|
Home page List of proceedings Info for readers Info for authors Info for editors Info for libraries Order form Shopping cart |
Proceedings of the 26th West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics edited by Charles B. Chang and Hannah J. Haynie ISBN 978-1-57473-423-2 library binding vii+524 pages publication date: 2008 published by Cascadilla Proceedings Project, Somerville, MA, USA Table of contents Abstract Simona Herdan A Superlative Theory of Amount Relatives 234-242 (complete pdf) This paper argues against a uniform treatment of amount relatives. Specifically, it claims that not all types of relatives that have been included in the class of amount relatives actually involve quantification over degrees. A new semantics which involves a covert superlative morpheme is proposed for there-relatives. The function of the superlative morpheme is to absorb the degree variable contained in the degree relative and yield a set of individuals. ACD relatives with amount readings, on the other hand, do not involve degree quantification, but owe their specific amount readings to a special E-type restrictive relative interpretation. This distinction in the semantics can account both for the distribution of the amount readings and for various restrictions on the two classes of relatives. |