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From Utterances to Speech Acts

By Mikhail Kissine

"Kissine offers a new theory of speech acts which is philosophically sophisticated and builds on work in cognitive science, formal semantics, and linguistic typology. This highly readable, brilliant essay is a major contribution to the field."

--François Recanati, Institut Jean-Nicod


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Book Information

   

Title: Indefinite Objects
Subtitle: Scrambling, Choice Functions, and Differential Marking
Written By: Luis López
URL: http://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262517850
Series Title: Linguistic Inquiry Monographs
Description:

In Indefinite Objects, Luis López presents a novel approach to the syntax-semantics interface using indefinite noun phrases as a database. Traditional approaches map structural configurations to semantic interpretations directly; López links configuration to a mode of semantic composition, with the latter yielding the interpretation. The polyvalent behavior of indefinites has long been explored by linguists who have been interested in their syntax, semantics, and case morphology, and López’s contribution can be seen as a synthesis of findings from several traditions. He argues, first, that scrambled indefinite objects are composed by means of Function Application preceded by Choice Function while objects in situ are composed by means of Restrict. This difference yields the different interpretive possibilities of indefinite objects. López’s more nuanced approach to the syntax-semantics interface turns out to be rich in empirical consequences. Second, he proposes that short scrambling also yields Differential Marking, provided that context conditions are fulfilled, while in situ objects remain unmarked. Thus, López contributes to the extensive literature on Differential Object Marking by showing that syntactic configuration is a crucial factor. López substantiates this approach with data from Spanish, Hindi-Urdu, Persian (Farsi), Kiswahili, Romanian, and German.

Publication Year: 2012
Publisher: MIT Press
Review: Become a Reviewer
BibTex: View BibTex record
Linguistic Field(s): Semantics
Syntax
Subject Language(s): German
Persian, Iranian
Romanian
Spanish
Swahili

Versions:
Format: Paperback
ISBN-13: 9780262517850
Pages: 184
Prices: U.S. $ 30

 
 
Format: Hardback
ISBN-13: 9780262018036
Pages: 184
Prices: U.S. $ 60