second theory, the 2-Degrees Theory, the meaning of the comparative is evaluated against a granularity γ that maps the individuals in the CC to degrees in the relevant adjectival scale, and definite comparatives presuppose that the set of the degrees resulting from this mapping is of cardinality 2. Our experimental results show that definite comparative descriptions are most frequent and felicitous when evaluated against comparison classes with two individuals, but also that acceptability drops off with higher cardinalities in a gradient manner that is sensitive to granularity. Taken together, these findings argue against the 2-Individuals theory of definite comparatives and lend support to the 2-Degrees theory.
URL: http://journals.linguisticsociety.org/proceedings/index.php/SALT/article/view/31.028
https://doi.org/10.3765/salt.v31i0.5121
BASE
Hide details
2
Perceived Informativity and Referential Effects of Contrast in Adjectivally Modified NPs
In: The semantics of gradability, vagueness, and scale structure : experimental perspectives (2018), S. 199-220
Leibniz-Zentrum Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft
Show details
3
Processing gradable adjectives in context: A Visual World study
In: Semantics and Linguistic Theory; Proceedings of SALT 25; 413-432 ; 2163-5951 (2016)
BASE
Show details
4
Proceedings of the forty-ninth (49.) annual meeting of the Chicago Linguistic Society
Leibniz-Zentrum Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft
Show details

Catalogues
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
Bibliographies
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Linked Open Data catalogues
0
Online resources
0
0
0
0
Open access documents
2
0
0
0
0
© 2013 - 2024 Lin|gu|is|tik | Imprint | Privacy Policy | Datenschutzeinstellungen ändern