Non-conservative construals with proportional quantifiers: Theoretical and experimental considerations

GEHRKE, Berit, Radek ŠIMÍK and Marcin WĄGIEL. Non-conservative construals with proportional quantifiers: Theoretical and experimental considerations. In GLiF Formal Linguistics Research Group, 30/03/2023, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona. 2023.

Basic information

Original name

Non-conservative construals with proportional quantifiers: Theoretical and experimental considerations

Authors

GEHRKE, Berit, Radek ŠIMÍK and Marcin WĄGIEL

Edition

GLiF Formal Linguistics Research Group, 30/03/2023, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, 2023

---

Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Requested lectures

Field of Study

60203 Linguistics

Country of publisher

Spain

Confidentiality degree

is not subject to a state or trade secret

References:

URL

Organization unit

Faculty of Arts

Keywords in English

proportional quantifiers; percentage quantifiers; conservativity; non-conservative readings

Tags

International impact

---

Abstract

V originále

In this talk, we investigate constructions with proportional quantifiers that give rise to conservative as well as non-conservative readings. We show that previous accounts based on focus sensitivity make incorrect predictions with respect to non-conservative readings. Our observations are based on theoretical considerations, which we then aim to tease apart in a series of experiments. We argue against ascribing a crucial role to focus for the non-conservative reading to arise, in taking focus to merely be derivative from the requirement of non-conservative quantifiers to appear low, paired with a general rule for sentential stress placement. We argue that the non-conservative effect comes about due to semantic incorporation and, in the case of intransitives, the structure is essentially a kind of existential construction.