Intonational phrasing, discontinuity, and the scope of negation

Abstract

And nothing is, but what is not (Macbeth I.iii.142)Abstract. We discuss several cases of English and German negative quantifiers taking extended scope. We argue that these scope extensions are sensitive to linear and prosodic continuity, a fact that we capture in terms of a Condition on Extended Scope Taking (CEST). We provide two formalizations of CEST, one couched in minimalist terms and another within the framework of Combinatory Categorial Grammar (CCG). We compare and contrast the resulting systems and suggest that although the differences are clearly discernible it is too early to judge which of the competitors should be preferred.