Speaker: Yurika Aonuki (MIT)
Title: Minimum-standard predicates as resultatives and measure phrase interpretations
Time: Wednesday, April 3rd, 1pm – 2pm
Location: 32-D461
Abstract: In this practice talk for WCCFL, I will propose a compositional analysis of verbal predicates in Japanese that have been treated as minimum-standard gradable adjectives (GAs) (e.g., Kubota 2011; Sawada and Grano 2011). I demonstrate that the verbs in these predicates are inchoative-state verbs (Kiyota 2008) and argue that their GA-like behaviours provide novel empirical support for a state-based analysis of GAs (Wellwood 2015).
What have been treated as minimum-standard GAs, e.g., katamui-tei- ‘tilted’, allow absolute MPs (1). This property, in contrast with the lack of absolute MP readings with relative GAs (2), has played a major role in Japanese degree semantics.
(1) Poster-ga 5mm katamui-tei-ru poster-nom 5mm tilt-tei-npst ‘The poster is 5mm tilted.’ (2) Kono ki-wa 8m taka-i this tree-top 8m tall-npst ‘This tree is 8m taller.’ *‘..8m tall.’
However, these minimum GA-like predicates are morphologically Verb + aspectual marker -tei- (Oda 2008). I present the first compositional analysis of (1) in which the MP measures a result state.