30/05/2019 Seminari GLiF a càrrec de Giorgios Spathas (ZAS-Berlin)

27.05.2019

 

Títol: "Proportional modification of gradable predicates: the case of percentages" a càrrec de Giorgios Spathas (ZAS-Berlin)

Data: dijous 30 de maig del 2019

Hora: 12.00 h

Lloc: Sala 52.735 - 2a planta edifici 52. Roc Boronat - Campus del Poblenou - UPF

Resum: This talk focuses on a particular class of proportional modifiers, namely phrases expressing percentages, like, e.g., n percent (where n a numeral), and presents a first characterization of the readings that arise when percentages modify gradable adjectives. I identify two main readings in positive constructions. In the Degree reading, the percentage identifies the ratio of the argument’s measurement to the maximum degree in the relevant scale. In the Partition reading, the percentage operates on a decomposition of the argument and specifies the ratio of the extent of the argument that has the relevant property to the full extent of the argument.

 

(1)       The door is 80% open.                                               Degree reading                     

 

(2)       The canal is 30% wide ( … and 70% narrow).                        Partition reading

           

The distribution of the readings is shown to be sensitive to scalar properties of the underlying adjectives, particularly boundedness and direction. No such sensitivity is observed in the comparison construction, where percentages are unambiguous and always give rise to Differential readings. They specify the ratio of the difference between the two measurements to the measurement provided by the than-phrase.

 

(3)       Mary is 10 percent taller than Bill.                            Differential reading

           

I propose a treatment of percentages as generalized quantifiers over degrees, on a par with Measure Phrases like 10 centimeters, which specify the ratios of lengths of intervals to lengths of intervals. The degree interval in the denominator is argued to be provided contextually. I show how this treatment captures Degree and Differential readings and their restrictions. Differential readings require some extra assumptions regarding the nature of antonymy. I show that the partition reading does not involve modification of the gradable adjective itself and requires a different treatment.

If time permits, I will discuss a second case of a comparative construction, degree achievement predicates (DAs). Whereas open-scale DAs, like widen, only give rise to a type of differential reading of proportional modifiers, closed-scale DAs also seem to allow a degree reading. 

 

(4)       The river widened 10 percent.                                  Open-scale degree achievement

           

(5)       The door opened 30 percent.                                    Closed-scale degree achievement

 

I take the availability of the degree reading to indicate the availability of an event-decompositional derivation of DAs, where the percentage modifies an underlying adjectival form.

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