Negative Polarity Items in Inverse Scope and Topicalized Clauses

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2007
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Swarthmore College. Dept. of Linguistics
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Thesis (B.A.)
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en_US
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Full copyright to this work is retained by the student author. It may only be used for non-commercial, research, and educational purposes. All other uses are restricted.
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Abstract
Negative polarity items are words or phrases usually associated with a negative licenser, such as the word ever, licensed by don't, in I don't think that I've ever been so surprised, In unmarked sentences, the negative licenser typically commands the negative polarity item, and syntax is sufficient to explain the occurrence of a negative polarity item, There are two types of sentences studied here which license negative polarity items but have no clear c-command relationship between licenser and licensee, These are sentences with negative polarity items in inverse scope and sentences with negative polarity items in topicalized clauses, Semantics and pragmatics are invoked in order to understand the licensing of negative polarity items in these marked sentences, De Swart (1998) uses the work of Grice (1975) to form a theory on the licensing of negative polarity items in inverse scope, Her theory relies on the positive informative value of a sentence with inverse scope, A study is run for this paper, and data are collected concerning how acceptable participants find inverse scope and topicalized clause sentences in comparison with one another. This study and the work done by Grice and de Swart combine to form a new theory on the relation between sentences with negative polarity items in inverse scope and sentences with negative polarity items in topicalized clauses, and their respective informative values.
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