Compositionality without word boundaries: (the) more and (the) most

Anna Szabolcsi

37 citations0/0 files storedProceedings from Semantics and Linguistic Theory

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Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation Phonetics and Phonology Research Categorization, perception, and language

Abstract

This paper seeks to illustrate the advantages of not treating phonological words as distinguished building blocks in compositional semantics. Following Bobaljik 2012, we derive the relative readings of amount superlatives in two steps, [[[d-many] comparative] superlative]. The existence of two comparative constructions is revealed, involving more vs. the more. Each builds a different superlative construction, explaining the conflicting intuitions about superlatives in the literature, as well as puzzles relating to the definite article in superlatives.

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References

1992A theory of focus interpretation 1998Reference to Kinds across Language 1994Some key features of distributed morphology 2002Syntactic Heads and Word Formation 2000Degree Operators and Scope 2012Universals in Comparative Morphology 2005Movement and Silence 2010Nanosyntax: A short primer to a new approach to language

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2016Addressing the 'two interface' problem: Comparatives and superlatives 2017Split-scope definites: Relative superlatives and Haddock descriptions 2015A superlative argument for a minimal theory of definiteness

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