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Against partitioned readings of reciprocals

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Abstract

This paper examines interpretations of sentences with reciprocal expressions like each other or one another. We concentrate on cases where two or more separate groups can be discerned in the interpretation of the subject of predication. We study the availability of such partitioned interpretations with de.nite subjects and proper name conjunctions, and show new evidence that partitioning effects are independent of the semantics of the reciprocal expression, and are exclusively determined by the interpretation of the subject. We then propose that the effect is yet another result of the familiar dependency of descriptions on contextual quantifiers.

Abstract

This paper examines interpretations of sentences with reciprocal expressions like each other or one another. We concentrate on cases where two or more separate groups can be discerned in the interpretation of the subject of predication. We study the availability of such partitioned interpretations with de.nite subjects and proper name conjunctions, and show new evidence that partitioning effects are independent of the semantics of the reciprocal expression, and are exclusively determined by the interpretation of the subject. We then propose that the effect is yet another result of the familiar dependency of descriptions on contextual quantifiers.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. List of contributors vii
  4. The linguistics enterprise 1
  5. Scope ambiguities through the mirror 11
  6. Phonetic and phonological approaches to early word recognition 55
  7. Restructuring head and argument in West-Germanic 79
  8. Scope assignment in child language 99
  9. The learnability of A-bar chains 115
  10. Looking at anaphora 141
  11. Incremental discourse processing 167
  12. Theoretical validity and psychological reality of the grammatical code 183
  13. Monitoring for speech errors has different functions in inner and overt speech 213
  14. What’s in a quantifier? 235
  15. Minimal versus not so minimal pronouns 257
  16. Against partitioned readings of reciprocals 283
  17. The representation and processing of fixed and compositional expressions 291
  18. Clitic doubling in Spanish 315
  19. Metalinguistic processing and acquisition within the MOGUL framework 327
  20. Catching heffalumps 345
  21. Index 377
The Linguistics Enterprise
This chapter is in the book The Linguistics Enterprise
https://doi.org/10.1075/la.150.12sab

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. List of contributors vii
  4. The linguistics enterprise 1
  5. Scope ambiguities through the mirror 11
  6. Phonetic and phonological approaches to early word recognition 55
  7. Restructuring head and argument in West-Germanic 79
  8. Scope assignment in child language 99
  9. The learnability of A-bar chains 115
  10. Looking at anaphora 141
  11. Incremental discourse processing 167
  12. Theoretical validity and psychological reality of the grammatical code 183
  13. Monitoring for speech errors has different functions in inner and overt speech 213
  14. What’s in a quantifier? 235
  15. Minimal versus not so minimal pronouns 257
  16. Against partitioned readings of reciprocals 283
  17. The representation and processing of fixed and compositional expressions 291
  18. Clitic doubling in Spanish 315
  19. Metalinguistic processing and acquisition within the MOGUL framework 327
  20. Catching heffalumps 345
  21. Index 377
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