Coordination and Comparatives
, F. Moltmann 1992
This thesis deals with three topics: coordination (Chapter 1-3), comparatives (Chapter 4) and exception phrases (Chapter 5).
In the first three chapters, I will present a new three-dimensional theory of coordination and a particular way of compositionally interpreting three-dimensional syntactic structures. The theory is applied to ATB constructions in Chapter 1 and to constructions with split antecedents in different conjuncts of a coordinate structure in Chapter 2. I propose that both ATB extraction and the constructions with split antecedents involve a new construction type of implicit coordination. In Chapter 3, I will discuss the possibility of implicit coordination in constructions other than "and"-coordination and ATB extraction.
Chapter 4 presents a general syntactic and semantic analysis of comparative constructions. In particular, it presents answers to the following three questions: First, how do quantifier scope interactions come about in comparative clauses and other wh-constructions? Second, how is the empty element in comparative deletion contexts identified? Third, what is the syntactic basis for evaluating comparative clauses the way they are most plausibly evaluated, namely as universal quantifiers over degree? In the fourth chapter, I will also address the issue of whether comparatives involve coordination. I will argue that comparative sentences may have two syntactic structures simultaneously: a coordinate structure and a subordinate structure. This also holds for phrasal comparatives.
Chapter 5 deals with various kinds of exception phrases and a number of other constructions which are either semantically or syntactically related to exception constructions, namely "extent clauses", "almost" phrases and amount relatives. I propose a general semantic condition to account for a constraint on the associated quantifier imposed by exception phrases and semantically related constructions. Furthermore, I will argue that exception constructions may involve polyadic quantification. I will also discuss the issue of whether exception constructions syntactically involve coordination, but argue against this possibility.
Thesis Supervisor: Noam Chomsky
Title: Institute Professor
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Three dimensional approaches to coordination 10
1.1 Introduction 10
1.2 General requirements on a theory of coordination 10
1.2.1 Parallelism and independence in coordinate structures 10
1.2.2 The relation between clausal and phrasal coordination 12
1.3 Coordination in traditional theories 13
1.4 Three-dimensional theories of phrase markers 15
1.4.1 The basic idea and motivation for three-dimensional phrase
markers 15
1.4.2 The formal proposals 16
1.4.2.1 Goodall (1987): coordination as phrase marker
union 16
1.4.2.2 Muadz (1991): base-generation of three-dimensional
phrase markers 19
1.4.2.3 The problem of nested coordination 26
1.4.2.4 The problem of asymmetries among conjuncts 28
1.5 A new theory of coordination 29
1.5.1 A reformulation of Muadz"s theory in terms of node
admissability conditions 29
1.5.2 Motivations for a different theory 35
1.5.2.1 The distinction between formal and meaningful
planes 36
1.5.2.2 The necessity of m-planes 39
1.5.2.3 Syntacitc conditions that can be satisfied without
reference to planes 40
1.5.2.4 The necessity of f-planes 41
1.5.2.5 Syntactic conditions that cannot be satisfied in
f-planes 47
1.5.2.6 The assignment of m-planes to sentences with
Gapping and Bare Argument Ellipsis 48
1.5.3 Representing asymmetries among conjuncts 50
1.5.4 A new formalization 58
1.5.4.1 The definition of a phrase marker 58
1.5.4.2 The wellformedness of a three-dimensional phrase
marker 61
1.5.4.3 The construal of m-planes 64
1.5.4.4 The interpretation of a sentence relative to an
m-plane assignment 68
1.5.4.5 The linearization of a coordinate sentence at PF 87
1.6 Three-dimensional phrase markers and the scope of coordinators 91
1.6.1 The treatment of scope in three-dimensional phrase
markers 91
1.6.2 The scope of coordinators in simple coordinations 92
1.6.3 Parallelisms between Gapping and "respectivel"-sentences 95
1.6.3.1 The semantic status of respectively 96
1.6.3.2 Parallel constraints on Gapping and "respectively"
constructions 100
1.6.4 Distributivity and the conjunction of predicates and
modifiers 105
1.6.5 Distributivity and conjunction in complex NPs 109
1.7 ATB movement, ATB reconstruction and three-dimensional phrase
markers 116
1.7.1 Introduction 116
1.7.2 ATB movement in Goodall"s and Muadz"s theories 117
1.7.3 Williams"s theory of simultaneous factorization 118
1.7.4 ATB movement and three-dimensional phrase markers 120
1.7.4.1 ATB movement and implicit coordination 120
1.7.4.2 Parallelism constraints on ATB movement 123
1.7.4.3 Mixed-movement constructions 124
1.7.5 ATB reconstruction and three-dimensional phrase markers 125
1.7.5.1 ATB reconstruction with elements taking an
antecedent 126
1.7.5.2 ATB reconstruction with respect to quantifier scope 131
1.7.5.3 Parallelism effects with ATB extraction 136
1.8 Appendix: "three-dimensional phrase markers" in syntactic theories
without precedence 141
Notes 142
Chapter 2 Implicit coordination and group formation 147
2.1 Introduction 147
2.2 The problem and the analysis 148
2.3 The account in terms of implicit coordination 152
2.3.1 Implicit coordination and group formation 152
2.3.2 The construal of planes for sentences with implicit
coordination 153
2.3.3 The simultaneous partial interpretation of constructions
