Concessive scalar particles: Symmetric vs. non-symmetric alternatives. The case of Spanish <em>siquiera</em>

Abstract

Polarity items have been analyzed as existential quantifiers that introduce alternatives into the semantic derivation (Krifka 1991; 1995; Kratzer & Shimoyama 2002; Chierchia 2013). Under this approach, variation in the polarity system can be reduced to variation in the types of alternatives that polarity items introduce (Chierchia 2013). We present a case of dialectal variation within the polarity system that can be treated along these lines. The paper focuses on Spanish siquiera, a concessive scalar particle. Concessive scalar particles (Slovenian magari, Greek esto, and Spanish siquiera) (Crnič 2011a; b) are polarity items licensed in a variety of downward entailing environments, where they can be paraphrased with English even, and in modal environments, where they can be paraphrased with English at least. The paper shows that the interpretation and distribution of Spanish siquiera differs between Iberian and Andean Spanish. We propose that siquiera shares the same assertive core across dialects, but differs in the types of alternatives that it introduces.