Bare and non-bare predication

1. Bare and non-bare predication Bert Le Bruyn ESSLLI-StuS 2008

2. Introduction

3. I am linguist. a

4. Standard observations one set of nouns usually doesn’t take the indefinite article = capacity nouns Professions Religions Nationalities lawyer dictator … jew christian … Belgian American … ex. Hitler was dictator. H was dictator another set of nouns usually takes the indefinite article = non-capacity nouns The rest ex. White Fang is een wolf. WF is a wolf

5. Advanced observations MARKED USES capacity nouns can occur with the indefinite article Marie is een dictator. M is a dictator “non-capacity use” “Mary has characteristics that we associate with dictators” non-capacity nouns can occur without the indefinite article Ik ben wolf. I am wolve “capacity use” “I play the part of wolve”

6. CAPACITY NOUNS NON-CAPACITY NOUNS NO INDEFINITE ART Ik ben wolf. I am wolf Hitler was dictator. Hitler was dictator INDEFINITE ART White Fang is een wolf. WF is a wolf Marie is een dictator. Marie is a dictator

7. Overview Goal Improve on the analysis proposed by de Swart, Winter en Zwarts (2007) ●Presentation of de Swart et al. (2007) ● Problem I and its solution ● Problem II and its solution (setup) (role of the Indef. Art.)

8. de Swart et al. (2007)

9. I. In the lexicon there are two kinds of nouns non-capacity nouns type <e,t> capacity nouns type e, subtype ‘capacities’ Advocaat is een mooi beroep. Lawyer is a nice profession

10. e Capacities capacity nouns <e,t> non-capacity nouns

11. II. When occurring in predicate position capacity nouns have to shift to type <e,t> To do this they have a special type-shift: CAP set of people performing the profession profession set of followers religion set of citizens nationality Sometimes this shift is made explicit: Hij is advocaat van beroep. He is lawyer of profession

12. e Capacities capacity nouns CAP <e,t>

13. III. In presence of a NumP CAP is blocked This is the case when there is an indefinite article (=assumption) How is it then possible for capacity nouns to appear in predicate position ? they are coerced into another e-subtype: KINDS kinds are different from capacities in that they not only group the individuals that perform a certain profession but also those that have the characteristics associated with the profession which can be shifted to type <e,t> in presence of a NumP: via REL (Realization Operator)

14. e [presence of NumP] Capacities Kinds capacity nouns CAP REL <e,t>

15. Facts central in de Swart et al. (2007) ●Special status of capacity nouns. ● Unmarked reading of capacity nouns. Hitler was dictator. Hitler was dictator (Application of CAP that maps professions to the people that perform it) ● Marked reading of capacity nouns. Marie is een dictator. Mary is a dictator (Coercion into kind + application of REL)

16. Problem I and its solution

17. Observation De Swart et al. (2007) treat the “non-capacity” reading of capacity nouns but don’t treat the “capacity” reading of non-capacity nouns.

18. Question Can it be incorporated into their account ? NO! Reason Non-capacity nouns being of type <e,t> have no reason to shift when they occur in predicate position. No coercion mechanism can be exploited.

19. e Capacities Kinds CAP ? <e,t> non-capacity nouns

20. e Capacities Kinds CAP  (operator creating Kinds) <e,t> non-capacity nouns

21. Solving the problem ●The problem the analysis faces is that it does not foresee a type clash for non-capacity nouns in predicate position. ●Solution: create one. Proposal Non-capacity nouns are generated as type e, subtype ‘kinds’. + (temporary assumption) REL is in some way connected to the presence of NumP

22. e Capacities Kinds <e,t> non-capacity nouns

23. e Capacities Kinds <e,t>

24. e Capacities Kinds non-capacity nouns <e,t>

25. e [with NumP] Capacities Kinds non-capacity nouns REL <e,t>

26. e [without NumP] Capacities Kinds non-capacity nouns REL CAP <e,t>

27. ‘Tiny’ objection Unlike capacity nouns non-capacity nouns cannot be used bare in argument position. How can they then be of type e ? Advocaat is een mooi beroep. Lawyer is a nice profession *Wolf is een bedreigde diersoort. Wolf is an endangered species

28. ‘Tiny’ objection Advocaat is een mooi beroep. Lawyer is a nice profession *De advocaat is een mooi beroep. The lawyer is a nice profession *Wolf is een bedreigde diersoort. Wolf is an endangered species De wolf is een bedreigde diersoort. The wolf is an endangered species Gist of my reply: the bare form of non-capacity nouns is blocked by DPs headed by the definite article. Fair question: why is this not also the case for capacity nouns ?

