0
Usenet Posted 22 years ago
Usage
Any as Indefinite plus Even
"'Any' as Indefinite plus 'Even'" by Young-Suk Lee and Laurence Horn, Yale University
In this paper (see http://www.yale.edu/linguist/faculty/horn/anypaper.doc ) the authors use many examples to investigate the semantic space of 'any'.
I was tripped up by a couple of examples he used. Much of his method of discourse seems to depend on real language examples from which he then infers patterns of use and meaning. A problem is that the examples may or may not have the same obvious meaning to everyone. In exploring 'any' he uses these pairs of what he says are semantically equivalent sentences:
(23) If every otter or every beaver builds dams, I will buy you dinner. If every otter builds dams, I will buy you dinner, and if every beaver builds dams, I will buy you dinner.
To me, these are not equivalent. In the first, it seems to me that one dinner is at stake to be paid on either of two conditions being met. In the second, two dinners are at stake separately and would be paid if both conditions are met (although winning just one is also possible).
(25) If some otter or some beaver builds dams, I will buy you dinner. If some otter builds dams, I will buy you dinner, and if some beaver builds dams, I will buy you dinner.
This pair, too, does not seem to me equivalent, in parallel to the first pair. The first sentence in (25) would end "...,I will buy you (a) dinner." The second sentence would end "..., I will buy you (another) dinner."
What do you think?
Richard Yates
In this paper (see http://www.yale.edu/linguist/faculty/horn/anypaper.doc ) the authors use many examples to investigate the semantic space of 'any'.
I was tripped up by a couple of examples he used. Much of his method of discourse seems to depend on real language examples from which he then infers patterns of use and meaning. A problem is that the examples may or may not have the same obvious meaning to everyone. In exploring 'any' he uses these pairs of what he says are semantically equivalent sentences:
(23) If every otter or every beaver builds dams, I will buy you dinner. If every otter builds dams, I will buy you dinner, and if every beaver builds dams, I will buy you dinner.
To me, these are not equivalent. In the first, it seems to me that one dinner is at stake to be paid on either of two conditions being met. In the second, two dinners are at stake separately and would be paid if both conditions are met (although winning just one is also possible).
(25) If some otter or some beaver builds dams, I will buy you dinner. If some otter builds dams, I will buy you dinner, and if some beaver builds dams, I will buy you dinner.
This pair, too, does not seem to me equivalent, in parallel to the first pair. The first sentence in (25) would end "...,I will buy you (a) dinner." The second sentence would end "..., I will buy you (another) dinner."
What do you think?
Richard Yates
Top answer
"Richard Yates" (Email Removed) schrieb im Newsbeitrag [nq:1](23) If every otter or every beaver builds dams, I will buy you dinner. If every otter builds dams, I ... [/nq] I think it depends on whether you think the speaker intends to buy more than one dinner.
- "Richard Yates" (Email Removed) schrieb im Newsbeitrag [nq:1](23) If every otter or every beaver builds dams, I will buy you dinner.
- If every otter builds dams, I ...
- [/nq] I think it depends on whether you think the speaker intends to buy more than one dinner.
- Normally, when we say, "I'll buy you dinner", what we mean is, "This evening, when you have dinner, I'll pay for it," and unless you're extremely forgetful ("Oh, I can't remember if I paid the bill...
- maybe I didn't...
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
2 Answers
0
"Richard Yates" (Email Removed) schrieb im Newsbeitrag
[nq:1](23) If every otter or every beaver builds dams, I will buy you dinner. If every otter builds dams, I ... will buy you (a)dinner." The second sentence would end "..., I will buy you (another) dinner." What do you think?[/nq]
I think it depends on whether you think the speaker intends to buy more than one dinner. Normally, when w
[nq:1](23) If every otter or every beaver builds dams, I will buy you dinner. If every otter builds dams, I ... will buy you (a)dinner." The second sentence would end "..., I will buy you (another) dinner." What do you think?[/nq]
I think it depends on whether you think the speaker intends to buy more than one dinner. Normally, when w
00
[nq:1]"'Any' as Indefinite plus 'Even'" by Young-Suk Lee and Laurence Horn, Yale University In this paper (see http://www.yale.edu/linguist/faculty/horn/anypaper.doc ) the ... would end "...,I will buy you (a) dinner." The second sentence would end "..., I will buy you (another) dinner."[/nq]
N
N
0
Related Questions