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Association With Focus Or Association With Presupposition?
| Content Provider | CiteSeerX |
|---|---|
| Author | Rooth, Mats |
| Abstract | According to alternative semantics, focus has the weak semantics of introducing alternatives. But in some association with focus constructions, assuming a semantics of existential presupposition would give us an independently motivated account of the semantic focus effect. I review two such cases. I then give arguments against an existential-presupposition semantics for focus based on flexibility in the licensing of focus. Architecture for focus interpretation I will assume the architecture for focus interpretation discussed in Rooth (1992). In the example below, [ NP John] is marked with a focus feature, and this focus is interpreted at the S level by a focus interpretation operator ¸. (1) [ S [ S John F solved problem three] ¸ C] The focus interpretation operator adds a constraint on a free variable C. In this case, the constraint is that C is a set of propositions of the form `x solved problem three' containing `John solved problem three' and some other proposition. We think of t... |
| File Format | |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Semantic Focus Effect Np John Existential-presupposition Semantics Focus Feature Focus Association Focus Interpretation Focus Construction Motivated Account Weak Semantics Focus Interpretation Operator Existential Presupposition Alternative Semantics |
| Content Type | Text |
