LINGUIST List 17.2447
Thu Aug 31 2006
Diss: Semantics: Gillon: 'The Semantics of Determiners: Domain rest...'
Editor for this issue: Hannah Morales
<hannahlinguistlist.org>
Directory
1. Carrie
Gillon,
The Semantics of Determiners: Domain restriction in Skwxwú7mesh
Message 1: The Semantics of Determiners: Domain restriction in Skwxwú7mesh
Date: 30-Aug-2006
From: Carrie Gillon <carrieginterchange.ubc.ca>
Subject: The Semantics of Determiners: Domain restriction in Skwxwú7mesh
Institution: University of British Columbia
Program: Department of Linguistics
Dissertation Status: Completed
Degree Date: 2006
Author: Carrie Gillon
Dissertation Title: The Semantics of Determiners: Domain restriction in Skwxwú7mesh
Linguistic Field(s):
Semantics
Subject Language(s): Squamish (squ)
Dissertation Director:
Hamida Demirdache
Lisa Matthewson
Hotze Rullmann
Martina Wiltschko
Dissertation Abstract:
In this thesis, I investigate the properties of determiners in Skwxwú7mesh(Squamish) Salish. Determiners in Skwxwú7mesh behave significantlydifferently from the definite determiner the in English. Skwxwú7mesh lacksa definite/indefiniteness distinction; all DPs can be used in both familiarand novel contexts, and are not required to refer to a unique entity.Instead, Skwxwú7mesh determiners are split along deictic/non-deictic lines.I argue that deictic features on the determiners have consequences for thegrammar in terms of (i) scope and (ii) implicature of uniqueness. If a DPis deictic, (i) it can take wide scope and (ii) any sentence containing itwill carry an implicature of uniqueness. If a DP is non-deictic, (i) itmust take narrow scope and (ii) any sentence containing it does not carryan implicature of uniqueness. I claim that non-deictic DPs are composed viaRestrict and deictic DPs via Specify (cf. Chung and Ladusaw 2004). There istherefore no correlation between more structure and wide scope, but rathera correlation between features and wide scope. Deictic features allow DPsto take wide scope; the lack of features prevents DPs from taking wide scope.
Determiners in Skwxwú7mesh are quite different from determiners inbetter-known languages. Do determiners share anything in commoncross-linguistically? I argue that Skwxwú7mesh determiners and English theare both associated with domain restriction (cf. von Fintel 1994). Bothnon-deictic and deictic DPs are sensitive to the context in which they areused; in familiar contexts, they (usually) refer to the set of entitiesunder discussion. Non-deictic DPs, which in terms of scope behave like barenouns, must differ from bare nouns in this respect. Bare nouns (inlanguages which use articles) cannot be used in familiar contexts. They canonly introduce new discourse referents. Non-deictic DPs can introduce newdiscourse referents, but can also refer to previously introduced discoursereferents, and can also be used partitively. Skwxwú7mesh determiners mustbe associated with domain restriction, whereas bare nouns cannot be. Ipropose there is a strict correlation between the syntax and semantics: ifa determiner occupies D, it has domain restriction in its representation.
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