Interrogative Phrases and the Syntax-Semantics Interface

Interrogative Phrases and the Syntax-Semantics Interface
Author :
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages : 203
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9789401586887
ISBN-13 : 9401586888
Rating : 4/5 (888 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Interrogative Phrases and the Syntax-Semantics Interface by : I. Comorovski

Download or read book Interrogative Phrases and the Syntax-Semantics Interface written by I. Comorovski and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-04-17 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Interrogative Phrases and the Syntax-Semantics Interface starts by analyzing the interpretation of interrogative phrases in single and multiple constituent questions, including their interpretation under adverbs of quantification. The results are then put to work in a novel approach to some of the constraints on dependencies between fronted interrogative phrases and the associated gaps: superiority, weak crossover, as well as the so-called `weak islands' (the WH-island, the negative island and the Factive Island). It is argued that the possibility of fronting an interrogative phrase out of these configurations is determined by a semantic/pragmatic condition on questions, which requires them to be answerable. The analysis is worked out principally on Romanian, a language which allows multiple wh-fronting. The results are then extended to English. Audience: Researchers and students in syntax, semantics and their interface, as well as linguists studying the relation between the acceptability of sentences and the larger discourse context.


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