29. ‘Tiny’ objection Advocaat is een mooi beroep. Lawyer is a nice profession *De advocaat is een mooi beroep. The lawyer is a nice profession *Wolf is een bedreigde diersoort. Wolf is an endangered species De wolf is een bedreigde diersoort. The wolf is an endangered species Gist of my reply: the bare form of non-capacity nouns is blocked by DPs headed by the definite article. Fair question: why is this not also the case for capacity nouns ? Answer: the combination of the definite article with the <e,t> version of a capacity doesn’t give us a capacity.

30. e Capacities Kinds non-capacity nouns with NumP non-capacity nouns  (intensional version of iota) REL <e,t>

31. e capacity nouns with NumP Capacities Kinds capacity nouns  (intensional version of iota) REL <e,t>

32. e capacity nouns with NumP Capacities Kinds capacity nouns iota REL <e,t>

33. Summary In order to derive the ‘capacity’ reading of non-capacity nouns I claimed that non-capacity nouns are generated as expressions of type e, subtype kinds. The analysis, as it stands, can explain both the unmarked and the marked readings of both capacity and non-capacity nouns.

34. Problem II and its solution

35. Recall Question Where does this constraint come from ? It doesn’t seem to have a semantic motivation...

36. Drifting (apparently) further away from semantics... Proposal Non-capacity nouns have a feature that has to be checked. The role of the indefinite article in predicate position is to check it. Question I: Why the indefinite article ? Question II: Why (apparently) only in predicate position ? Wanneer een dictator een land bezoekt zijn er altijd betogingen. When a dictator visits a country there are always manifestations Question III: What happens in other positions ?

37. Question I: Why the indefinite article ? -> background on articles -> background on kinds

38. Background on articles (1) Marking argumenthood In languages that have articles they are obligatory in argument position (in as far as they render the same semantics as the bare form) *I have cat. *Man came to see me. Marking uniqueness In languages that distinguish between a definite and an indefinite article the definite article (in the singular) is marked for uniqueness whereas the indefinite article is unmarked. I saw the teacher. I saw a teacher. !!! By not using the definite article the speaker does trigger an implicature of non-uniqueness.

39. Background on articles (2) indefinite article vs. bare form both constructions are unmarked for uniqueness both pragmatically imply non-uniqueness wherever both are possible (i.e. in predicate position) the construction with the indefinite article marks non-uniqueness (marked form linked to marked meaning)

40. Background on kinds Kinds are regularities that occur in nature. (Chierchia 1998) Two corollaries: ● their members have to show a sufficiently regular behaviour ● they should – in potential – have more than one member

41. Question I: Why the indefinite article ? -> background on articles In predicate position the indefinite article marks non-uniqueness. -> background on kinds ● their members have to show a sufficiently regular behaviour ● they should – in potential – have more than one member

42. Question I: Why the indefinite article ? -> background on articles In predicate position the indefinite article marks non-uniqueness. -> background on kinds Their members should in principle be non-unique. Answer If we assume that the feature present on non-capacity nouns is [-unique] there is a straightforward reason to choose the indefinite article as a checker.

43. Question II: Why only in predicate position ? Recall Answer Given that the ind. article can only mark non-uniqueness when it’s in competition with the bare form and given that this competition only surfaces in predicate position it can only check [-unique] in predicate position.

44. Question III: What happens in other positions ? ● The capacity vs. non-capacity distinction is linguistically fully exploited in the <e,t> domain. ● In the e domain no trace remains (singular kinds are always marked with the definite) ● In the <<e,t>,t> domain there is no grammaticalized way to express the distinction between the two. -> neutralization -> neutralization presupposes the use of kinds (given that they are ‘bigger’ than capacities) -> checking of the [-unique] feature by determiners (linked to the D-projection)

45. Summary In an attempt to make the appearance of the indefinite article more insightful I explored the possibility to link its presence to the marking of non-uniqueness. Interesting aspects: ● link with standard semantics/pragmatics of the indefinite article ● analysis derives why it’s only in the <e,t> domain that the indefinite article marks the distinction between capacity and non-capacity nouns (only domain in which the indefinite competes with the bare form) ● analysis derives why the distinction is neutralized in the <<e,t>,t> domain (no grammaticalized way of marking non-uniqueness)

46. Recap

47. Overview Goal Improve on the analysis proposed by de Swart, Winter en Zwarts (2007) ● non-capacity nouns are generated as type e, subtype kinds ● non-capacity nouns come with a [-unique] feature that has to be checked -> in the <e,t> domain: indefinite article -> in the <<e,t>,t> domain: vacuously by any determiner