On the nature and licensing conditions of n-phrases in Portuguese
The present paper focuses on the syntactic and semantic nature of the expressions identified in the literature as n-words (preferably, n-phrases), and on their licensing conditions. Concerning their status, arguments will be given in favor of Ladusaw's 1992 thesis that these are existential (an...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo
2000-01-01
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| Series: | DELTA: Documentação de Estudos em Lingüística Teórica e Aplicada |
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| Online Access: | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-44502000000300007 |
| Summary: | The present paper focuses on the syntactic and semantic nature of the expressions identified in the literature as n-words (preferably, n-phrases), and on their licensing conditions. Concerning their status, arguments will be given in favor of Ladusaw's 1992 thesis that these are existential (and non-specific, it is claimed) indefinites. In a brief excursus, it will be shown that other constructs engage in the process known as "negative concord". In the final part, an attempt will be made to offer a systematic picture of the intra-- and cross-sentential licensing conditions of classical n-phrases. In this regard, the paramount importance of contextual decreasing monotonicity becomes apparent. |
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| ISSN: | 0102-4450 1678-460X |