The Semantics of Affirmative Verum Focus

Rafiee Rad, Siavash

doi:10.22034/jls.2024.141182.1105

The Semantics of Affirmative Verum Focus

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Siavash Rafiee Rad

Assistant Professor in Linguistics, Leiden University, Netherlands

10.22034/jls.2024.141182.1105

Abstract

This article undertakes an in-depth study of the role of the Affirmative Verum Focus (AVF) particle within elliptical constructions cross-linguistically, with a focus on Persian. We demonstrate how the AVF particle, spanning diverse linguistic frameworks, functions as a catalyst for licensing ellipsis and allows the resolution within elliptical constructions featuring its presence. We posit that the semantic representation of the AVF particle in the target sentence functions as a remnant and a parallel element to the negation marker in the source sentence. In turn, it operates in parallel with the semantic representation attributed to the negation marker in the source sentence. Functioning as a higher-order operator, the AVF particle interlaces the semantic representation of the source sentence with that of the target sentence. Finally, we will demonstrate how our analysis can extend to account for a comprehensive examination of ellipsis resolution across various forms of elliptical constructions, including sentential ellipsis.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Semantics

References

^References

^{Anderson, S. R. (1972). “How to Get 'Even'.”}^Language^{, 48 (4), 893–906.}

^{Chomsky, N. (1973). “Conditions on Transformations.”}^{In S. R. Anderson and P. Kiparsky, eds., A Festschrift for Morris Halle, 232–286. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.}

^{Church, A. (1941). The Calculi of Lambda Conversion. Princeton: Princeton University Press.}

^{Dalrymple, M. (2005). “Against Reconstruction in Ellipsis.” In R. El-ugardo and R. J. Stainton. eds., Ellipsis and Nonsentential Speech, 31–55. Netherlands: Springer.}

^{Dalrymple, M., S. M. Shieber and F. C. N. Pereira (1991). “Ellipsis and higher-order unification.” Linguistics and Philosophy, 14 (4), 399-452.}

^{Dimroth, C., Schimke, S., and Turco, G. (2017). “Focusing Functional Elements: Affirmative Particles and Verum Focus in First Language Acquisition of German.” Language Acquisition, 25(3), 268–283.}

^{Dowty, D. (1979). Word meaning and Montague Grammar. Netherlands: Springer.}

^{Dowty, D. (1988). “Type-raising, Functional Composition, and Non-constituent Coordination.” In Richard T. Oehrle, Emmon Bach and Deirdre Wheeler, eds., Categorial Grammar and Natural Language Structures, 153-198. Netherlands: Springer.}

^{Egg, M. and M. Zimmermann (2011).}^{“Stressed Out! Accented Discourse Particles: The Case of ’doch’.” In A. Aguilar, A. Chernilovskaya, and R. Nouwen, eds., Proceedings of}^{Sinn und Bedeutung}^{, Vol. 16, 225–238.}

^{Fiengo, R. and R. May (1994).}^“^{Indices and Identity.” Linguistic Inquiry Monographs, 24. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.}

^{Gamut, L. T. F. (1991). “Logic, Language and Meaning, Volume II.” Intensional Logic and Logical Grammar. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.}

^{Hankamer, J. (1973). “Unacceptable ambiguity.” Linguistic Inquiry, 4, 17-68.}

^{Höhle, T. N. (1988). “Vorwort und Nachwort zu VERUM-Fokus.” Sprache und Pragmatik, 5, 1–7. Höhle, T. N. (1992). “Über Verum-Fokus In Deutschen.” In Joachim Jacobs, ed., Informationsstruktur und Grammatik. Linguistische Berichte Sonderheft 4, 112–141. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften.}

^{Huet, G. (1975).}^{“A unification algorithm for typed λ- λ-calculus.” Theoretical Computer Science, 1 (1), 27–57.}

^{Huet, G. and B. Lang. (1978). “Proving and Applying Program Transformations expressed with second-order Patterns.”}^{Acta Informatica}^{, 11, 31–55.}

^{Jackendoff, R. S. (1972). Semantic Interpretation in Generative Grammar. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.}

^{Johnson, K. (2008). “Introduction.” In Kyle Johnson, ed., Topics in Ellipsis, 1–14. Cambridge: Cambridge University.}

^{Johnson, K. (2014). Gapping. Manuscript, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.}

