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Bare predication
Bert Le Bruyn
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I am linguist.a
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Importance
Widespread assumption:
Articles are markers of argumenthood.
Why can’t we do without in predicate position ???
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Dutch/ French/ Norwegian/ …
Sometimes with indefinite article
Sometimes without indefinite article
→ might help us to get a better understanding of why the indefinite article appears
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Organization of the talk
-The facts
-What an analysis should look like
-Previous analyses
-My analysis
-Theoretical implications
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-The facts
-What an analysis should look like
-Previous analyses
-My analysis
-Theoretical implications
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Standard observations
another set of nouns usually takes the indefinite article
one set of nouns usually doesn’t take the indefinite article
= non-capacity nouns
= capacity nouns
Professions Religions Nationalitiesteacher
dictator
…
jew
christian
…
Belgian
American
…
The rest
ex. Hitler was dictator. H was dictator
ex. White Fang is a wolf. WF is a wolf
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Advanced observations
capacity nouns can occur with the indefinite article
Marie is een dictator.M is a dictator
“Mary has characteristics that we associate with dictators”
non-capacity nouns can occur without the indefinite article
Ik ben wolf.I am wolve
“I play the part of wolve”
MARKED USES
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CAPACITY NOUNS NON-CAPACITY NOUNS
NO
IN
DE
FIN
ITE
AR
TIN
DE
FIN
ITE
AR
T
Hitler was dictator.Hitler was dictator
Marie is een dictator.Marie is a dictator
Ik ben wolf.I am wolve
White Fang is a wolf.WF is a wolf
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-The facts
-What an analysis should look like
-Previous analyses
-My analysis
-Theoretical implications
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The ideal analysis
Non-capacity nouns are lexically marked.
Non-capacity nouns need the indefinite article…
Capacity nouns don’t need the indefinite article…
The coercions are linked to some contribution of the indefinite article.
SETUP
MEANING
…and undergo some coercion in its absence.
…and undergo some coercion in its presence.
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-The facts
-What an analysis should look like
-Previous analyses
-My analysis
-Theoretical implications
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Previous analysesMatushansky & Spector (2005)
Non-capacity nouns have a scalarity argument slot.
The scalarity argument slot has to be saturated.
Syntactic marking of saturation = article.
“[This] entails that the indefinite article contributes no meaning, but is only a reflex of a syntactic operation”
This might account for:
The existence of two types of nouns.
Coercion of non-capacity nouns.
This cannot account for:
Coercion of capacity nouns. SET-UP IS W
RONG
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Beyssade & Dobrovie-Sorin (2007)
Two kinds of predicates.
Problem: nothing inherent to the set and property view on predicates predicts the meaning differences.
SEMANTICS IS
UNDERDEFINED
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sortal and non-sortal
“set-like” “property-like”
lexical feature that forcesthem to take the indefinitearticle
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-The facts
-What an analysis should look like
-Previous analyses
-My analysis
-Theoretical implications
General idea: the indefinite article is a marker of kind-membership predication
-Background on kinds
-Background on articles
-Why kind-membership predication has to go with the indefinite article
-The analysis
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-Background on kinds
-Background on articles
-Why kind-membership predication has to go with the indefinite article
-The analysis
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Kinds: first attempt
giraffes
the giraffes that come and eat here every day
If at least two individuals show the same non-accidental behaviour they qualify as a kind in a given world.
Non-accidental behaviour
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At least two
Very intuitive idea.
I made an electrogalvanic-powered diaper wetness sensor.
Dodos are extinct.
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Kinds: second attemptKinds are sets of at least two individuals showing the same behaviour in all worlds in which they exist (past, present and future).
Other diaper sensors may follow.
The non-accidental criterion is maintained:
There have been many dodos and they might resurface.
Once they exist individuals belonging to a kind must behave in the same way across worlds.
The at least two criterion is maintained but the diaper sensor and dodo case are no longer problematic:
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Kinds: recap
Kinds are sets of at least two individuals showing the same behaviour in all worlds (past, present and future) in which they exist.
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-Background on kinds
-Background on articles
-Why kind-membership predication has to go with the indefinite article
-The analysis
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ArticlesMarking argumenthood
In languages that have articles they are obligatory in argument position.
*I have cat.*Man came to see me.
Marking uniqueness
In languages that distinguish between a definite and an indefinite article the definite article (in the singular) is marked for uniqueness whereas the indefinite article is unmarked.
I saw the teacher.I saw a teacher.
Absence of articles
Only possible in predicate position.
Absence of articles: unmarked for uniqueness
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Indefinite vs. bare
both constructions are unmarked for uniqueness
both pragmatically imply non-uniqueness
wherever both are possible the construction with the indefinite article marks non-uniqueness
(marked form linked to marked meaning)
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Use of articlesConstraint I:
Mark uniqueness.
In argument positionConstraint II:
Use articles.
In predicate positionConstraint III:
Don’t use articles...
…unless the predication is sensitive to the uniquenessnon-uniqueness distinction
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-Background on kinds
-Background on articles
-Why kind-membership predication goes with the indefinite article
-The analysis
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Kinds and the indefinite article
Kinds are sets of at least two elements.
Bare predication is unmarked for uniqueness / non-uniqueness.
Kind-membership predication is sensitive to the uniqueness / non-uniqueness contrast.
bare predication
indefinite article
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-Background on kinds
-Background on articles
-Why kind-membership predication has to go with the indefinite article
-The analysis
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Analysis: the gistTwo kinds of nouns
kind non-kind
+ indefinite article - indefinite article
White Fang is een wolf. Jan is dictator.
ex. ex.
WF is a wolf J is dictator
How to check this ?
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-teacher
-plumber
-jew
-catholic
-American
-…
-wolf
-dog
-sock
-building
-lamp
-…
+ indefinite article - indefinite article
Non-accidental Accidental
Constraint on kinds!
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Analysis: the details
Nouns with a KIND feature
Nouns without a KIND feature
needs checking
Lexicon:
KIND feature can only be checked by a –UNIQUE determiner.
= indefinite singular article in predicate position
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If the kind feature is not checked…
…when there is no –UNIQUE determiner available
→ restriction of the kind to contextually relevant instances
…despite the availability of a – UNIQUE determiner
→ coercion into a non-kind noun
(in argument position)
(in predicate position)
non-accidental → accidental
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Use of indefinite article in predicate position with non-kind nouns:
→ coercion into a kind noun
accidental → non-accidental
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The ideal analysis
Non-capacity nouns are lexically marked.
Non-capacity nouns need the indefinite article…
Capacity nouns don’t need the indefinite article…
The coercions are linked to some contribution of the indefinite article.
SETUP
MEANING
…and undergo some coercion in its absence.
…and undergo some coercion in its presence.
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Organization of the talk
-The facts
-What an analysis should look like
-Previous analyses
-My analysis
-Theoretical implications
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Theoretical implications
languages that don’t allow their articles to appear in predicate position(e.g. Salish)
languages that (virtually) don’t allow predicates to appear without articles (e.g. English)
languages that allow for both bare and non-bare predicates(e.g. Dutch)
choice depends on uniqueness considerations that are independent from marking argumenthood
some syntactic accident
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