Weak readings of indefinites

Type-shifting and closure

Bibliographic Data

ID20344381
AuthorsHenriette De Swart (corresponding author)
Year2001
Volume18
Issue1
Publication date2001-01-14
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Linguistic Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0167-6318 • E-ISSN: 1613-3676
PublisherWalter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1515/tlir.18.1.69
OpenAlexW2021954924
LanguageEN
Citations received13

The starting point of our investigation is the assumption that weak indefinite NPs have a well-formed denotation of type 〈e, t〉. This paper explores the consequences of this flexible type-theoretic approach at the compositional level. Some expressions (e.g., predicative be) select for arguments of type 〈e, t〉. The combination of predicative NPs with stage-level predicates and other expressions which do not necessarily select for arguments of type 〈e, t〉 creates a type mismatch which can be solved by defining modes of composition other than function application. These closure operations are argued to be lexicalized in light verbs like have and intensional verbs like seek. They are grammaticalized in the existential there construction

Epistemology · Existentialism · Geometry · Linguistics · Predicative expression · Pure mathematics · Semiotics · Type theory · Computer Science · Historical Linguistics and Language Studies · Mathematics · Natural Language Processing Techniques · Philosophy · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation