A pragmatic explanation of the stage level/individual level contrast in combination with locatives
- One important difference between stage level predicates (SLPs) and individual level predicates (ILPs) is their behavior with respect to locative modifiers. It is commonly assumed that SLPs but not ILPs combine with locatives. The present study argues against a semantic account for this behavior (as advanced by e.g. Kratzer 1995, Chierchia 1995) and proposes a genuinely pragmatic explanation of the observed stage level/individual level contrast instead. The proposal is spelled out using Blutners (1998, 2000) optimality theoretic version of the Gricean maxims. Building on the observation that the respective locatives are not event-related but frame-setting modifiers, the preference for main predicates that express temporary properties is explained as a side-effect of “synchronizing” the main predicate with the locative frame in the course of finding an optimal interpretation. By emphasizing the division of labor between grammar and pragmatics, the proposed solution takes a considerable load off of semantics.
Author: | Claudia MaienbornORCiDGND |
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URN: | urn:nbn:de:hebis:30-1111368 |
Publisher: | CSU |
Place of publication: | Fresno |
Document Type: | Conference Proceeding |
Language: | English |
Year of Completion: | 2008 |
Year of first Publication: | 2004 |
Publishing Institution: | Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg |
Release Date: | 2008/11/03 |
Page Number: | 13 |
First Page: | 158 |
Last Page: | 170 |
Note: | auch in: Brian Agbayani, Vida Samiian & Benjamin Tucker (eds.) (2004), Proceedings of the Western Conference on Linguistics (WECOL), volume 15, Fresno: CSU, S. 158 - 170. |
Source: | B. Agbayani / V. Samiian /B. Tucker, A Pragmatic Explanation of the Stage Level/Individual Level Contrast in Combination with Locatives Proceedings of the Western Conference on Li |
HeBIS-PPN: | 206950969 |
Dewey Decimal Classification: | 4 Sprache / 40 Sprache / 400 Sprache |
Sammlungen: | Linguistik |
Linguistik-Klassifikation: | Linguistik-Klassifikation: Syntax |
Licence (German): | Deutsches Urheberrecht |