'Almost there' : the meaning of "almost"
- Modifiability by almost has been used as a test for the quantificational force of a DP without stating the meaning of almost explicitly. The aim of this paper is to give a semantics for almost applying across categories and to evaluate the validity of the almost test as a diagnosis for universal quantifiers. It is argued that almost is similar to other cross-categorial modifiers such as at least or exactly in referring to alternatives ordered on a scale. I propose that almost evaluates alternatives in which the modified expression is replaced by a value close by on the corresponding Horn scale. It is shown that a semantics for almost that refers to scalar alternatives derives the correct truth conditions for almost and explains selectional restrictions. At the same time, taking the semantics of almost seriously invalidates the almost test as a simple diagnosis for the nature of quantifiers.
Author: | Doris Penka |
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URN: | urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-309795 |
URL: | http://www.zas.gwz-berlin.de/188.html |
ISSN: | 1435-9588 |
ISSN: | 0947-7055 |
Parent Title (English): | Proceedings of the Sinn und Bedeutung 10 : 10th annual meeting of the Gesellschaft für Semantik, October 13 - 15, 2005, Zentrum für Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft, Berlin; ZASPil Vol. 44 |
Publisher: | Zentrum für Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft, Sprachtypologie und Universalienforschung |
Place of publication: | Berlin |
Document Type: | Part of a Book |
Language: | English |
Year of Completion: | 2006 |
Year of first Publication: | 2006 |
Publishing Institution: | Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg |
Release Date: | 2013/11/14 |
GND Keyword: | Formale Semantik; Quantor; Lexikologie; Englisch |
Volume: | 44 |
Page Number: | 12 |
First Page: | 275 |
Last Page: | 286 |
HeBIS-PPN: | 378088785 |
Dewey Decimal Classification: | 4 Sprache / 42 Englisch, Altenglisch / 420 Englisch, Altenglisch |
Sammlungen: | Linguistik |
Linguistik-Klassifikation: | Linguistik-Klassifikation: Semantik / Semantics |
Linguistik-Klassifikation: Lexikologie/Etymologie / Lexicology/Etymology | |
Zeitschriften / Jahresberichte: | ZAS papers in linguistics : ZASPiL / ZASPiL 44 = Proceedings of the Sinn und Bedeutung 10 |
: | urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-306872 |
Licence (German): | Deutsches Urheberrecht |