This paper reports on a three-part series of original methods geared towards producing semantic a... more This paper reports on a three-part series of original methods geared towards producing semantic annotations for the decompositional marker again. The three methods are (i) exhaustive expert annotation based on a comprehensive set of guidelines, (ii) extension of expert annotation by predicting presuppositions with a Multinomial Naïve Bayes classifier in the context of a meta-analysis to optimize feature selection and (iii) quality-controlled crowdsourcing with ensuing evaluation and KMeans clustering of annotation vectors.
Trends in Linguistics. Studies and Monographs [TiLSM], 2009
The book offers a detailed analysis of modal syntax and examines its grammatical interaction with... more The book offers a detailed analysis of modal syntax and examines its grammatical interaction with the process of ellipsis. The author approaches the connection between the two areas by drawing on developments in the history of English and on effects obtaining in modern grammars. In addition, the volume closely investigates from a syntactic perspective how the mechanism of ellipsis licensing hinges on interpretable features.
This paper investigates the trajectory of the quantificational use of most at the syntax-semantic... more This paper investigates the trajectory of the quantificational use of most at the syntax-semantics interface. It starts out from the observation that the word originally had a meaning along the lines of ‘largest (in degree)’ and it discusses how it gained its current semantics of a superlative associated with many. It is proposed that the main development consists in a particular type of functionalization of co-occurring lexical material. Most in the relevant use incorporated the meaning of a noun meaning ‘part’.
This book offers an introduction to the derivation of meaning that is accessible and worked out t... more This book offers an introduction to the derivation of meaning that is accessible and worked out to facilite an understanding of key issues in compositional semantics. The syntactic background offered is generative, the major semantic tool used is set theory. These tools are applied step-by-step to develop essential interface topics and a selection of prominent contrastive topics with material from English and German.
v 1 From a collective to a free choice determiner in Biblical Hebrew Edit Doron 1 2 Grammaticaliz... more v 1 From a collective to a free choice determiner in Biblical Hebrew Edit Doron 1 2 Grammaticalization parameters and the retrieval of alternatives: Latin nec from discourse connector to uninterpretable feature Chiara Gianollo 33 3 Vagueness, context-sensitivity and scale structure of four types of adjectives with the suffix-ish Tabea Harris 67 4 On the semantic change of evidential argument jakoby-clauses in Polish Łukasz Jędrzejowski 85 5 Semantic and syntactic change of equis in Mexican Spanish Olga Kellert 131 6 German noch under reanalysis Martin Kopf-Giammanco 161 7 Givenness marking in a mixed system: Constituent order vs. determiners
The chapter investigates aspects of variation in Old English modals with respect to functional st... more The chapter investigates aspects of variation in Old English modals with respect to functional status, modal base, modal force, and event realization under the modals in the actual world. The main goal is to view—in tandem, rather than in isolation—aspects of variation that are of interest at the syntax–semantics interface. The chapter focuses on three modals, the cognates of ‘can,’ ‘may,’ and ‘must,’ which show the full range of variation available in the categories investigated. The role of circumstantial modality in the diachronic development is underlined. It is furthermore argued that the modals of the period occupy a structural position in the aspectual domain. Evidence for functional status includes ellipsis, topicalization, and the complementary distribution with the aspectual prefix ge-.
The chapter discusses a selection of major approaches to modality and mood in generative syntax. ... more The chapter discusses a selection of major approaches to modality and mood in generative syntax. The primary focus lies on the representation of modal auxiliaries and verbs. Key issues relating to modal adverbs and a selection of aspects pertaining to mood are reviewed. Central points addressed are the structural options for different types of modality including the raising vs control debate and the possible structural correlates of epistemic modality addressed in the literature. The chapter incorporates a discussion of “coherent constructions” following a tradition established for German modals. The latter serves as an illustration of a different type of possible syntactic analysis and, in virtue of its data coverage, also of points of variation even between closely related languages like English and German.
