A uniform analysis for concessive at least and optative at least  

Oleh:

Grosz, Patrick Georg

Jenis: Article from Proceeding
Dalam koleksi: Proceedings of the 21st Semantics and Linguistic Theory Conference, held at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, May 20 - 22, 2011, page 572–591.
Topik: optative; concessive; at least
Fulltext: 572-591.pdf (314.35KB)

Isi artikel

This paper discusses a particular type of optative constructions (which are constructions that express a wish without containing an overt lexical item that means wish): If-clauses in which optativity is apparently licensed by at least. I propose that the connection between at least and optativity is indirect and can be explained as follows. On the one hand, if-clauses generally have an optative reading; on the other hand, optative at least is an instance of concessive at least, which conveys desirability and thus supports (‘cues’) an optative reading. I propose that, as a consequence, the licensing of optativity by at least is a semantic conspiracy: I argue that there is a pragmatic preference for using optativity cues, which blocks optative readings in cue-less utterances.

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