LINGUIST List 8.92

Thu Jan 23 1997

Sum: Polarity

Editor for this issue: Ljuba Veselinova <ljubalinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. akikoy, summary: polarity

 I apologize that it took such a long time to make a summary of
the query that I posted a few months ago. I asked native speakers of
English to judge the acceptability of the following sentences on the
basis of a four-point scale, where an evaluation of "4" signifies
perfect acceptability and a rating of "1" indicates unacceptability
(4=OK, 3=?, 2=?*, 1=*). The results were as follows (the number in
[...] shows the mean for each example):

(1) a. [ 3.9 ] Chomsky wasn't a bit happy about these facts.
 b. [ 2.4 ] Chomsky didn't talk about these facts yet.
 c. [ 4.0 ] Chomsky didn't talk about any of these facts.
(2) a. [ 3.2 ] No one was a bit happy about these facts.
 b. [ 3.9 ] No one has talked about these facts yet.
 c. [ 4.0 ] No one talked about any of these facts.
(3) a. [ 2.1 ] At most three linguists were a bit happy about these facts.
 b. [ 1.7 ] At most three linguists have talked about these facts yet.
 c. [ 3.1 ] At most three linguists have talked about any of these facts.

I would like to express my gratitude to the following respondents:

lance.ecclesmq.edu.au
kehlerai.sri.com
SamPialcove.Arlington.MA.US
protol9mail.idt.net
amillerling.ohio-state.edu
stephenacm.org
jimcs.flinders.edu.au
pbryantnllia.gov.au
bunningmmail.austasia.net
kejaruba.ccit.arizona.edu
dberkleybabel.ling.nwu.edu
pdanielspress-gopher.uchicago.edu
tpc1ra.msstate.edu
kstanleycharlotte.infi.net
wehmeyeraall.ufl.edu
annabellinguistics.ucl.ac.uk
greenpangeanet.it
sstraighbinghamton.edu
slugUDel.Edu
dh2conciliator.acsu.buffalo.edu
cwhiteleytyco.geis.com
ragnirenglobalnet.it
mew1siu.edu
katkows2pilot.msu.edu
misraelucsd.edu
abbottbpilot.msu.edu
maxwcogs.susx.ac.uk
Virginia.ClarkUvm.Edu
crouchsignal.dra.hmg.gb
shelleybst.com
oclssibylline.com
carrierdolphin.upenn.edu
dberkleybabel.ling.nwu.edu
GOSHEAacadamh.ucd.ie
esmaeadacel.com.au
RPettersonipc.ac.nz
D. J.L.Wattnewcastle.ac.uk
roweemail.unc.edu
Markdragonsys.com
RCosperHUSKY1.STMARYS.CA
kripkeebgusun.georgetown.edu

best

Akiko Yoshimura
Osaka Gakuin University
2-36-1 Kishibe-Minami
Suita, Osaka 564 JAPAN
e-mail: akikoycenter.osaka-gu.ac.jp