Why we still don't need/want variables: Two SALTy case studies

This paper defends the claim that variables and assignment functions are not needed as part of the semantic machinery against two apparent challenges.  The relevant domains at first glance appear to show the need for variable names - but only if the variable-ful theory is supplemented with a stipulation preventing 'meaningless coindexation'.  I argue that not only are both domains amenable to variable free analyses, but that indeed the variable free analyses have advnatages over the analyses using variables

Paychecks, Stress, and Variable-Free Semantics

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Kennedy's Puzzle: What I'm Named or Who I Am?

No abstract

Binding Connectivity in Copular Sentences

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Antecedent Contained Deletion and Pied-Piping: Evidence for a Variable-Free Semantics

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Answering implicit questions: the case of namely

Though several prior works use English namely as evidence for the semantics of other elements, its own syntax and semantics have been mostly unexamined. In this paper, we focus on two central questions which we claim to be interrelated. First, what is the semantic contribution of namely? Second, how does namely combine with the surrounding material compositionally to produce appropriate overall sentence meanings? Given the apparent similarity of namely to fragments and Sluicing, one answer suggested in previous literature (e.g. Onea & Volodina (2011), Weir (2014), Ott (2016)) is that an example like Someone coughed, namely Bill. involves deletion of silent linguistic material . . . Bill coughed. Here, we argue against this idea, arguing that namely introduces an answer to an implicit specificational question combining with its complement (i.e. Bill in the above example) directly, similar to Qu-Ans analysis of fragments (Groenendijk & Stokhof (1984), Jacobson (2016))

The Iowa Homemaker vol.4, no.2

Table of Contents To the High School Girls of Iowa by Anna E. Richardson, page 3 For the College Room by Barbara Mills Dewell, page 4 The Junior-Senior Banquet by Viola Jammer and Pauline Peacock, page 4 Picnic Preparations by Louise Evans Doole, page 5 Finding Yourself by H. M. Hamlin, page 6 Stories of the Sand by Katherine Holden, page 7 Appropriate Pictures for the Home by Amanda Jacobson, page 8 The Individual Scarf by Rhea Fern Schultz, page 9 Using Your Kodak by H. P. Doole, page 10 Something Plus by Laura E. Bublitz, page 11 The Ideal Homemaker by Rosalie Larson, page 12 University Life in France by Mercie Carley, page 12 Homemaker as Citizen by Jeanette Beyer, page 13 Who’s There and Where by Dryden Quist, page 14 Editorial, page 15 The Eternal Question, page 1

'Tough'-constructions and their derivation

This article addresses the syntax of the notorious 'tough' (-movement) construction (TC) in English. TCs exhibit a range of apparently contradictory empirical properties suggesting that their derivation involves the application of both A-movement and A'-movement operations. Given that within previous Principles and Parameters models TCs have remained “unexplained and in principle unexplainable” (Holmberg 2000: 839) due to incompatibility with constraints on theta-assignment, locality, and Case, this article argues that the phase-based implementation of the Minimalist program (Chomsky 2000, 2001, 2004) permits a reanalysis of null wh-operators capable of circumventing the previous theoretical difficulties. Essentially, 'tough'-movement consists of A-moving a constituent out of a “complex” null operator which has already undergone A'-movement, a “smuggling” construction in the terms of Collins (2005a,b

Should UI Eligibility Be Expanded to Low-Earning Workers? Evidence on Employment, Transfer Receipt, and Income from Administrative Data

Recent efforts to expand unemployment insurance (UI) eligibility are expected to increase low-earning workers’ access to UI. Although the expansion’s aim is to smooth the income and consumption of previously ineligible workers, it is possible that UI benefits simply displace other sources of income. Standard economic models predict that UI delays reemployment, thereby reducing wage income. Additionally, low-earning workers are often eligible for benefits from means-tested programs, which may decrease with UI benefits. In this paper, we estimate the impact of UI eligibility on employment, means-tested program participation, and income after job loss using a unique individual-level administrative data set from the state of Michigan. To identify a causal effect, we implement a fuzzy regression discontinuity design around the minimum earnings threshold for UI eligibility. Our main finding is that while UI eligibility increases jobless durations by up to 25 percent and temporarily lowers receipt of cash assistance (TANF) by 63 percent, the net impact on total income is still positive and large. In the quarter immediately following job loss, UI-eligible workers have 46-61 percent higher incomes than ineligibles