innovative "nevertheless" and its scalar buddies: some context

[Laurence Horn]

Language Log hosts this fresh posting on our quarry from Arnold (note
the one-word orthography this time):

That N.C. State coach Chuck Amato is on extremely thin ice. AD Lee
Fowler has continually voiced his support for the embattled
seventh-year coach -- but Amato just made it that much harder to
justify his retention. N.C. State fans don't take well to losing to
the hated Tar Heels, nevertheless 23-9 to a 1-9 UNC team playing for
a lame-duck coach.
http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/003815.html#more

The context is instructive.  Recall yesterday's positive and
"reverse" cases of "nevertheless" and  related instances of "much
less", "let alone"; further examples are:

"We had everything in line," Dolphins wide receiver Oronde Gadsden
said. "You couldn't ask for anything better, at home two weeks in a
row. We thought we'd already clinch, at least a playoff spot, much
less the division. We're going to go back to the drawing board. I
don't think anybody has lost hope."  (12/20/00)

"Without Clinton Portis, I don't think this team can go deep in the
playoffs, let alone get in."
--Sean Salisbury on ESPN (12/15/03)

Football in December!  But last night, there was this case of reverse
"if not", from the same Sean Salisbury as the example just above.

Just three weeks ago we were talking about these two teams being the
best in the league, if not the NFC.
--Sean Salisbury on slumping Giants and Bears, ESPN SportsCenter 11/26/06

Now notice these two similar examples from Novembers past.  Here
again, as in the above, "P if not Q" means "P or at least Q" rather
than the standard "P or even Q":

He's the best, if not one of the best, middle linebackers in the league.
--ESPN Sports radio talk show host Bob Golic on Bears' Brian Urlacher, 11/27/01

It's probably the best, if not one of the two or three best,
offensive lines in the league.
--Phil Simms, in radio interview 11/10/02, re Kansas City Chiefs'
offensive line

Ah, the well-known correlation between the smell of burning leaves,
November football, and reverse if-not.

LH

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