^{Kocher, A. (2023). “A sentence mood accounts for Spanish verum.” Glossa: a journal of general linguistics, 8(1).}

^{Kramer, R. and K. Rawlins (2011). “Polarity particles: an ellipsis account.” In S. Lima, K. Mullin and B. Smith, ed., The Proceedings of the 39th Annual Meeting of the North East Linguistic Society, November 7-8, 2008 (NELS 39), 479-492. University of Massachusetts: Graduate Linguistics Society Association.}

^{Krifka, M. (2013). “Response particles as propositional anaphors.”}^{In Todd Snider, ed., Proceedings of Semantics and Linguistic Theory (SALT) 23, 1-18. Linguistic Society of America.}

^{Kuno, S. (1976). “Gapping: A functional analysis.” Linguistic Inquiry, 7(2), 300-318.}

^{Laka, I. (1994). “On the Syntax of Negation.” Outstanding Dissertations in Linguistics Series. Routledge.}

^{Langendoen, D. T. (1975). “Acceptable conclusions from unacceptable ambiguity.” In D. Cohen and J. R. Wirth, eds., Testing Linguistic Hypotheses, 111-127. Washington, DC: Hemisphere Press.}

^{Lappin, S. T. (1996). “The interpretation of ellipsis.” In Shalom Lappin, ed., Handbook of Contemporary Semantic Theory, 145-176. Blackwell Publishing.}

^{Lohnstein, H. (2018). “Verum focus, sentence mood, and contrast.” In C. Dimroth and S. Sudhoff, ed.. The Grammatical Realization of Polarity Contrast: Theoretical, empirical, and typological approaches, 55–88. John Benjamins.}

^{Montague, R. ed., (1974). Formal Philosophy: Selected Papers of Richard Montague, edited and with an introduction by Richmond H. Thomason. New Haven/London: Yale University. Neijt, A. (1979). Gapping. Foris Publications.}

^{Partee, B. (1975). “Montague grammar and transformational grammar.” Linguistic Inquiry, 6(2), 203-300.}

^{Partee, B., A.G. ter Meulen and R. Wall (1993). Mathematical Methods in Linguistics. Springer.}

^{Payne, J. R. (1985). “Negation.” In T. Shopen, ed., Language Typology and Syntactic Description 1: Clause Structure, 197–242. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.}

^{Repp, S. (2008). “When the negative goes missing: the role of the information structure in gapping coordination with but.” In A. Steube, ed.. The Discourse Potential of Underspecified Structures: Event Structure and Information Structure, 359-388.}^{Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.}

^{Repp, S. (2009).}^{Negation in Gapping}^{. Oxford: Oxford University Press.}

^{Romero, M. and C. H. Han (2004). “On negative y/n- questions.” Linguistics and Philosophy, 27(5), 609-658.}

^{Ross, J. R. (1967). Constraints on Variables in Syntax. Doctoral thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Modern Languages and Linguistics.}

^{Ross, J. R. (1970). “Gapping and the Order of Constituents.” In M. Bierwisch and K. E. Heidolph, eds., Progress in Linguistics, 249–59. De Gruyter Mouton.}

^{Sag, I. A. (1976). Deletion and logical form. Doctoral thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Foreign Literatures and Linguistics.}

^{Shopen, T. A. (1972). A generative theory of ellipsis. Doctoral thesis, University of California.}

^{Steedman, M. J. (1990). “Gapping as Constituent Coordination.” Linguistics and Philosophy, 13(2), 207-263.}

^{Stillings, J. T. (1975). “The Formulation of Gapping in English as Evidence for Variable Types in Syntactic Transformations.” Linguistic Analysis, 1, 247–73.}

^{Wasow, T. (1972). Anaphoric Relations in English. Doctoral thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Foreign Literatures and Linguistics.}

^{Williams, E. (1977). “Discourse and logical form.” Linguistic Inquiry, 8(3), 101-139.}

The Semantics of Affirmative Verum Focus

References

Volume 3, Issue 3 - Serial Number 7
Fall 2024
December 2024
Pages 69-86

Files

History

Share

How to cite

Statistics

The Semantics of Affirmative Verum Focus

References

Volume 3, Issue 3 - Serial Number 7Fall 2024December 2024Pages 69-86

Files

History

Share

How to cite

Statistics

Volume 3, Issue 3 - Serial Number 7
Fall 2024
December 2024
Pages 69-86