Fronted quantificational adverbs

  • Fronting a noun phrase changes the focus structure of a sentence. Therefore, it may affect truth conditions, since some operators, in particular quantificational adverbs, are sensitive to focus. However, the position of the quantificational adverb itself, hence its informational status, is usually assumed not to have any semantic effect. In this paper I discuss a reading of some quantificational adverbs, the relative reading, which disappears if the adverb is fronted. I propose that this reading relies not only on focus, but on B-accent (fall-rise intonation) as well. A fronted Q-adverb is usually pronounced with a B-accent; since only one element can be B-accented, this means that the scope of the adverb contains no B-accented material, hence no relative readings. Thus, the effects of fronting range more widely than is usually assumed, and quantificational adverbs are a useful tool with which to investigate these effects.

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Metadaten
Author:Ariel Cohen
URN:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-308950
URL:http://www.zas.gwz-berlin.de/193.html?&L=0%20order%20by%201000%20--
ISSN:1435-9588
ISSN:0947-7055
Parent Title (English):Proceedings of the Dislocated Elements Workshop : ZAS Berlin, November 2003 / Ed.: Benjamin Shaer ... , Zentrum für Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft, Sprachtypologie und Universalienforschung, Berlin, 2004; ZAS papers in linguistics Vol. 35
Publisher:Zentrum für Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft, Sprachtypologie und Universalienforschung
Place of publication:Berlin
Document Type:Part of a Book
Language:English
Date of Publication (online):2013/11/14
Year of first Publication:2004
Publishing Institution:Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg
Contributing Corporation:Dislocated Elements Workshop
Release Date:2013/11/14
GND Keyword:Formale Semantik; Quantor; Topikalisierung; Adverb; Englisch
Volume:35
Page Number:14
First Page:63
Last Page:76
HeBIS-PPN:381234142
Sammlungen:Linguistik
Linguistik-Klassifikation:Linguistik-Klassifikation: Syntax
Linguistik-Klassifikation: Semantik / Semantics
Zeitschriften / Jahresberichte:ZAS papers in linguistics : ZASPiL / ZASPiL 35 = Proceedings of the Dislocated Elements Workshop : ZAS Berlin, November 2003
:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-306765
Licence (German):License LogoDeutsches Urheberrecht