NEG Raising

[Everett, Daniel]

Pirahã lacks Neg raising.

In recent work (e.g. my article in WIREs Cogn Sci 2012. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1195, What does Piraha have to teach us about human language and the mind?) I argue that this is evidence against recursion in Pirahã. However, as David Gil makes clear, this could also be accounted for by simply saying that Piraha lacks Neg-raising, since if Gil is right, languages with recursion also bar Neg-raising. (In the Pirahã case, the absence of Neg-raising is part of a larger pattern.)

Dan


On May 16, 2013, at 2:15 PM, Christopher T Collins <cc116 at nyu.edu<mailto:cc116 at nyu.edu>> wrote:

Dear Typologists,

Could you tell me if there are languages that you know or know of that do not permit NEG Raising.
On a NEG Raising reading of (a), it is felt to mean the same thing as (b):

a. I don't think John is a werewolf
b. I think that John is not a werewolf

Also, strict NPIs are licensed:

c. John won't be here until 6:00
d. I don't think John will be here until 6:00

In these sentences 6:00 is a strict NPI, and it needs a negation.
(d) contrasts with (f):

e. I regret that John won't be here until 6:00
f. *I don't regret John will be here until 6:00

Other NEG Raising predicates include: think, believe, imagine, intend, want.

Chris Collins


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