On the scope of quantifier phrases in Chinese passive construction

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-89
Author(s):  
Xiaolong Yang ◽  
Yicheng Wu
Keyword(s):  
Wide Scope ◽  
Quantifier Scope ◽  
Scope Ambiguity ◽  
Passive Construction ◽  
Single Sentence ◽  
Narrow Scope ◽  
Semantics And Pragmatics ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Quantifier Phrases ◽  
Semantic Properties

Abstract Quantifier phrases (QP) can co-occur in a single sentence, which may cause ambiguity in terms of scope relation, viz. wide scope and narrow scope interpretations. Aoun & Li (1993) claim that quantifier scope ambiguity also exists in Chinese passive construction, such as yige nűren bei meige ren ma ‘a woman was scolded by everyone’. Following Lee (1986)’s proposal, it is argued in this paper that the scopal relations of Chinese QPs are not purely syntactic as in Aoun & Li’s analysis, but should be determined by the interaction between syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. Based on naturalistic data, it is shown that (i) Chinese QPs can be classified into whQP, distributive-universal QP and group-denoting QP, whose semantic properties determine the scope relations between them; (ii) in general, a QP is devoid of referentiality, yet it can acquire referentiality depending on its co-occurrence with other QPs or contextual factors; (iii) the subject definiteness constraint in Chinese, a language-specific constraint, would affect the interpretation of subject QPs in Chinese passive construction.

Introduction and Delimitation of the Subject

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
El Far Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
International Trade ◽  
General Principle ◽  
Wide Scope ◽  
International Arbitration ◽  
Narrow Scope ◽  
Normal Means ◽  
The Subject ◽  
General Principles Of Law

This introductory chapter provides an overview of the principle of abuse of rights in international arbitration. It is now generally recognized that international arbitration is the preferred method for resolving disputes in international trade and the normal means for resolving commercial and investment disputes. However, in recent years, international arbitration has been plagued by different forms of procedural abuse. Abusive practices developed by parties may not only cause paramount prejudice to their opponents, but can also undermine the fair resolution of disputes and frustrate the administration of arbitral justice. The existing rules for the prevention of abuse have a defined and narrow scope, are inherently rigid in their application, and fail to remedy different forms of abuse. As such, a general principle of abuse of rights is vital in international arbitration. The virtue of a single theory with a wide scope and an overarching premise is that it is a principle which involves equity considerations, enjoys the flexibility of general principles of law, and can be used to address different abusive behaviours.

Competition During the Processing of Quantifier Scope Ambiguities: Evidence from Eye Movements during Reading

2008 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 459-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin B. Paterson ◽  
Ruth Filik ◽  
Simon P. Liversedge
Keyword(s):  
Sentence Processing ◽  
Wide Scope ◽  
Quantifier Scope ◽  
Grammatical Function ◽  
Scope Ambiguity ◽  
Multiple Factors ◽  
Processing Cost ◽  
Scope Ambiguities ◽  
Eye Movements During Reading ◽  
Processing Difficulty

We investigated the processing of sentences containing a quantifier scope ambiguity, such as Kelly showed a photo to each critic, which is ambiguous between the indefinite phrase ( a photo) having one or many referents. Ambiguity resolution requires the computation of relative quantifier scope, with either a photo or each critic taking wide scope, thereby determining the number of referents. Using eye tracking, we established that multiple factors, including the grammatical function and surface linear order of quantified phrases, along with their lexical characteristics, interact during the processing of relative quantifier scope, with conflict between factors incurring a processing cost. We discuss the results in terms of theoretical accounts attributing sentence-processing difficulty to either reanalysis (e.g., Fodor, 1982) or competition between rival analyses (e.g., Kurtzman & MacDonald, 1993).

On indefinite subjects in Mandarin

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yicheng Wu ◽  
Xuping Li
Keyword(s):  
Subject Position ◽  
Wide Scope ◽  
Existential Quantifier ◽  
Narrow Scope ◽  
Existential Interpretation ◽  
The Subject

Abstract This study investigates the licensing conditions and interpretational variability of indefinite subjects in Mandarin. Against the ‘definiteness’ constraint of subject in Mandarin (Chao 1968; Li and Thompson 1981), three types of indefinite subjects are identified in the subject position, but they exhibit different scope behaviors: (i) you-nominals are ambiguous between a wide scope and a narrow scope, and (ii) thetic subjects are narrow-scope taking, and (iii) ‘cardinal’ subjects are scopeless. Following Cohen and Erteschik-Shir (2002), we propose that the former two types of indefinite subjects are focus elements and they fall into the position of nuclear scope, where they receive an existential interpretation, and cardinal subjects are topics and they serve as restrictor to some generic operator. Moreover, the wide/narrow scope readings of you-nominals are distinguished from each other in terms of whether a topic domain is available or not, which may serve a domain restrictor to the existential quantifier bound to you-nominals (Portner 2002).

