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The Dpt. of Linguistics cordially invites you to a semantics talk
the week after next:<br>
<br>
Viola Schmitt (Humboldt University, Berlin)<br>
<b> There is no evidence for world pluralities. Why?</b> <br>
<br>
Wed, May, 4th (be with you!), 16:30h, HS1, Sensengasse 3a, 1090
Wien<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Abstract:<br>
My first point will be to argue that worlds represent an exception
to an otherwise apparently robust pattern, namely,<br>
to the generalization that all semantic domains contain pluralities.
More specifically, conditionals and construc-<br>
tions involving neg-raising predicates have been discussed in the
literature as candidates for configurations that<br>
might involve world-pluralities, as they exhibit two traits also
connected with definite plurals: homogeneity and<br>
non-maximality. However, I show that they lack core traits of
pluralities witnessed for all other domains, namely,<br>
cumulativity and the ability to be targeted by a certain class of
quantifiers. In the second part of the talk, I probe<br>
an explanation for this gap – partially building on previous claims
in the literature, I try to link the use of worlds in<br>
these constructions to the use of degrees in constructions with
gradable predicates that relate to non-additive scales.<br>
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