Abstract
Through an analysis of two different types of floating numeral quantifier (FNQ) constructions in Japanese, the present paper investigates the distributive and non-distributive interpretation in Japanese. Discussion of the interpretative issues related to ambiguity and intonation has indicated that FNQs are potentially ambiguous, offering both distributive and non-distributive readings.
Highlights
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the distributive and non-distributive interpretation in Japanese
To elucidate some aspects of the interpretative properties, the present study addresses floating numeral quantifier (FNQ) constructions in Japanese, which have long been analyzed as purely syntactic phenomena
To describe the differences between VP-related FNQs and NP-related ones, it is necessary to re-examine Japanese FNQs, which have been widely analyzed as adverbs, in terms of interpretation and intonation.FNQ interpretation is the result of distinctive levels of interrelated phenomena, both syntactic and discourse-pragmatic
Summary
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the distributive and non-distributive interpretation in Japanese. This fundamental issue is one of the major concerns in Japanese linguistics. The meaning distinction has been sparsely discussed in the literature, but has rarely been examined in detail This is presumably because the differentiation between distributive and non-distributive interpretations is to be accounted for in terms of structure, meaning, and context. To elucidate some aspects of the interpretative properties, the present study addresses floating numeral quantifier (FNQ) constructions in Japanese, which have long been analyzed as purely syntactic phenomena.. It is shown that existing research errs in assuming that FNQs in Japanese can only generate distributive readings, and that this error arises due to the incorrect treatment of non-syntactic aspects of these constructions.
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