This article investigates uses of the adverb again in Early Modern English (EModE) correspondence... more This article investigates uses of the adverb again in Early Modern English (EModE) correspondence. The study collects occurrences of again and analyses their interpretation. It reveals interesting differences in the use of again between EModE and Late Modern English (LModE) as well as Present-day English (PDE). To bring out the grammatical significance of the results, we connect the study methodologically as closely as possible with Beck, Berezovskaya & Pflugfelder's (2009) study of LModE/PDE correspondence. We show that the key diachronic alteration we observe when considering EModE is not just numerical in nature but also qualitatively distinct from the later change at the transition between LModE and PDE. At the heart of our proposal is the finding that while a structural approach to again (Rapp & von Stechow 1999; Beck 2005) is successful for characterizing the transition between LModE and PDE, a uniform analysis for the entire diachronic trajectory is not warranted; a combi...
This paper explores the diachronic development of the English adverb again. A compositional seman... more This paper explores the diachronic development of the English adverb again. A compositional semantic analysis of its grammar at various stages is provided. It is argued that this analysis must consist of a staging of first a lexical and then a structural change, in order to adequately model the sequence of individual developmental steps observed in the historical corpus data, and that it provides an insight into pathways of semantic change in general.
At the center of this paper is the question whether presuppositions are more likely to be gained ... more At the center of this paper is the question whether presuppositions are more likely to be gained or lost in the process of language change. We offer a new experimental method that aims at ascertaining the re-learning speed of potentially presuppositional items based on nonce words and which integrates certain factors of change such as social prestige in an artificial but clearly contextualized set-up. The meaning targeted is of a quantifier meaning ‘both’ with speakers of German and the initial results point to higher ease of losing rather than incorporating the presupposition, but with an interesting resilience after a critical questioning of presuppositional status.
This paper presents parallel sets of data on comparison constructions from 14 languages. On the b... more This paper presents parallel sets of data on comparison constructions from 14 languages. On the basis of the crosslinguistic differences we observe, we propose three parameters of language variation. The first parameter concerns the question of whether or not a language’s grammar has incorporated scales into the meanings of gradable predicates. The second parameter differentiates between languages that allow quantification over degrees in the syntax and those that do not. Finally, we propose a syntactic parameter that concerns options for syntactically filling the degree argument position of a gradable predicate.
The paper contributes to the raising vs. control debate with respect to modals through (A) novel ... more The paper contributes to the raising vs. control debate with respect to modals through (A) novel data; (B) the investigation of a domain in which it has proven particularly problematic: volitional modality. We analyze oblique arguments of experiencer verbs embedded under German wollen ‘want’ and propose that they support both generalized raising and the abandonment of the classical version of the Theta Criterion. Byproducts of the analysis include a syntactic account involved in a class of datives in the language together with the initial characterization of a related modal in German which is expressed through the same item as volition and which we term weak
The paper offers a pilot study concerned with presuppositions in historical data, which are ident... more The paper offers a pilot study concerned with presuppositions in historical data, which are identified and annotated on the basis of six triggers, viz. three for additives, and three for factives. It brings together information extraction and annotation on (A) the satisfaction/binding and (B) information-theoretic surprisal values of presuppositions. An initial (naive) hypothesis is that the two lines of investigation converge, but this only turned out to be the case for factives in the data inspected. The work conducted relates two strands of research: information theory (
Proceedings of the Linguistic Society of America, 2020
The paper contains notes for the processes of interpretation and language change starting out fro... more The paper contains notes for the processes of interpretation and language change starting out from the phenomenon that emerged from the motion verb gehen, ‘go’, joined by the reflexive and the particle aus, ‘out’ in Austrian German. An empirical case is primarily made that the constructions if fully implicative. Furthermore, it is suggested that concepts such as Maximize Presupposition and co-development in contact can be useful tools in the equipment of researchers working on semantic change. Finally, a methodological point is suggested towards bridging synchronic and historical data collection processes.
