Comparative Ellipsis and Variable Binding

In this paper, we discuss the question whether phrasal comparatives should be given a direct interpretation, or require an analysis as elliptic constructions, and answer it with Yes and No. The most adequate analysis of wide reading attributive (WRA) comparatives seems to be as cases of ellipsis, while a direct (but asymmetric) analysis fits the data for narrow scope attributive comparatives. The question whether it is a syntactic or a semantic process which provides the missing linguistic material in the complement of WRA comparatives is also given a complex answer: Linguistic context is accessed by combining a reconstruction operation and a mechanism of anaphoric reference. The analysis makes only few and straightforward syntactic assumptions. In part, this is made possible because the use of Generalized Functional Application as a semantic operation allows us to model semantic composition in a flexible way.Comment: Postscript, 15 page

A Phase-based Approach to Rightward Movement in Comparatives

In this article, I aim at providing a phase-based explanation of extraposition phenomena in attributive comparatives. Conforming to a semantic requirement, the than-expression is an obligatory complement of the functional Degree head. However, there is need for an adequate explanation of extraposition, which seems to be syntactically unmotivated, if it involves movement to the right. Furthermore, this rightward movement is not even obligatory in head-final constructions. My solution makes use of the fact that comparative complements are phase-sized constituents, and the cyclic Spell-Out of these elements determines their order with respect to other elements in the construction. This may be changed by feature-driven movements in the derivation, which accounts for the lack of extraposition in head-final constructions

Microvariation in Spanish Comparatives

I would like to thank M. Yoshida and an anonymous reviewer for comments and suggestions, the Universidad San Sebastián de Osorno for help with the experiment, M. Ortega for drawing the pictures included in the questionnaire and F. Ordóñez and F. Roca Urgell for inviting me to participate in this volume.Si bé les comparatives de desigualtat amb el marcador que (Pedro es más inteligente que yo) han rebut molta atenció en l'estudi de l'espanyol (e.g., Bolinger 1950, Plann 1984, Sáez del Álamo 1990, Gutiérrez Ordóñez 1994, Romero Cambrón 1998, Brucart 2003 o Reglero 2007), la variació dialectal no ha figurat de manera prominent en la bibliografia. La microvariació a l'espanyol de Xile proporciona proves clares a favor de l'existència d'una anàlisi amb oració reduïda i d'una anàlisi com a SP del segment que-XP; això contrasta amb l'espanyol estàndard, on només la primera anàlisi és possible. Aquesta microvariació és resultat de tenir dues entrades lèxiques per que (complementador pur vs. preposició) o bé de la inexistència d'una de les dues. L'anàlisi com a SP és consistent amb el canvi gradual de de a que en la història de les comparatives en espanyol (Romero Cambrón 1998).While phrasal comparatives of inequality with the comparative marker que 'than' (Pedro es más inteligente que yo 'Pedro is more intelligent than 1.sg.nom') have received a fair deal of attention in the study of Spanish (e.g., Bolinger 1950, Plann 1984, Sáez del Álamo 1990, Gutiérrez Ordóñez 1994, Romero Cambrón 1998, Brucart 2003 or Reglero 2007), dialectal variation has not figured prominently in the literature. Microvariation within Chilean Spanish provides evidence for the existence of both a reduced clause analysis and a PP analysis of the que-XP in the context above, as opposed to standard Spanish, where only the former analysis applies. This microvariation is the result of the availability of two distinct lexical entries for que (a pure complementizer vs. a preposition) or lack thereof. The PP analysis is argued to be consistent with the gradual change from de 'of' to que in the history of comparatives in Spanish (Romero Cambrón 1998)

Focus and Ellipsis in Comparatives and Superlatives: A Case Study

This research was supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency under Contract ONR N00014-90-C-0085 with the Office of Naval Research

Drawing comparisons: a syntactic and semantic approach to basque, spanish and english inequality comparative structures.

286 p.Tesi honek euskarak, gaztelaniak eta ingelesak agertzen dituzten konparazio egituren deskribapena,sailkapena eta azterketa sintaktiko eta semantiko sakona aurkeztea ditu helburu. Tipologikoki oso ezberdinak diren hiru hizkuntza horien alderaketaren bitartez, konparazio egiturek erakusten dituzten hizkuntza arteko etahizkuntza barneko aldakortasun ereduak zehazten ditu tesi honek. Horrez gain, euskarazko, gaztelaniazko eta ingelesezko egitura konparatiboen analisi sintaktiko eta semantiko bateratu bat ere proposatzen du.Ikerlan honetan ondoko tesia defendatzen da, zehazki: euskara, gaztelania eta ingelesezko egiturakonparatiboek erakusten dituzten aldakortasun puntu nagusiak hizkuntza horietan oinarrizko bi konparaziomota egotearen ondorioa dela. Alde batetik, sakonean koordinazio egitura erakusten duten konparazioakaurkitzen ditugu (koordinaziozko konparazioak). Konparazio mota horrek juntagailu egitura arrunten ezaugarribereizgarriak dituela erakusten dut aztertutako hiru hizkuntzetan. Bestetik, mendeko konparazioak ere badaude euskaraz, gaztelaniaz eta ingelesez. Azken mota horretan, konparazioaren oinarriak menpeko osagaien berariazko propietateak azaleratzen dituela erakusten dut.Ikerketa honetan, gramatika deskribatzaile eta arauemaileetako datuetan oinarrituz eta hiztunenjuzkuen azterketaren bitartez (lan honetan garatu ditudan inkesta linguistikoetan lortuak) euskara, gaztelania eta ingelesezko konparazio egituren arkitektura eta konposizio semantikoaren analisi bateratua defendatzen dut

Deletion phenomena in comparative constructions: English comparatives in a cross-linguistic perspective

This book provides a new analysis for the syntax of comparatives, focusing on various deletion phenomena affecting the subclause. In particular, the proposed account shows that Comparative Deletion is merely a surface phenomenon that can be drawn back to the overtness of the comparative operator and the availability of lower copies of a movement chain, and it is thus subject to both language-internal and cross-linguistic variation. The main focus of the book is on English, yet other languages are also discussed for comparative purposes, with the aim of showing what the idiosyncratic properties of English comparatives are