Abstract
The standard degree analysis of gradability in English holds that the function of degree morphology, such as the comparative, measure phrases, and degree adverbs, is to bind a degree variable located in the lexical semantics of gradable predicates. In this paper, I investigate gradation structures in Washo (isolate/Hokan), and claim that this language systematically lacks degree morphology of this sort. I propose that this gap in the functional inventory of Washo stems from a parameter on whether languages are able to introduce degree variables into the logical form that can be bound by such operators, providing further cross-linguistic support for a similar proposal made by Beck et al. (2009) for Motu (Austronesian). Specifically, I argue that gradable predicates in Washo do not introduce a degree variable. Consequently, if we assume that gradable predicates in English are type ⟨d, ⟨e, t⟩⟩, then Washo and English must differ in their lexical semantics for gradable predicates. Alternatively, if we want to maintain lexical uniformity between the two languages (i.e., that gradable predicates in English don’t themselves introduce degrees), then we must place variation at the level of a grammatical mechanism that introduces degrees in English for degree operators to bind, but which is lacking in Washo. The results of this investigation thus inform questions about the nature of cross-linguistic variation, specifically the division of labor between variation in functional categories and the lexicon. http://dx.doi.org/10.3765/sp.8.6 BibTeX info
Highlights
In what has become the standard analysis for gradable predicates in English, a gradable predicate contains a degree variable, where degrees are taken as a basic semantic type d
One of the major motivations for positing a degree variable comes from the fact that gradable predicates can combine with a host of morphology whose function is to specify something about its value
All degree constructions are analyzed in terms of operations over degrees, so it follows that a language without degrees should lack all the corresponding operations, which is exactly what we find with Washo
Summary
In what has become the standard analysis for gradable predicates in English, a gradable predicate (typically a gradable adjective) contains a degree variable, where degrees are taken as a basic semantic type d. The first is whether we have the right kind of empirical support that leads us to conclude that the DSP, or something like it, is an active parameter of variation that needs to find a place in semantic theory In their cross-linguistic study, Beck, Krasikova, et al proposed three distinct parameters to account for the variation observed between the 14 languages they investigated. Previewing what is to come, I will show that the Washo data provide evidence that languages can systematically lack degree morphology, and I argue that this supports the view that the DSP is an active parameter of semantic variation. I conclude in Section 5 by speculating on the nature of cross-linguistic variation in view of the analysis I propose, with respect to the apparent absence of degrees in certain languages, and the bounds of cross-linguistic expressivity given such a gap
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