scholarly journals empirical view on raising to subject

2010 ◽  
Vol 52 ◽  
pp. 83-109
Author(s):  
Scott Grimm
Keyword(s):  
Information Structure ◽  
Wide Scope ◽  
Empirical Methods ◽  
Subject Analysis ◽  
Narrow Scope ◽  
Truth Conditional ◽  
The Subject ◽  
New Evidence ◽  
Subject Raising

This paper employs empirical methods to examine verbs such as seem, for which the traditional raising to subject analysis relates pairs of sentences which differ by taking an infinitival or sentential complement. A corpus-driven investigation of the verbs seem and appear demonstrates that information structure and evidentiality both play a determinate role in the choice between infinitival or sentential complementation. The second half of the paper builds upon the corpus results and examines the implications for the standard claims concerning these constructions. First, pairs of sentences related by the subject-to-subject raising analysis of verbs are often viewed as equivalent. New evidence from indefinite generic subjects shows that whether an indefinite generic subject occurs in the infinitival or sentential complement construction leads to truth-conditional differences. Further implications are explored for the claim that subjects of the infinitival variant may take narrow-scope: once various confounds are controlled for, the subject of the infinitival construction is shown to most naturally take wide-scope.  

Scope and the development of epistemic modality: evidence from ought to

1997 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 295-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Nordlinger ◽  
Elizabeth Closs Traugott
Keyword(s):  
Epistemic Modality ◽  
Wide Scope ◽  
Narrow Scope ◽  
The Subject

Discussions of modality (e.g. Bybee, Perkins & Pagliuca, 1994; Coates, 1983; Lyons, 1977; Palmer, 1986; Traugott, 1989) typically center around two issues: deonticity vs. epistemicity, and degree of subjectivity. Using diachronic evidence from the quasi-modal ought to, this paper argues for the need to recognize a third, crosscutting these two: narrow vs. wide scope. We argue that the epistemic use of ought to developed out of a wide-scope deontic construction, in which the modal was used with deontic meaning, but with propositional scope (contra Bybee, 1988). Rather than attributing an obligation to the subject (i.e. having narrow scope), the modal in this construction makes an assertion about the proposition as a whole, like an epistemic. However, such ought to constructions are found some four hundred years before the first epistemic examples, and thus can be shown to be distinct from epistemic uses (contra Gamon, 1994).

Amâlî (Imla) As Arabic Writing Technique

Metahumaniora ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 128
Author(s):  
Dicky Rachmat Pauji
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Arabic Language ◽  
Wide Scope ◽  
Writing Style ◽  
Learning Space ◽  
Islamic School ◽  
Related Literature ◽  
Language And Literature ◽  
The Subject

Amâlî (Imla) is a methodology used in studying Arabic language and literature that has a very wide scope. Amâlî (Imla) itself can be translated as: to dictate, to add, to fill in and etc. Amâlî (Imla) may also be interpreted further by the following narration: A teacher (ustadz) comes to a place like a mosque, an Islamic school or any learning space in general. In the process of teaching and learning, all that are spoken by the teacher is written down by the students on pieces of paper they had prepared earlier then be compiled into a book which will be preserved. This paper presents a brief summary of Amâlî (Imla) as a methodology which is discussed in many Amâlî (Imla) related literature works written from the beginning of 7th century until the 14th century. The subject Amâlî (Imla) is written in exceedingly diverse manner, unique to each of numerous known authors. This paper also discusses about various meaning of the word Amâlî (Imla) that has been interpreted differently among authors. In addition, the method of separating chapters and other minor distinct writing style that each of various groups of Amâlî (Imla) authors had developed was presented in this work. And lastly, this paper discusses the fact that Amâlî (Imla) related textbook authors were not only originated from the Middle East, but also from regions such as Iran (Huzistan) and Andalusia

The Myth of Structural Rationality

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Kiesewetter
Keyword(s):  
Wide Scope ◽  
Structural Requirements ◽  
Rational Requirements ◽  
Narrow Scope ◽  
Scope Interpretation