implicit coordination 159
2.3.4 Partial interpretation in other contexts 171
2.4 Syntactic peculiarities of constructions involving implicit
coordination and group formation 172
2.4.1 The restriction to coordination 172
2.4.2 Constraints on implicit coordination and constraints on
ATB movement 173
2.4.3 The Coordinate Structure Constraint for implicitly
coordinated antecedents 176
2.4.4 The position of the element taking an implicitly
coordinated antecedent 178
2.4.5 Establishing the antecedent-anaphor relationship with
implicit coordination 179
2.5 Further consequences and applications of the account 180
2.5.1 Apparent differences between simple plurals and NPs
modified by relational adjectives 180
2.5.2 Adjuncts and arguments and the split interpretation 185
2.5.3 The prohibition against collective predicates 188
2.5.4 The treatment of NP coordination 189
2.5.5 The condition on determiners 191
2.6 The range of constructions involving implicit coordination with
group formation 203
2.6.1 Collective adverbials 203
2.6.2 English reflexives 204
2.6.3 A total of 206
2.6.4 Binominal each 208
2.6.5 Exception phrases 210
2.6.6 The generalization 214
2.6.7 The bound plural relation 218
2.7 Explicit coordination and antecedents composed of conjuncts in
different planes 222
2.8 Other types of coordinate structures: Gapping and Bare
Argument Ellipsis 225
2.8.1 Gapping and plural antecedents with conjuncts in different
planes 225
2.8.2 Bare Argument Ellipsis 228
Notes 231
Chapter 3 Implicit coordination in other coordinate structures 235
3.1 Introduction 235
3.2 Disjunction and implicit coordination 235
3.3 Relative clauses and implicit coordination 240
3.4 Comparativs and implicit coordination 249
3.4.1 The phenomena 249
3.4.2 An analysis of relational adjectives in nongeneric
comparatives 250
3.4.3 The analysis of relational adjectives in generic
comparatives 252
3.4.4 Restrictions on relational adjectives in comparatives 260
3.5 Conclusion 264
Notes 265
Chapter 4 Comparatives 267
4.1 Introduction 267
4.2 Clausal comparatives 268
4.2.1 The general syntactic and semantic structure of clausal
comparatives 268
4.2.1.1 The proposal 268
4.2.1.2 Justification of the semantic analysis: the behavior
of NPIs in comparatives 271
4.2.1.3 Quantifiers and connectives in comparative
clauses 278
4.2.1.4 The degrees involved in comparatives 290
4.2.2 The syntactic basis of the semantic interpretation of
comparative clauses 293
4.2.3 A formal semantic treatment of comparatives and quantifier
scope interactions 294
4.2.4 A formal treatment of quantificational scope and
interpretation and a compositional analysis of comparatives 302
4.2.5 The identification of the empty element in Comparative
Deletion constructions 306
4.2.6 Further evidence for the proposed account fo Comparative
Deletion 318
4.2.7 The appearance of pronouns in Comparative Deletion sites 325
4.2.8 Appendix: comparatives in French and German 327
4.2.9 Evidence for coordination in clausal comparatives 336
4.3 Phrasal comparatives 346
4.3.1 Introduction 346
4.3.2 Irreducible phrasal comparatives 347
4.3.3 The semantic analysis of phrasal comparatives 348
4.3.4 Evidence for coordination with phrasal comparatives 352
4.3.5 Evidence for a subordinate structure of phrasal
comparatives 358
4.4 Comparative subdeletion 362
4.4.1 The problems with comparative subdeletion 363
4.4.2 Comparative Subdeletion and Coordination 363
4.4.3 Multiple comparative subdeletion 364
Notes 369
Chapter 5 Coordination, quantification and operations on quantificational
domains 372
5.1 Introduction 372
5.2 Exception constructions 373
5.2.1.1 The syntactic structure of simple exception constructions 373
5.2.1.2 The distinction between free and connected exception
phrases 373
5.2.2 Syntactic accounts of free exception phrases: Reinhart
(1990) 374
5.3 The semantics of exception phrases 376
5.3.1 Basic semantic properties of exception phrases 376
5.3.1.1 The Quantifier Constraint: first observations 377
5.3.1.2 The negative condition 378
5.3.1.3 The condition of inclusion 379
5.3.2 The formal semantics of exception phrases 380
5.3.2.1 What do exception phrases operate on 380
5.3.2.2 The Quantifier Constraint: the proper generalization 382
5.3.3 Explaining the Quantifier Constraint 386
5.3.3.1 Prior syntactic and semantic explanation of the
Quantifier Constraint 386
5.3.3.2 An explanation in terms of the recoverability of the
exception set 392
5.3.4 Further issues concerning the semantics of simple
exception phrases 394
5.3.5 The range of association of free exception phrases 396
5.3.6 Indexical exception constructions 400
5.3.7 Exception constructions and polyadic quantification 402
5.3.7.1 The multiple "else"-construction and polyadic
quantification 403
5.3.7.2 Otherwise and polyadic quantification 408
5.3.7.3 Polyadic quantification with nonindexical
exception phrases 410
5.4 Syntactically related constructions with even, not even, instead
and but not 421
5.4.1 "Even" phrases 422
5.4.2 "Replacement phrases" 426
5.5 Semantically related constructions 1: almost 427
5.6 Semantically related constructions 2: extent clauses 429
5.6.1 The characterization of extent clauses 429
5.6.2 The range of association of extent clauses 431
5.6.3 The restriction on the associate set of extent clauses 432
5.6.4 The syntactic and semantic analysis of extent clauses 432
5.7 Semantically related constructions 3: amount relatives 434
5.8 Inclusion and exclusion phrases and the source of the recoverability
condition 436
Notes 438