polarity items in superlative constructions jack hoeksema university of groningen negation workshop,...

Polarity items Polarity items in superlative in superlative constructionsconstructionsJack HoeksemaUniversity of Groningen

Negation workshop, Utrecht, June 17 2010 1

Structure of the talkStructure of the talk1. Strawson entailment (Von Fintel

1999)2. Strawson entailing contexts:

superlatives, restrictive adverbs (only)

3. Polarity items that appear in superlative constructions

4. Polarity items that don’t appear in superlative constructions

5. Comparison with only 6. Conclusions


Downward and upward Downward and upward entailmententailmentEvery pig will be eaten Every

sow will be eaten (downward entailment from the general pig to the less general sow)

Some sow will be eaten Some pig will be eaten (upward entailment)


Negative Polarity ItemsNegative Polarity ItemsAppear in downward entailing

contexts (Ladusaw 1979)Familiar problems with this

analysis: questions, superlatives, only

Proposed solution for superlatives and only: Strawson entailment


Strawson entailmentStrawson entailment

Jones is the tallest dairy farmer //

Jones is the tallest farmer

Jones is the tallest farmerJones is a dairy farmerJones is the tallest dairy farmer


And soAnd soStrawson downward entailment is

downward entailment, with the added premise that the presuppositions of the conclusion are met

And can be viewed as a generalization of regular downward entailment


Application to Application to onlyonlyOnly Jones likes meat Only

Jones likes beef (valid on the assumption that Jones likes beef, otherwise invalid)


Polarity items in superlative Polarity items in superlative contextscontextsa. He is the last person who would

ever admit any interest in love-stories.

b. Angela is the first one who ever did a damn thing for me.

c. Emma is the tallest girl to ever win the dance contest.

d. That was the best party ever!


More English examples: in More English examples: in XXa. We sailed through what must

have been the worst storm in years.

b. This meager lunch is easily the best meal I have had in ages.

c. That’s the most interesting piece of information I have had in weeks.


Yet, in the world, aliveYet, in the world, alivea. Last night’s game saw our

greatest victory yet.b. This was the worst game I have

yet had to misfortune to attend.c. It was said in the most unconscious

manner in the world.d. I am glad to be alive.e. I am the happiest man alive.f. *There was a man alive.g. There was not a man alive.


Dutch NPIs that appear in Dutch NPIs that appear in superlativessuperlativesOoit ‘ever’In tijden ‘in ages’Ter wereld ‘on earth’Van zijn leven ‘of his life’


German German Je, jemals ‘ever’ Überhaupt

a Sie war das schönste Madchen das ich je gesehen hatte.She was the beautiful-est girl that I ever seen had“She was the most beautiful girl that I had ever seen

b. The Beatles war die beste Band die es jemals gegeben hat.The Beatles were the best band that it ever given has“The Beatles are the best band that ever existed”

c. Du bist für mich das liebste Mädchen überhauptYou are for me the sweetest girl at-all

NB: no counterpart to in ages, in years, in months etcNegation workshop, Utrecht, June 17 2010 12

French: jamais, de ma vieFrench: jamais, de ma viea. C’est la meilleure omelette que

j’aie jamais mangée.That’s the best omelet that I’ve ever eaten‘That is the best omelet I have ever eaten’

b. C’étaient les plus belles vacances de ma vie.It-was the most beautiful vacation of my life‘It was the most beautiful vacation of my life’


NPIs that shun NPIs that shun superlativessuperlativesIn the least*This is the most important

document that Fred was in the least excited about.

In het minstDit is het slechtste boek dat ik in

het minst geapprecieerd hebIm geringstenDiese Regierung ist die beste die wir

jemals/*im geringsten gehabt haben


anymoreanymore

a. This is the best film that is shown here anymore.

b. Government makes activists sound bad but it is the best chance this country has anymore.

From Levinson 2008


Corpus data: ever, any, Corpus data: ever, any, anymoreanymore

Table 1: Ever, any, anymore in superlative and some related contexts

context ever % any % anymore % superlative 623 15 37 0.5 - - the only 101 2 12 0.2 8 1 the first 103 2 14 0.2 - - the last 25 0.6 4 - - - other contexts 3277 79 6933 99 765 99 Total 4129 100 7000 100 773 100


Minimizers don’t like Minimizers don’t like superlativessuperlatives

Negation workshop, Utrecht, June 17 2010

Table 2: Distribution of three English minimizers context a thing % a word % a damn thing % superlative - - - - - - the only - - 1 0.5 1 2 the first - - 1 0.5 - - the last - - - - - - other contexts 107 100 243 99 49 98 Total 107 100 245 100 50 100

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Auxiliary Auxiliary needneed(32) a. You need not worry about a thing.b. *You need (OK: need to) work harder.c. *That’s the most important thing you need do.d. That’s the only thing you need do.e. ?That’s the first thing you need do.f. That’s the last thing you need worry about.g. Need I say more?h. Little else need be done.


