Anaphora and the Plural Morpheme Tul

Abstract

The ultimate goal of this paper is to provide a detailed analysis of the plural morpheme tul ‘pl’ attached to anaphora and its functions. It is worth noting that there are at least six functions for the plural morpheme tul ‘pl’. A first function for tul ‘pl’ is that it yields an interpretation of general plurality. A second function for tul ‘pl’ is that it induces overlapping reference requiring a sentence internal referent(s) x (x ≧ 1) and a sentence external referent(s) y (y ≧ 1). A third function for tul ‘pl’ is that it triggers split antecedence requiring a referent(s) x (x ≧ 1) and a referent(s) y (y ≧ 1). A fourth function for tul ‘pl’ is that it induces a collective reading taken together as a set. A fifth function for tul ‘pl’ is that it functions as a singular-denoting term which induces a bound variable reading. A sixth function for tul ‘pl’ is that it induces a group reading which obtains with plural terms, but not with singular terms.