Open AccessQuantification in event semantics: generalized quantifiers vs. sub-events
Author(s) -
Sascha Alexeyenko
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
zas papers in linguistics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1435-9588
DOI - 10.21248/zaspil.60.2018.453
Subject(s) - quantifier (linguistics) , event (particle physics) , semantics (computer science) , interpretation (philosophy) , computer science , scope (computer science) , existentialism , natural language processing , mathematics , linguistics , artificial intelligence , programming language , philosophy , epistemology , physics , quantum mechanics
The goal of this paper is to evaluate two approaches to quantification in event semantics,namely the analysis of quantificational DPs in terms of generalized quantifiers andthe analysis proposed in Schein (1993) according to which quantifiers over individuals containan existential quantifier over sub-events in their scope. Both analyses capture the fact that theevent quantifier always takes scope under quantifiers over individuals (the Event Type Principlein Landman (2000)), but the sub-events analysis has also been argued to be able to accountfor some further data, namely for adverbs qualifying ‘ensemble’ events and for mixed cumulative/distributive readings. This paper shows that the sub-events analysis also provides a betteraccount of the Event Type Principle if a broader range of data is considered, including caseswith non-existential quantifiers over events: unlike the generalized quantifiers analysis, it cansuccessfully account for the interpretation of indefinites in bare habituals and sentences thatcontain overt adverbs of quantification.Keywords: quantification, event semantics, generic quantifier, habituals, Q-adverbs.