16.3643, Sum: Only If

[LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-16-3643. Wed Dec 21 2005. ISSN: 1068 - 4875.

Subject: 16.3643, Sum: Only If

Moderators: Anthony Aristar, Wayne State U <aristar at linguistlist.org>
            Helen Aristar-Dry, Eastern Michigan U <hdry at linguistlist.org>
 
Reviews (reviews at linguistlist.org) 
        Sheila Dooley, U of Arizona  
        Terry Langendoen, U of Arizona  

Homepage: http://linguistlist.org/

The LINGUIST List is funded by Eastern Michigan University, Wayne
State University, and donations from subscribers and publishers.

Editor for this issue: Amy Renaud <renaud at linguistlist.org>
================================================================  

To post to LINGUIST, use our convenient web form at
http://linguistlist.org/LL/posttolinguist.html.


===========================Directory==============================  

1)
Date: 21-Dec-2005
From: Annabel Cormack < annabel at ling.ucl.ac.uk >
Subject: Only If 

	
-------------------------Message 1 ---------------------------------- 
Date: Wed, 21 Dec 2005 23:34:32
From: Annabel Cormack < annabel at ling.ucl.ac.uk >
Subject: Only If 
 

Regarding query: http://www.linguistlist.org/issues/16/16-3025.html#1

We asked if there were any languages having a single-word for reverse
        implication, equivalent to English 'only if'.
        We are grateful to the following people for suggestions and discussion:

        Martin Weisser, Chemnitz Technical University
        Janet H. Randall, NEU
        Eve Ng,  University of Massachusetts
        Rob Malouf,  San Diego State University
        Tadhg O hIfearnain, University of Limerick
        Felecia Briscoe UTSA
        Heike Wiese, Yale
        Jasper Holmes
        Zhang Yi, Nanjing University
        Boyan Nikolaev
        Ulrich Waßner, Mannheim
        Roger Levy, University of Edinburgh
        C. Rowe, HKU Hong Kong
        Willy Vandeweghe

        Thanks also to Jack Hoeksema (RUG), Hans van de Koot (UCL), Ad Neeleman
        (UCL), Yi Xu (UCL).

        Some of the suggestions turned out on investigation to correspond
logically
        to 'if', rather than 'only if'. We need a connective that patterns with
        'only if' in (1), rather than with 'if' in (2):

        (1)    I'll go only if you go.  And maybe not even then.
        (2)    I'll go {if/provided} you go.  #And maybe not even then.

        So we seem to have to exclude 'provided/providing' in English,
        'vorausgesetzt' and 'falls' (German), 'mura' (Irish), 'chu fei'
(Mandarin),
        'ako' (Bulgarian).

        We are left with Dutch 'mits', where there seems to be agreement
among our
        informants, and  Mandarin Chinese 'cai' (tone 2), where at least some
        speakers do seem to have a consistent 'only if' interpretation.

        Jack Hoeksema writes:

        ''Regarding MITS: I think it is a bona fide candidate. One of the
reasons I
        think so is that it does not appear to be a trigger for strong polarity
        items, much like ''only if'', compare
        e.g.
               *I will ice you only if you so much as lay a finger on her.
               *Ik vermoord je mits je haar ook maar met een vinger aanraakt.''

        Eve Ng offers the following for Mandarin 'cai':

        ''Lucy neng zhao-dao ren kan haizi cai neng canjia juhui;
        Lucy can find-RESULTATIVE person watch child only.then can attend party
        'Lucy can only go to the party if she finds a babysitter'

        A) keshi, ruguo Henry bu-neng zai ta, Lucy haishi bu-neng qu.
        however if Henry not-can give-ride 3 Lucy still not-can go
        'but if Henry can't give her a ride, Lucy still can't go.'

        B) *keshi, ta zhao-bu-dao haishi keneng hui qu.
        however 3 find-not-RESULTATIVE still maybe will go

        and:

        Haoma shangshu cai neng bei liu chu-jin.
        number even only.then can PASSIVE six divide-complete
        'Only if a number is even can it be divided by six.'

        Keshi, shangshu de haoma bing bu yiding neng bei liu chu-jin.
        however even GENITIVE number PARTICLE not definitely can PASSIVE six
        divide-complete
        'However, an even number can't necessarily be divided by six.'

        _bing_ is hard to translate here; it indicates that the following
clause is
        going to be negative, and is optional here, but the sentence sounds
better
        with it.''

        Any further suggestions and discussion would be welcome.

        Larry Horn
        Annabel Cormack 

Linguistic Field(s): Morphology
                     Syntax





-----------------------------------------------------------
LINGUIST List: Vol-16-3643