Corpus dataCorpus data


Table 3: Distribution of the English auxiliary need context need % superlative - - the only 2 0,5 the first - - the last - - other contexts 471 99,5 Total 473 100

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RemotelyRemotelya. The students were not remotely interested.b. *The students were remotely interested.c. *She is the best/worst student who is

remotely interested.d. She is the only student who is remotely

interested.e. She is the first student who is remotely

interested.f. That was the last thing that was remotely

funny.g. Wake me up if it gets remotely interesting.h. Was it even remotely interesting?


Corpus data Corpus data remotelyremotely


Table 4: Remotely context remotely % superlative - - the only 7 8 the first - - the last 1 1 other contexts 77 91 Total 85 100

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Dutch corpus data: ooit, Dutch corpus data: ooit, enig, meerenig, meer


Table 5: Distribution of Dutch ooit, enig,meer context ooit % enig % meer % superlative 1685 10 10 1 - - the only 163 1 1 0.1 - - the first 32 0.2 - - - - the last 24 0.1 - - - - other contexts 15803 89 1187 99 2513 100 Total 17707 100 1198 100 2513 100

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Dutch minimizersDutch minimizers


Table 6: Distribution of three Dutch minimizers context een bal % een woord % een zier % superlative - - - - - - the only 1 0.2 - - - - the first - - 1 - - - the last - - - - 1 0.2 other contexts 462 99.8 1815 100 403 100 Total 463 100 1816 100 404 100

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Modal auxiliary Modal auxiliary hoevenhoeven


Table 7: Distribution of Dutch hoeven context hoeven % superlative - - the only 35 2 the first - - the last 2 0.1 other contexts 2060 98 Total 2097 100

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In de verste verte In de verste verte ‘remotely’‘remotely’


Table 8: Distribution of Dutch in de verste verte

context in de verste verte % superlative - - the only 4 1 the first - - the last - - other contexts 345 99 Total 349 100

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German: je/jemals, mehrGerman: je/jemals, mehr


Table 9: Je(mals) ‘ever’ and mehr ‘anymore’ context je(mals) % mehr % superlative 109 13 - - the only 9 1 - - the first 4 0.5 - - the last - - - other contexts 731 86 682 100 Total 853 100 682 100

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German minizimers don’t German minizimers don’t like superlatives eitherlike superlatives either


Table 10: Three German minimizers

context ein Sterbenswort % ein Pfifferling % Ein Wort % superlative - - - - - - the only - - - - - - the first - - - - - - the last - - - - - - other contexts 15 100 12 100 69 100 Total 15 100 12 100 69 100

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German German brauchenbrauchen


Table 11: German brauchen

context % superlative - - the only 1 0.3 the first - - the last - - other contexts 381 99.7 Total 382 100

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Superlatives versus Superlatives versus OnlyOnlyOnly John ever goes there.John is the least likely person ever to

win the race.

*Only John has seen her in agesJohn is the best student I’ve had in ages

Only candidates with a PhD need apply*The best candidate who need apply is

JohnThe only candidate who need apply is

John


More corpus dataMore corpus data


Table 13: In years (etc), in jaren (etc)

context In X (English) % In X (Dutch) % Superlative 210 42 354 34 Only - - - - Other 288 58 679 66

Table 12: Need, hoeven, brauchen

context Need % Hoeven % Brauchen % Superlative - - - - - - Only 56 12 347 17 63 16 Other 419 88 1741 83 319 84 Total 477 100 2088 100 382 100

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conclusionsconclusionsOnly some NPIs are acceptable in

superlative contextsTypically, NPIs in superlative contexts

extend the domain of quantification (ever, alive, in years) and are adjuncts

Any, enig (nonadjuncts) are possible in superlative contexts, but rare

The NPIs licensed by superlatives are not the same as the NPIs licensed by only

Strawson entailment fails as a uniform explanation of licensing patterns of NPIs


polarity items in superlative constructions jack hoeksema university of groningen negation workshop,...

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