31.1169, Books: Focus, Evaluativity, and Antonymy: Alxatib

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-31-1169. Thu Mar 26 2020. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 31.1169, Books: Focus, Evaluativity, and Antonymy: Alxatib

Moderator: Malgorzata E. Cavar (linguist at linguistlist.org)
Student Moderator: Jeremy Coburn
Managing Editor: Becca Morris
Team: Helen Aristar-Dry, Everett Green, Sarah Robinson, Peace Han, Nils Hjortnaes, Yiwen Zhang, Julian Dietrich
Jobs: jobs at linguistlist.org | Conferences: callconf at linguistlist.org | Pubs: pubs at linguistlist.org

Homepage: http://linguistlist.org

Please support the LL editors and operation with a donation at:
           https://funddrive.linguistlist.org/donate/

Editor for this issue: Jeremy Coburn <jecoburn at linguistlist.org>
================================================================


Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2020 22:20:15
From: Laura de Kreij [Laura.dekreij at Springernature.com]
Subject: Focus, Evaluativity, and Antonymy: Alxatib

 


Title: Focus, Evaluativity, and Antonymy 
Subtitle: A Study in the Semantics of Only and its Interaction with Gradable Antonyms 
Series Title: Studies in Linguistics and Philosophy  

Publication Year: 2020 
Publisher: Springer
	   http://www.springer.com
	

Book URL: link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-37806-6 


Author: Sam Alxatib

Electronic: ISBN:  9783030378066 Pages:  Price: Europe EURO 71.68
Hardback: ISBN:  9783030378059 Pages:  Price: Europe EURO 92.64


Abstract:

This book uncovers properties of focus association with 'only' by examining
the interaction between the particle and bare (or “evaluative”) gradable
terms. Its empirical building blocks are paradigms involving upward-scalar
terms like 'few' and 'rarely', and their downward-scalar antonyms 'many' and
'frequently', an area that has not been studied previously in the literature.
The empirical claim is that associations of the former type give rise to
unexpected readings, and the proposed theoretical explanation draws on the
properties of the latter type of association. In presenting the details, the
book deconstructs the so-called scalar presupposition of 'only' and derives it
from constraints against its vacuous use. This view is then combined with a
semantics of the evaluative adjectives 'many' and 'few' to explain why the
unavailable (but expected) meanings of the given constructions are
unavailable. The attested (but unexpected) readings of 'only+few/rarely'
associations are derived from independently motivated LFs in which the degree
expressions are existentially closed. Finally, the book provides new findings,
based on the core proposal, about 'only if' constructions, and about the
interaction between 'only' and other upward-scalar modified numerals
(comparatives, and 'at most'). The book thus provides new data and a new
theoretical view of the semantic properties of 'only', and connects it to the
semantics of gradable expressions.
 



Linguistic Field(s): Discourse Analysis
                     Semantics


Written In: English  (eng)

See this book announcement on our website: 
http://linguistlist.org/pubs/books/get-book.cfm?BookID=142453




------------------------------------------------------------------------------

***************************    LINGUIST List Support    ***************************
 The 2019 Fund Drive is under way! Please visit https://funddrive.linguistlist.org
  to find out how to donate and check how your university, country or discipline
     ranks in the fund drive challenges. Or go directly to the donation site:
               https://iufoundation.fundly.com/the-linguist-list-2019

                        Let's make this a short fund drive!
                Please feel free to share the link to our campaign:
                    https://funddrive.linguistlist.org/donate/
 


----------------------------------------------------------
LINGUIST List: Vol-31-1169	
----------------------------------------------------------