[Ads-l] to "question"

[Laurence Horn]

> On Mar 30, 2015, at 11:56 AM, Cohen, Gerald Leonard <gcohen at MST.EDU> wrote:
> 
> 
> Looks like a blend: "The government does not question the accuracy of the information"

But why not "The government does not question whether the information is accurate", which is a lot closer to the syntax of the sentence uttered?  And if it's a blend, it's a well-established one; examples of "X do(es) not question that Y" with exactly this sense (expressing doubts as to whether Y is the case, not necessarily denying, or attempting to deny, that Y is the case) are very easy to attest.  I find blend analyses more appealing for one-off structures.  

LH

> + "The government does not deny that the information is accurate."
> 
> Gerald Cohen 
> ________________________________________
> Jonathan Lighter wrote, Monday, March 30, 2015 6:29 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: to "question"
> 
> 'To attempt to deny (that)' :
> 
> CNN reports that the French government has criticized the release of
> cockpit recordings from the Germanwings flight, "but does not question that
> the information is accurate."
> 
> Some OED defs. come close, but definitely no cigar.
> 
> JL
> 
> 
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