LINGUIST List 9.909

Fri Jun 19 1998

Sum: Scope

Editor for this issue: Anita Huang <anitalinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. Eung-Cheon Hah, A summary of "Scope"

Dear linguists,

Around seven weeks ago, I asked your judgements on the scopal facts of
the following sentences. I thank the following people for their
immediate response to the test.

Linda Merlo <lmerlooclc.k12.ca.us>
Deborah Milam Berkley <dberkleybabel.ling.nwu.edu>
David Parkinson <dpllcornell.edu>
Michael Israel <israelling.ucsd.edu>
anonymous <htaberemail.gc.cuny.edu>
Robert Orr <roborruottawa.ca>

Of these linguists, Robert Orr replied: "With regard to your recent
posting, I am a native speaker of English (British(Scottish with a
Canadian overlay), and, for what it's worth, my first reaction is that I
can't imagine these sentences pronounced without some sort of tonal
accentuation (possibly accompanied by a change in facial expression!)."


A summary of the responses is given below the original query.

> I'm currently investigaing scope phenomena in English. Your intuitive
> judgement on the followin sentences would be gratly appreciated. If the
> sentence is ambiguous, marginally ambiguous, or unambiguous between the
> relevant scope-bearing elements given in the parenthesis, please mark it
> with (+A), (mA), or (-A), respectively. I assume that all the
> scope-bearing elements receive neutral stress.
>
> *********************************************************************
> 1. Someone doesn't love everyone. (between 'someone' and 'everyone')
> 2. Someone doesn't love John. (between 'someone' and 'not')
> 3. I expected someone not to have arrived. (between 'someone' and 'not')
> 4. I expected everyone not to have arrived.(between 'everyone' and 'not) 
> 5. I expected someone not to like everyone.
> (between 'someone' and 'everyone')
> 6. I expected someone to like everyone. 
> (between 'someone' and 'everyone')
> *********************************************************

1. (+A: 2, mA: 1, -A: 2)
2. (+A: 0, mA: 0, -A: 5)
3. (+A: 0, mA: 1, -A: 4)
4. (+A: 2, mA: 1, -A: 2)
5. (+A: 2, mA: 1, -A: 2)
6. (+A: 3, mA: 2, -A: 0)


Thanks again.

Best,
Eung-Cheon Hah