Acta Linguistica Hungarica
Volume/Issue:
Volume 63: Issue 4
Towards a cross-linguistic typology of marking polarity in embedded degree clauses
Author:
Julia Bacskai-Atkari University of Potsdam

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Pages:
389–409
Online Publication Date:
Dec 2016
Publication Date:
01 Dec 2016
Article Category:
Research Article
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1556/064.2016.63.4.1
Keywords:
comparative subclauses; complementisers; CP-periphery; negative polarity; overtness
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The article focuses on comparative complementisers in comparative clauses expressing inequality in various languages, with particular attention paid to their role as lexicalising negative polarity. I argue that the relevant property follows from degree semantics, in that the comparative subclause encodes the inequality of the degree expressed by a matrix clausal element and the one expressed by the comparative operator. Just like ordinary negation, this has to be encoded overtly; however, as it does not constitute an instance of genuine clausal negation, the property cannot be encoded by an operator, and hence must be realised on a functional head, which is either the complementiser or a separate polarity head.

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Cover Acta Linguistica Hungarica
Acta Linguistica Hungarica
Print ISSN:
1216-8076
Online ISSN:
1588-2624

Editors

Editor(s)-in-Chief: Katalin É. Kiss,
Ferenc Kiefer

Editor: Éva Dékány

Technical Editor: Zoltán G. Kiss

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  • Anne Abeillé
  • Željko Bošković
  • Marcel den Dikken
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  • Anikó Lipták
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  • Gereon Müller
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  • Irina Sekerina
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Acta Linguistica Hungarica
Language English
Size  
Year of
Foundation		 1951
Publication
Programme		 changed title
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Founder Magyar Tudományos Akadémia  
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Publisher Akadémiai Kiadó
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ISSN 1216-8076 (Print)
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