Collective quantification and the homogeneity constraint

TitreCollective quantification and the homogeneity constraint
Publication TypeArticle dans des actes
Année de la conférence2014
AuthorsDobrovie-Sorin, Carmen
Nom de la conférenceSemantics and Linguistic Theory
Volume24
Paginationp. 453–472
ISBN2163-5951
Abstract

The main theoretical claim of the paper is that a slightly revised version of the analysis of mass quantifiers proposed in Roeper 1983, Lønning 1987 and Higginbotham 1994 extends to collective quantifiers: such quantifiers denote relations between sums of entities (type e), rather than relations between sets of sums (type ). Against this background I will explain a puzzle observed by Dowty (1986) for all and generalized to all quantifiers by Winter 2002: plural quantification is not allowed with all the predicates that are traditionally classified as ”collective”. The Homogeneity Constraint – as well as the weaker requirement of divisiveness - will be shown to be too strong (for both collective and mass quantifiers). What is required is that the nominalization of the nuclear-scope predicate denotes a maximal sum (rather than a group). Divisiveness is a sufficient, but not a necessary condition for this to happen. Non-divisive predicates such as form a circle, which denote sets of ‘extensional’ groups are allowed, because extensional groups are equivalent to the maximal sum of their members. It is only intensional group predicates that block collective Qs.Keywords: collective quantification, mass quantification, homogeneous, cumulative, divisive, groups, sums, maximality operator, plural logic

URLhttp://journals.linguisticsociety.org/proceedings/index.php/SALT/article/view/24.453
DOI10.3765/salt.v24i0.2428