Publications

Publication details [#64412]

Nadeu, Marianna and Frances Blanchette. 2018. Prosody and the meanings of English negative indefinites. Journal of Pragmatics 129 : 123–139.
Publication type
Article in journal
Publication language
English
Place, Publisher
Elsevier

Annotation

Standard English displays properties of both Negative Concord and true Double Negation. Prosody serves to differentiate between single and double negation readings of negative indefinite fragment answers. In denial contexts, English negative indefinites read as Double Negation are marked by raised fundamental frequency. Standard English speakers assign Negative Concord and Double Negation structures to negative indefinite fragment answers. English is typologically similar to Romance languages in using prosody to differentiate between single and double negative meanings.