While Chapters 4 and 5 suggest that structural requirements of rationality cannot be normative, Chapter 6 argues for the stronger conclusion that there are no such requirements to begin with. The argument is that both narrow- and wide-scope interpretations of structural requirements face problems independently of whether these requirements are understood as being normative. Starting with the narrow-scope interpretation, the chapter discusses the problem that it licenses bootstrapping of rational requirements (6.1), that it entails inconsistent requirements (6.2), and that it entails requirements that undermine each other in a counterintuitive way (6.3). Turning to the wide-scope interpretation, the chapter discusses the charge that wide-scope requirements cannot capture an important asymmetry involved in structural irrationality (6.4–6.5), and that they are incapable of guiding our responses (6.6). It is argued that all of these objections pose serious problems for the respective accounts. This supports the conclusion that there are no structural requirements of rationality (6.7).

scholarly journals SYSTEM OF DERIVATIONAL CHAINS IN RUSSIAN NOUNS: LINGUISTIC AND METHODICAL ASPECTS

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalya S. Subbotina ◽  
Venera G. Fatkhutdinova ◽  
Elena I. Koriakowcewa
Keyword(s):  
Language Teaching ◽  
Russian Language ◽  
Russian Linguistics ◽  
Active Perception ◽  
Systemic Organization ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Semantic Properties ◽  
The Russian Language

The article describes the phenomenon of consistent derivation of words. The concept "word-forming chain" is used for its description in Russian linguistics. The subject of the study is the word-forming chains of nouns as a methodologically relevant means of language teaching. The purpose of the work is to characterize the structural and semantic properties of word-forming chains in the sphere of Russian nouns and to reveal the ways of their systematization. The presentation and the description of derivative groups forming word-building chains is carried out using the system-structural and functional-semantic methods. The study found that the typology of the substantive word-building chains of the Russian language is based on their system-structural reproducibility. The system is formed by binary and polynomial, linear and annular, complete and incomplete chains, as well as the chains that include monomotivated and poly-motivated derivatives. It is proved that the word-forming chain is one of the ways to cognize the systemic organization of the language word-forming level, the morphemic structure of derived words, the idiomatic nature of their semantics, and the linguocultural specifics of linguistic nomination.The purposeful methodical work on the study of consistent derivation as a language phenomenon promotes an active perception of many lexical and grammatical phenomena, as well as the development of the necessary skills of Russian derivative use in speech practice

scholarly journals The subject, it is here! The varying structural positions of preverbal subjects

2007 ◽  
Vol 23 (spe) ◽  
pp. 113-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Acrisio Pires
Keyword(s):  
Brazilian Portuguese ◽  
Variable Binding ◽  
Null Subject ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Bare Nouns ◽  
Semantic Properties ◽  
Structural Positions

This paper analyzes preverbal overt subjects, comparing Brazilian Portuguese to (other) null-subject languages, especially within Romance. It explores syntactic and semantic properties, including resumption, ellipsis, quantifiers and scope, variable binding, ordering restrictions, pronominal distinctions, minimality violations, bare nouns and definiteness. It concludes that preverbal subjects in Brazilian Portuguese can be realized both in argumental positions (Specifier of the Inflectional or Tense Phrase) and non-argumental positions (Topic Phrase specifiers), with the possibility that both types of positions are filled by the subject in the same clause, incorporating properties that have been argued not to be found together in other languages.

Józef Bremer. Elementy logiki [The Elements of Logic]

1970 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 291-292
Author(s):  
Elzbieta Jastrzębska
Keyword(s):  
Historical Development ◽  
Deductive Reasoning ◽  
Foreign Literature ◽  
Successful Attempt ◽  
Semantics And Pragmatics ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Basic Course

The Elements of Logic is conceived as an academic textbook that includes mainly material for a basic course in logic for students. Based on his own reflections as well as national and foreign literature on the subject (authors such as K. Ajdukiewicz, J. Lukasiewicz, T. Kotarbihski, G. Frege, L. Wittgenstein). Dr. Józef Bremer, S.J., presents in the following four chapters systematized knowledge of the problems embraced by the titles of each part of the book. The main aim of the author is the presentation of the problem of deductive reasoning. Another aim of this book is not only to teach how to formalize, but also to show why we generally do formalize. The Elements of Logic is a successful attempt to answer this question. Chapter I contains material related to logic and its understanding. In this chapter the author presents some texts on the historical development of the question: „what is logic about?" He also presents short texts on three related sciences: syntax, semantics and pragmatics.

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