This paper focuses on some effects and possible causes in the concatenation of two micro-‐ devel... more This paper focuses on some effects and possible causes in the concatenation of two micro-‐ developments undergone by words like rather. While the first one maps its semantics from an original temporal-‐based comparison to modal meanings, the second takes it from modal ordering to the modification of gradable predicates. A comparison is drawn with the parallel sequel of developments observed in the case of German eher (‘sooner, rather’) especially with respect to the apparently distinct flavors of modal ordering available in the two items.
The current work discusses the Human Diachronic Simulation Paradigm (HUDSPA), a method to experim... more The current work discusses the Human Diachronic Simulation Paradigm (HUDSPA), a method to experimentally probe into historical meaning change set up to (i) scan for configurations similar to attested alterations of meaning but in (typically, but not necessarily, related) languages or varieties which did not actualize the change(s) under investigations; (ii) measure the reactions of native speakers in order to ascertain the verisimilitude as well as the particular semantic and pragmatic properties of the items scrutinized. Specifically, the present paper discusses the relative propensity of a particularizer (German eben) to be interpreted with comparatively high confidence as a scalar additive particle such as even and of a concessive item like English though to be interpreted similar to a modal particle along the lines of German doch.
The ultimate goal of this paper is to find a representation of modality compatible with some basi... more The ultimate goal of this paper is to find a representation of modality compatible with some basic conditions on the syntax-semantic interface. Such conditions are anchored, for instance, in Chomsky's (1995) principle of full interpretation (FI). interpretation of modality is, however - be it "only" in semantic terms - already a hard nut to crack, way too vast to be dealt with in any comprehensive way here. What is pursued instead is a case-study-centered analysis. The case in point are the English modals (EM) viewed in their development through time - a locus classicus for a number of linguistic theories and frameworks. The idea will be to start out from two lines of research - continuous grammaticalization vs. cataclysmic change - and to explain some of their incongruities. The first non-trivial point here consists in deriving more fundamental questions from this research. The second, possibly even less trivial one consists in answering them. Specifically, I will arg...
This paper reports on a three-part series of original methods geared towards producing semantic a... more This paper reports on a three-part series of original methods geared towards producing semantic annotations for the decompositional marker again. The three methods are (i) exhaustive expert annotation based on a comprehensive set of guidelines, (ii) extension of expert annotation by predicting presuppositions with a Multinomial Naïve Bayes classifier in the context of a meta-analysis to optimize feature selection and (iii) quality-controlled crowdsourcing with ensuing evaluation and KMeans clustering of annotation vectors.
Trends in Linguistics. Studies and Monographs [TiLSM], 2009
The book offers a detailed analysis of modal syntax and examines its grammatical interaction with... more The book offers a detailed analysis of modal syntax and examines its grammatical interaction with the process of ellipsis. The author approaches the connection between the two areas by drawing on developments in the history of English and on effects obtaining in modern grammars. In addition, the volume closely investigates from a syntactic perspective how the mechanism of ellipsis licensing hinges on interpretable features.
This paper investigates the trajectory of the quantificational use of most at the syntax-semantic... more This paper investigates the trajectory of the quantificational use of most at the syntax-semantics interface. It starts out from the observation that the word originally had a meaning along the lines of ‘largest (in degree)’ and it discusses how it gained its current semantics of a superlative associated with many. It is proposed that the main development consists in a particular type of functionalization of co-occurring lexical material. Most in the relevant use incorporated the meaning of a noun meaning ‘part’.
