15 found
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  1. Givenness, avoidf and other constraints on the placement of accent.Roger Schwarzschild - 1999 - Natural Language Semantics 7 (2):141-177.
    This paper strives to characterize the relation between accent placement and discourse in terms of independent constraints operating at the interface between syntax and interpretation. The Givenness Constraint requires un-F-marked constituents to be given. Key here is our definition of givenness, which synthesizes insights from the literature on the semantics of focus with older views on information structure. AvoidF requires speakers to economize on F-marking. A third constraint requires a subset of F-markers to dominate accents.The characteristic prominence patterns of "novelty (...)
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  2. The Semantics of Comparatives and Other Degree Constructions.Roger Schwarzschild - unknown
    (1) is an example of an adjectival comparative. In it, the adjective important is flanked by more and a comparative clause headed by than. This article is a survey of recent ideas about the interpretation of comparatives, including (i) the underlying semantics based on the idea of a threshold; (ii) the interpretation of comparative clauses that include quantifiers (brighter than on many other days); (iii) remarks on differentials such as much in (1) above: what they do in the comparative and (...)
     
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  3. The Role of Dimensions in the Syntax of Noun Phrases.Roger Schwarzschild - unknown
    In the formation of extended noun phrases, expressions are used that describe some dimension. Weight is described by each of the prenominal expressions in heavy rock, too much ballast, 2 lb rock, 2 lbs of rocks. The central claim of this paper is that the position of these types of expressions within the noun phrase limits the kinds of dimensions they may describe. The limitations have to do with whether or not the dimension tracks relevant part-whole relations. An analogy is (...)
     
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  4.  43
    Plurals, presuppositions and the sources of distributivity.Roger Schwarzschild - 1993 - Natural Language Semantics 2 (3):201-248.
    This paper begins with a discussion ofcumulativity (e.g., ‘P(a) & P(b) implies P(a+b)’), formalized using a verb phrase operator. Next, the meanings of distributivity markers such aseach and non-distributivity indicators such astogether are considered. An existing analysis ofeach in terms of quantification over parts of a plurality is adopted. However,together is problematic, for it involves a cancellation or negation of the quantification associated witheach. (The four boys together owned exactly three cars could not be true if each of the boys (...)
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  5.  97
    Types of plural individuals.Roger Schwarzschild - 1992 - Linguistics and Philosophy 15 (6):641 - 675.
  6. A course in semantics.Daniel Altshuler, Terence Parsons & Roger Schwarzschild - 2019 - Cambridge, MA, USA: MIT Press. Edited by Terence Parsons & Roger Schwarzschild.
    An introductory text in linguistic semantics, uniquely balancing empirical coverage and formalism with development of intuition and methodology. -/- This introductory textbook in linguistic semantics for undergraduates features a unique balance between empirical coverage and formalism on the one hand and development of intuition and methodology on the other. It will equip students to form intuitions about a set of data, explain how well an analysis of the data accords with their intuitions, and extend the analysis or seek an alternative. (...)
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  7. Flexible boolean semantics. Coordination, plurality and scope in natural language.Yoad Winter & Roger Schwarzschild - unknown
    This dissertation is based on the compositional model theoretic approach to natural language semantics that was initiated by Montague (1970) and developed by subsequent work. In this general approach, coordination and negation are treated following Keenan & Faltz (1978, 1985) using boolean algebras. As in Barwise & Cooper (1981) noun phrases uniformly denote objects in the boolean domain of generalized quanti®ers. These foundational assumptions, although elegant and minimalistic, are challenged by various phenomena of coordination, plurality and scope. The dissertation solves (...)
     
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  8. Stubborn distributivity, multiparticipant nouns and the count/mass distinction.Roger Schwarzschild - unknown
    There are predicates that I call “stubbornly distributive” based on what happens when they are combined with plural count noun phrases. I will use these stubbornly distributive predicates to identify and analyze a certain subset of mass nouns which I call “multi-participant nouns”. Traffic and rubble are multi-participant nouns but furniture and luggage turn out not to be. Importantly, ‘typical’ mass nouns like water are multiparticipant nouns.
     
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  9. GIVENness, AVOIDF, and constraints on the placement of focus.Roger Schwarzschild - forthcoming - Natural Language Semantics.
     
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  10. Interpreting Accent.Roger Schwarzschild - unknown
    This paper grew out of a reaction to Elisabeth Selkirk's contribution to the Handbook of Phonology (Goldsmith 1996). Section 1.2 of that article is concerned with syntactic and semantic aspects of the placement of pitch accents in English. As will be seen in the data to be presented below, the constellation of pitch accents in an utterance is determined in part by properties of the preceding discourse, including the distinction between new and old information. This means for example, that a (...)
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  11.  52
    Why Some Foci Must Associate.Roger Schwarzschild - unknown
    The association of only with focus is explained in terms of (a) a semantics for only which makes no mention of focus and (b) discourse appropriateness conditions on the use of focus and principles of quantifier domain selection. This account differs from previous ones in giving sufficient conditions for association with focus but without stipulating it in the meaning of lexical items. Detractors have contended that foci have different pragmatic import depending on whether or not they are associated with a (...)
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  12. Intervals in the semantics of gradable adjectives.Roger Schwarzschild - manuscript
    It is natural to think of comparisons in terms of points on a scale. Jack is taller than Jill if the point associated with Jack on the height scale is higher than Jill’s point. Jack is much taller than Jill is if Jack’s point is separated from Jill’s by a sizable amount. It is also natural to think of temporal discourse in terms of points on a time line. The analogy between the two is worth taking seriously.
     
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  13. Mit Colloquium.Roger Schwarzschild - unknown
    I. Intervals & the Unique Witness Property (1) John is taller than Mary. (2) \!d \!dS John is d-tall ‚ (d B dS) ‚ Jill is d S-tall. (3) \!d \!dS ϕ(d) ‚ (d B dS) ‚ ψ(dS). (p-p) (4) SNEAKERS. Grant expresses interest in a pair of sneakers. I offer to buy them for him, having the impression that they cost somewhere in the $20-$30 range. We arrive at the store and to my horror I discover that the sneakers (...)
     
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  14. To appear in natural language semantics.Roger Schwarzschild - manuscript
    This paper strives to characterize the relation between accent placement and discourse in terms of independent constraints operating at the interface between syntax and interpretation. The GIVENness Constraint requires un-F-marked constituents to be GIVEN. Key here is our definition of GIVENness which synthesizes insights from the literature on the semantics of focus with older views on information structure. AvoidF requires speakers to economize on F-marking. A third constraint requires a subset of F-markers to dominate accents.
     
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  15. (1 other version)How we talk about amount', paper presented at the university of southern california linguistic colloquium. And Karina Wilkinson.(2002).'Quantifiers in comparatives: A semantics of degree based on intervals'. [REVIEW]Roger Schwarzschild - 2001 - Natural Language Semantics 10:1-41.
     
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