Scope parallelism and the resolution of ellipsis at the syntax-semantics interface

In this paper several scope asymmetries in VP ellipsis constructions in English and Spanish are studied. It is argued that an approach based on Fox' (1995 a,b) Ellipsis Scope Generalization faces numerous conceptual and empirical problems. Ellipsis resolution is conceived of as a phenomenon belonging to the conceptual-intentional pan of the computational system that is conditioned by the computation of the semantic features of quantifiers at LF. A semantic approach inspired in higher order unification theories of ellipsis is defended. This approach is compatible with the overall philosophy of minimalist grammar: the process of higher-order unification complies with the principle of inclusiveness (Chomsk-y. 19 or projection from the lexicon because the relevant semantic equations are set up and resolved at a discourse level, but they are determined by featuresensitive Logical Forms

Georg Bossong y Francisco Báez de Aguilar González (eds.): Identidades lingüísticas en la España autonómica

Review of: George Bossong y Francisco Báez de Aguilar González (eds.), Identidades lingüísticas en la España autonómica. Madrid, Iberoamericana, 2000

Spanish Root Exclamatives at the Syntax/Semantics Interface

In this paper several aspects of the syntax and semantics of Spanish root exclamatives are analyzed. Assuming a multi-layered approach to the CP projection, it is argued that a degree feature is checked in the Focus layer and that the exclamative feature is checked in the Force layer. The former type of checking provides evidence for the hypothesis that focus-related features are checked in different phases of the syntactic computation. The apparent diversity of exclamative structures in Spanish corresponds to a tight set of derivational mechanisms and corresponding interpretive steps

Dynamic Action Semantics and Deontic Operators

No abstract

Revisiting the Null Subject Parameter : New Insights from Afro-Peruvian Spanish

With the advent of the Minimalist Program (Chomsky 1995), the prevailing view of linguistic variation and contrast within universal Grammar has undergone a shift from rigidly defined parameters ˗associated with clusters of properties (Chomsky 1981; Chomsky & Lasnik 1993)˗ to an approach in which features play a central role, are flexibly distributed, and originate in the lexicon, according to what Baker (2008) calls the "Borer-Chomsky conjecture" (Borer 1984; Chomsky 2001). A closer cross linguistic look at empirical data seems to support this change in focus. The Null Subject Parameter (NSP) (Chomsky 1981; Rizzi 1982), as originally formulated, had a number of shortcomings (cf. Huang 1994; Holmberg 2005). Within the realm of Spanish and Portuguese, two dialects that do not follow the predictions of the NSP are Dominican Spanish (DS) and Brazilian Portuguese (BP). The analysis of these varieties has led to the postulation of new hypotheses to account for their unexpected syntactic patterns (cf. Duarte 1993; Toribio 2000; Camacho 2008; etc.). The present study pays attention to yet another dialect of Spanish that does not conform to the NSP, Chinchano Spanish (CS), an Afro-Hispanic variety spoken in Chincha, Peru. In so doing, this paper provides an analysis of null and overt subjects that partially deviates from previous accounts of similar pro-drop phenomena. Additionally, this study proposes a model of contact-induced language transmission that explains why CS -as well as many other Afro-Hispanic languages of the Americas (AHLAs)- presents patterns that do not align this dialect with either null-subject languages (NSLs) like Italian or non-null-subject languages (NNSLs) like English

Rhetorical questions, relevance and scales

Rhetorical questions, and other varieties of pragmatically conditioned questions, present a challenge for a purely truth-conditional theory of the interpretation of interrogatives. In this paper, it is argued that relevance-theoretic principles account for the conditions of use of rhetorical questions. Concretely, it is proposed that a pragmatic principle, the "Bottom of Scale Principle", critically interacts with the Principle of Relevance and derives the dynamic meaning of the rhetorical use of a question. The Bottom of Scale Principle is also associated with the particular entailment and monotonicity properties of interrogatives, which explain the ability of rhetorical questions to license negative polarity items

Interfaces and Domains of Quantification

The view from the syntax-semantics interface -- Scope parallelism and the interpretation of ellipsis -- Indefinites and modality -- Existence and beyond: varieties of having -- Free relatives and quantificational variability -- Correlatives and degrees -- Concessive conditionals and scalarity -- Superlatives, degrees and focus -- The dimensions of modal discourse particles -- Final thoughts on quantities, structures and meaning.Item embargoed for five year