This book offers an introduction to the derivation of meaning that is accessible and worked out t... more This book offers an introduction to the derivation of meaning that is accessible and worked out to facilite an understanding of key issues in compositional semantics. The syntactic background offered is generative, the major semantic tool used is set theory. These tools are applied step-by-step to develop essential interface topics and a selection of prominent contrastive topics with material from English and German.
v 1 From a collective to a free choice determiner in Biblical Hebrew Edit Doron 1 2 Grammaticaliz... more v 1 From a collective to a free choice determiner in Biblical Hebrew Edit Doron 1 2 Grammaticalization parameters and the retrieval of alternatives: Latin nec from discourse connector to uninterpretable feature Chiara Gianollo 33 3 Vagueness, context-sensitivity and scale structure of four types of adjectives with the suffix-ish Tabea Harris 67 4 On the semantic change of evidential argument jakoby-clauses in Polish Łukasz Jędrzejowski 85 5 Semantic and syntactic change of equis in Mexican Spanish Olga Kellert 131 6 German noch under reanalysis Martin Kopf-Giammanco 161 7 Givenness marking in a mixed system: Constituent order vs. determiners
The chapter investigates aspects of variation in Old English modals with respect to functional st... more The chapter investigates aspects of variation in Old English modals with respect to functional status, modal base, modal force, and event realization under the modals in the actual world. The main goal is to view—in tandem, rather than in isolation—aspects of variation that are of interest at the syntax–semantics interface. The chapter focuses on three modals, the cognates of ‘can,’ ‘may,’ and ‘must,’ which show the full range of variation available in the categories investigated. The role of circumstantial modality in the diachronic development is underlined. It is furthermore argued that the modals of the period occupy a structural position in the aspectual domain. Evidence for functional status includes ellipsis, topicalization, and the complementary distribution with the aspectual prefix ge-.
The chapter discusses a selection of major approaches to modality and mood in generative syntax. ... more The chapter discusses a selection of major approaches to modality and mood in generative syntax. The primary focus lies on the representation of modal auxiliaries and verbs. Key issues relating to modal adverbs and a selection of aspects pertaining to mood are reviewed. Central points addressed are the structural options for different types of modality including the raising vs control debate and the possible structural correlates of epistemic modality addressed in the literature. The chapter incorporates a discussion of “coherent constructions” following a tradition established for German modals. The latter serves as an illustration of a different type of possible syntactic analysis and, in virtue of its data coverage, also of points of variation even between closely related languages like English and German.
This article investigates uses of the adverb again in Early Modern English (EModE) correspondence... more This article investigates uses of the adverb again in Early Modern English (EModE) correspondence. The study collects occurrences of again and analyses their interpretation. It reveals interesting differences in the use of again between EModE and Late Modern English (LModE) as well as Present-day English (PDE). To bring out the grammatical significance of the results, we connect the study methodologically as closely as possible with Beck, Berezovskaya & Pflugfelder's (2009) study of LModE/PDE correspondence. We show that the key diachronic alteration we observe when considering EModE is not just numerical in nature but also qualitatively distinct from the later change at the transition between LModE and PDE. At the heart of our proposal is the finding that while a structural approach to again (Rapp & von Stechow 1999; Beck 2005) is successful for characterizing the transition between LModE and PDE, a uniform analysis for the entire diachronic trajectory is not warranted; a combi...
This paper explores the diachronic development of the English adverb again. A compositional seman... more This paper explores the diachronic development of the English adverb again. A compositional semantic analysis of its grammar at various stages is provided. It is argued that this analysis must consist of a staging of first a lexical and then a structural change, in order to adequately model the sequence of individual developmental steps observed in the historical corpus data, and that it provides an insight into pathways of semantic change in general.
At the center of this paper is the question whether presuppositions are more likely to be gained ... more At the center of this paper is the question whether presuppositions are more likely to be gained or lost in the process of language change. We offer a new experimental method that aims at ascertaining the re-learning speed of potentially presuppositional items based on nonce words and which integrates certain factors of change such as social prestige in an artificial but clearly contextualized set-up. The meaning targeted is of a quantifier meaning ‘both’ with speakers of German and the initial results point to higher ease of losing rather than incorporating the presupposition, but with an interesting resilience after a critical questioning of presuppositional status.
