Article published in:
Weak ReferentialityEdited by Ana Aguilar-Guevara, Bert Le Bruyn and Joost Zwarts
[Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today 219] 2014
► pp. 45–72
Epistemic and scopal properties of some indefinites
This paper experimentally examines the behavior of English
some
indefinites, addressing the following research questions. (i) How do singular
some
indefinites behave with respect to scopal (non-)specificity? (ii) How do singular
some
indefinites pattern with respect to epistemic (non-)specificity? And (iii) Does stress (or lack thereof) on
some
influence the behavior of
some
indefinites with respect to epistemic and/or scopal (non-)specificity, and if so, how? The findings of two experimental studies with adult native English speakers indicate that
some
indefinites take long-distance scope more readily than
a
indefinites, and carry a condition of epistemic non-specificity; stress on
some
is related to both properties. These findings are discussed in light of different theories of indefinite interpretation.
Published online: 03 December 2014
https://doi.org/10.1075/la.219.03ion
https://doi.org/10.1075/la.219.03ion
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