Arnim von Stechow Draft: 02.09.2008 SYNTAX AND SEMANTICS: AN OVERVIEW ARNIM VON STECHOW 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................3 2. A Fregian Conception of Syntax/Semantics.....................................................................4 3. The Syntax/Semantics interface in Generative Grammar.................................................7 3.1. Generative conceptions of grammar..........................................................................7 3.2. Building Strucures: External and Internal Merge ......................................................9 3.3. Notes on the literature ............................................................................................ 12 4. A -language and the Interpretation of External and Internal Merge.............................. 12 4.1. Logical Form.......................................................................................................... 12 4.2. Syntax and Semantics of EL................................................................................... 13 4.3. Interpretations of External Merge ........................................................................... 15 4.4. Interpretation of Internal Merge.............................................................................. 16 5. The Two Most Important Rules of Construal: FI and QR.............................................. 16 5.1. QR resolves type-clashes........................................................................................ 17 5.2. QR and Scope Ambiguities..................................................................................... 20 5.3. QR binds pronouns................................................................................................. 21 6. Relative Clause and Quantifying into XP: The Empty Pronouns WH and PRO ............. 23 7. Intensional Contexts: The Type Language IL................................................................ 26 7.1. Intension and Extension.......................................................................................... 26 7.2. Syntax and Semantics of IL.................................................................................... 27 7.3. Notes on the literature ............................................................................................ 32 8. Modality and Reconstruction......................................................................................... 33 8.1. de re/de dicto.......................................................................................................... 33 8.2. Specific de dicto..................................................................................................... 35 8.3. Head movement ..................................................................................................... 37 8.4. Notes on the literature: ........................................................................................... 38 9. Questions: wh-Movement, Scope Marking, Pied-Piping................................................ 38 9.1. Constituent Questions............................................................................................. 38 9.2. whether-Questions................................................................................................. 39 9.3. Notes on the literature ............................................................................................ 44 10. Comparative and Superlative....................................................................................... 44 10.1. Comparative: QR and Ellipsis Interpretation........................................................ 45 1 Arnim von Stechow Draft: 02.09.2008 10.2. Quantifiers in the than-clause............................................................................... 48 10.3. Superlative ........................................................................................................... 51 10.4. “Most” and “Fewest”............................................................................................ 54 10.5. Comparative Quantifiers....................................................................................... 56 10.6. Notes on the literature........................................................................................... 60 11. Tense .......................................................................................................................... 61 11.1. Simple Tenses and Temporal PPs......................................................................... 61 11.2. A note to the Passive ............................................................................................ 64 11.3. Complex Tenses ................................................................................................... 65 11.4. Sequence of Tense................................................................................................ 67 11.5. Tense in Relative Clauses..................................................................................... 68 11.6. Notes on the literature........................................................................................... 69 12. Aspect......................................................................................................................... 71 12.1. The Perfective ...................................................................................................... 71 12.2. The Progressive.................................................................................................... 73 12.3. Notes on the literature........................................................................................... 74 13. Plural .......................................................................................................................... 75 13.1. Mereology as a unified ontology of mass and count nouns.................................... 75 13.2. Plural of Verbs: Cumulation................................................................................. 79 13.3. Reciprocity........................................................................................................... 85 13.4. Summary.............................................................................................................. 87 13.5. Notes on the literature........................................................................................... 87 14. Negation and Negative Indefinites............................................................................... 89 14.1. Sentence negation................................................................................................. 89 14.2. Negative Indefinites.............................................................................................. 90 14.3. Negative Concord (NC) vs. Double Negation (DN).............................................. 91 14.4. Analysis of Negative Concord .............................................................................. 91 14.5. Analysis of DN..................................................................................................... 94 14.6. Summary.............................................................................................................. 97 14.7. Notes on the literature........................................................................................... 97 15. Getting rid of QR?....................................................................................................... 99 15.1. Quantifiers as objects: Type lifting?.................................................................... 100 15.2. Scope ambiguities: Type lifting?......................................................................... 100 2 Arnim von Stechow Draft: 02.09.2008 15.3. Clause-Boundedness?......................................................................................... 102 15.4. Binding Theory restricts QR............................................................................... 102 15.5. Binding Theory without QR?.............................................................................. 105 15.6. Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 108 16. Donkey Pronouns: Beyond QR?................................................................................ 109 16.1. The Binding Problem for Donkey Pronouns ....................................................... 109 16.2. Unselective Binder Approaches.......................................................................... 110 16.3. The E-Type Approach ........................................................................................ 114 16.4. Notes on the Literature ....................................................................................... 117 17. Summary................................................................................................................... 118 18. Index......................................................................................................................... 120 19. References ................................................................................................................ 123 1. INTRODUCTION Syntax is a device for generating the expressions of language. Semantics is the device that interprets the expressions by assigning them meanings. This article presents the syntax/semantics interface for a generative grammar in the style of the GB-theory and later