This paper presents parallel sets of data on comparison constructions from 14 languages. On the b... more This paper presents parallel sets of data on comparison constructions from 14 languages. On the basis of the crosslinguistic differences we observe, we propose three parameters of language variation. The first parameter concerns the question of whether or not a language’s grammar has incorporated scales into the meanings of gradable predicates. The second parameter differentiates between languages that allow quantification over degrees in the syntax and those that do not. Finally, we propose a syntactic parameter that concerns options for syntactically filling the degree argument position of a gradable predicate.
The paper contributes to the raising vs. control debate with respect to modals through (A) novel ... more The paper contributes to the raising vs. control debate with respect to modals through (A) novel data; (B) the investigation of a domain in which it has proven particularly problematic: volitional modality. We analyze oblique arguments of experiencer verbs embedded under German wollen ‘want’ and propose that they support both generalized raising and the abandonment of the classical version of the Theta Criterion. Byproducts of the analysis include a syntactic account involved in a class of datives in the language together with the initial characterization of a related modal in German which is expressed through the same item as volition and which we term weak
The paper offers a pilot study concerned with presuppositions in historical data, which are ident... more The paper offers a pilot study concerned with presuppositions in historical data, which are identified and annotated on the basis of six triggers, viz. three for additives, and three for factives. It brings together information extraction and annotation on (A) the satisfaction/binding and (B) information-theoretic surprisal values of presuppositions. An initial (naive) hypothesis is that the two lines of investigation converge, but this only turned out to be the case for factives in the data inspected. The work conducted relates two strands of research: information theory (
Proceedings of the Linguistic Society of America, 2020
The paper contains notes for the processes of interpretation and language change starting out fro... more The paper contains notes for the processes of interpretation and language change starting out from the phenomenon that emerged from the motion verb gehen, ‘go’, joined by the reflexive and the particle aus, ‘out’ in Austrian German. An empirical case is primarily made that the constructions if fully implicative. Furthermore, it is suggested that concepts such as Maximize Presupposition and co-development in contact can be useful tools in the equipment of researchers working on semantic change. Finally, a methodological point is suggested towards bridging synchronic and historical data collection processes.
This paper focuses on some effects and possible causes in the concatenation of two micro-‐ devel... more This paper focuses on some effects and possible causes in the concatenation of two micro-‐ developments undergone by words like rather. While the first one maps its semantics from an original temporal-‐based comparison to modal meanings, the second takes it from modal ordering to the modification of gradable predicates. A comparison is drawn with the parallel sequel of developments observed in the case of German eher (‘sooner, rather’) especially with respect to the apparently distinct flavors of modal ordering available in the two items.
The current work discusses the Human Diachronic Simulation Paradigm (HUDSPA), a method to experim... more The current work discusses the Human Diachronic Simulation Paradigm (HUDSPA), a method to experimentally probe into historical meaning change set up to (i) scan for configurations similar to attested alterations of meaning but in (typically, but not necessarily, related) languages or varieties which did not actualize the change(s) under investigations; (ii) measure the reactions of native speakers in order to ascertain the verisimilitude as well as the particular semantic and pragmatic properties of the items scrutinized. Specifically, the present paper discusses the relative propensity of a particularizer (German eben) to be interpreted with comparatively high confidence as a scalar additive particle such as even and of a concessive item like English though to be interpreted similar to a modal particle along the lines of German doch.
The ultimate goal of this paper is to find a representation of modality compatible with some basi... more The ultimate goal of this paper is to find a representation of modality compatible with some basic conditions on the syntax-semantic interface. Such conditions are anchored, for instance, in Chomsky's (1995) principle of full interpretation (FI). interpretation of modality is, however - be it "only" in semantic terms - already a hard nut to crack, way too vast to be dealt with in any comprehensive way here. What is pursued instead is a case-study-centered analysis. The case in point are the English modals (EM) viewed in their development through time - a locus classicus for a number of linguistic theories and frameworks. The idea will be to start out from two lines of research - continuous grammaticalization vs. cataclysmic change - and to explain some of their incongruities. The first non-trivial point here consists in deriving more fundamental questions from this research. The second, possibly even less trivial one consists in answering them. Specifically, I will arg...
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