Evaluability : an alternative approach to polarity sensitivity
(2013) p.103-125- Abstract
- Based on Brandtler (2012), this paper argues that polarity items are sensitive to evaluability, a concept that refers to the possibility of accepting or rejecting an utterance as true in a communicative exchange. The main distinction is made between evaluable and non-evaluable utterances. The evaluable category comprises any clause that asserts, presupposes or entails the truth of an affirmative or a negative proposition. In contrast, the non-evaluable category contains clauses that do not assert, presuppose or entail the truth of an affirmative or a negative proposition.
According to the Evaluability Hypothesis, non-evaluable environments are natural hosts for both NPIs and PPIs. Hence, the occurrence of polarity items... (More) - Based on Brandtler (2012), this paper argues that polarity items are sensitive to evaluability, a concept that refers to the possibility of accepting or rejecting an utterance as true in a communicative exchange. The main distinction is made between evaluable and non-evaluable utterances. The evaluable category comprises any clause that asserts, presupposes or entails the truth of an affirmative or a negative proposition. In contrast, the non-evaluable category contains clauses that do not assert, presuppose or entail the truth of an affirmative or a negative proposition.
According to the Evaluability Hypothesis, non-evaluable environments are natural hosts for both NPIs and PPIs. Hence, the occurrence of polarity items in non-evaluable clauses does not require formal licensing, and this is the reason we find both PPIs and weak NPIs in yes/no-questions and conditionals. Evaluable clauses, in contrast, are restricted environments and may only host polarity items that are formally (i.e. syntactically) licensed. Hence, NPIs require the presence of a licensing element, and PPIs require the absence of such elements. This analysis leads to an important change of perspective, as the occurrence of polarity items in negative and affirmative sentences becomes the marked, or exceptional, case. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/3990575
- author
- Brandtler, Johan LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2013
- type
- Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
- publication status
- published
- subject
- host publication
- Beyond "any" and "ever": new explorations in negative polarity sensitivity.
- editor
- Csipak, Eva ; Eckhardt, Regine ; Liu, Mingya and Sailer, Manfred
- pages
- 103 - 125
- publisher
- Mouton de Gruyter
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85140353942
- ISBN
- 978-3-11-030372-8
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015. The record was previously connected to the following departments: Swedish (015011001)
- id
- 6731e42c-31d9-4790-887b-6bba0014c27a (old id 3990575)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-04 10:24:44
- date last changed
- 2023-03-27 07:29:13
@inbook{6731e42c-31d9-4790-887b-6bba0014c27a,
abstract = {{Based on Brandtler (2012), this paper argues that polarity items are sensitive to evaluability, a concept that refers to the possibility of accepting or rejecting an utterance as true in a communicative exchange. The main distinction is made between evaluable and non-evaluable utterances. The evaluable category comprises any clause that asserts, presupposes or entails the truth of an affirmative or a negative proposition. In contrast, the non-evaluable category contains clauses that do not assert, presuppose or entail the truth of an affirmative or a negative proposition.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
According to the Evaluability Hypothesis, non-evaluable environments are natural hosts for both NPIs and PPIs. Hence, the occurrence of polarity items in non-evaluable clauses does not require formal licensing, and this is the reason we find both PPIs and weak NPIs in yes/no-questions and conditionals. Evaluable clauses, in contrast, are restricted environments and may only host polarity items that are formally (i.e. syntactically) licensed. Hence, NPIs require the presence of a licensing element, and PPIs require the absence of such elements. This analysis leads to an important change of perspective, as the occurrence of polarity items in negative and affirmative sentences becomes the marked, or exceptional, case.}},
author = {{Brandtler, Johan}},
booktitle = {{Beyond "any" and "ever": new explorations in negative polarity sensitivity.}},
editor = {{Csipak, Eva and Eckhardt, Regine and Liu, Mingya and Sailer, Manfred}},
isbn = {{978-3-11-030372-8}},
language = {{eng}},
pages = {{103--125}},
publisher = {{Mouton de Gruyter}},
title = {{Evaluability : an alternative approach to polarity sensitivity}},
year = {{2013}},
}