Gricean theories of reference define what it is for a speaker to refer to an item in terms of the speaker meaning something about that item. This raises a question posed by Stephen Schiffer. “What could be the point of trading in facts about meaning for facts about the content of beliefs if one ends up with nothing to say about the latter?” In the case of reference in particular, what do we gain when we explain a speaker’s referring to a particular thing by appealing to beliefs that in some unexplained way refer to that thing? Building on the work of Stephen Neale and Schiffer, I offer a Gricean account of reference and then show what the account explains, even though it assumes referential beliefs.

This work puts forth a preliminary analysis of the semantics of English ‘denumeral verbs’, i.e., verbs resulting from the conversion of numbers into verbs, as in the case of to 747 ‘to fly on a 747 Boeing aircraft’ or to 991 ‘to call the police dialing 911’. After retrieving 296 instances of denumeral verbs from the EnTenTen15 corpus that were traced back to the same 47 denumeral verb lemmas, these were divided into ten categories based on their semantics and community of use. We adopted Generative Lexicon Theory – specifically Qualia roles – to investigate the contribution of the semantics of the base (i.e., the number) to the semantics of the converted verb. We were able to identify 21 denumeral verbs exploiting the Telic quale of their underlying number, 17 verbs exploiting the Agentive quale and 4 verbs exploiting the Constitutive quale. These findings suggest that Qualia values may not be all on the same level in terms of exploitability and that – at least for what concerns the verbs in our sample – accessing information concerning the goal (Telic quale) or origin (Agentive quale) of an entity is easier than accessing information on its internal composition (Constitutive quale) or ontological nature (Formal quale).

This study investigates the defining properties of Agents and the interplay of syntax and semantics in semantic inferences, based on Dowty’s Proto-Role Hypothesis. Five properties from Dowty’s list were selected, and 39 Italian sentence pairs showing the Instrument-subject Alternation were created. 93 participants rated how much Agents, Instrument-subjects, Instrument-PPs and Patients exhibit each property. Results show that while some properties are sensitive to syntactic realization, others are linked to lexical semantics and world knowledge, supporting the view that semantic inferences arise from an interaction between syntax and semantics.

This paper investigates the relationship between iconicity and arbitrariness in the comprehension of idioms in Italian Sign Language (LIS). Unlike spoken language research on this topic, this study includes monomorphemic signs, offering a broader perspective on the phenomenon. The research explores how LIS idioms convey meaning through the visual-manual modality: the central proposal is that iconic features aid in the literal interpretation of signs, whereas arbitrary features facilitate the comprehension of idiomatic or figurative meanings – emphasizing the inherently simultaneous and visual-spatial nature of sign language expression.

An analysis of naming verbs like ‘to be called’ is presented, which assumes that names act as predicates or arguments according to the syntactic structure in which they appear. In isolation, names are claimed to be linguistic expressions identifying an abstract category of type e. When they denote a name-bearer, they are embedded in a DP and the individual denoted by the DP is associated with the abstract category they identify. This makes it possible to structurally interpret naming verbs as complex copular constructions, which relate a discourse referent to the abstract category named by the name-expression.

This article presents a corpus-based study of the syntactic and semantic development of the German evaluative adverb leider ‘unfortunately’. The analysis identifies syntactic and interpretative ambiguity as key factors in the reanalysis of leider as a sentence adverb, providing further empirical support for existing accounts of the development of such elements. In addition, the paper proposes a general developmental path for evaluative adverbs in German, highlighting the interplay between syntactic reanalysis and subjectification in their development.

Review of Trelawny, E.J. (2025). Gli ultimi giorni di Shelley e Byron. Macerata: Quodlibet, 229 pp.

This article aims to study Quevedo’s ideas on translation. We can find some scattered thoughts about this activity in his own translations and in his comments on versions by other authors. Firstly, it is examined briefly what he said about his selection of literary sources; secondly, his outlook on the previous editions and translations; then, his wide notion of translation; and finally – in each one of the last two sections of the essay –, his apparently contradictory preference for both paraphrasis and literal translation. These ideas are analysed together with his own translation practice to establish the foundations of the ‘poetics’ of Quevedo’s translation.

This study explores the role of linguistic othering in shaping French cultural identity through a diachronic comparison with the Italian language. By analyzing key texts by French grammarians and scholars from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment, the research reveals how linguistic representations and stereotypes served to sustain cultural narratives and define symbolic boundaries. Initially regarded as a prestigious reference and later as a rival, Italian played a crucial role in articulating the distinctiveness of French linguistic identity. While efforts to affirm the uniqueness of French often led grammarians to overstate differences with Italian – at times obscuring their shared origins – the development of both languages was marked by continuous exchange and reciprocal influence. The study’s originality lies in showing how linguistic and ideological frameworks evolved in tandem, tracing the progressive articulation of othering within the cultural landscape of early modern Europe.

Review of Coppola, R. (2024). Kathrin Rögglas Szeno-Graphien der Gegenwart. Formen und Methoden einer performativen Prosa (1995-2016). Berlin; Boston: De Gruyter, 143 pp.