Double Negation in a Negative Concord language

This paper investigates the interpretation and processing of simple transitive Catalan sentences with multiple negative expressions experimentally. Our results provide empirical confirmation that Negative Concord (NC) is the preferred and faster interpretation for negative sentences that either omit...

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Authors: Deprez, Viviane|||0000-0002-2121-5559, Tubau, Susagna|||0000-0002-3677-6607, Cheylus, Anne|||0000-0002-4243-3686, Espinal, M. Teresa|||0000-0002-8079-7253
Format: article
Publication Date:2015
Country:España
Institution:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repository:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:287772
Online Access:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/287772
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.1016/j.lingua.2015.05.012
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Ambiguous Negative Concord Items
Catalan
Double Negation
Experimental approach
Micro-parametric account
Negative Concord
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spelling Double Negation in a Negative Concord languageAn experimental investigationDeprez, Viviane|||0000-0002-2121-5559Tubau, Susagna|||0000-0002-3677-6607Cheylus, Anne|||0000-0002-4243-3686Espinal, M. Teresa|||0000-0002-8079-7253Ambiguous Negative Concord ItemsCatalanDouble NegationExperimental approachMicro-parametric accountNegative ConcordThis paper investigates the interpretation and processing of simple transitive Catalan sentences with multiple negative expressions experimentally. Our results provide empirical confirmation that Negative Concord (NC) is the preferred and faster interpretation for negative sentences that either omit or contain the overt negative marker no 'not'. However, they also reveal that, in contrast to traditional descriptions of Catalan and independently of particular favouring contexts, a non-negligible amount of Double Negation (DN) readings arises, mainly when the negative marker co-occurs with pre-verbal Negative Concord Items (NCIs), and when these NCIs have a complex DP structure. Our results further suggest that two populations could be distinguished: one for whom the negative marker is optional and leaves the favoured NC reading essentially unaffected, and another where the co-presence of no significantly increases DN readings. We account for these findings within a micro-parametric approach that features ambiguous NCIs (non-negative vs. negative) and a possible ambiguous negative marker no (negative vs. expletive) variably available for Catalan speakers. The nuanced empirical NC landscape that our experimental work reveals serves to stress the importance of taking DN readings into consideration for a better understanding of the nature of negative constructions in Catalan and cross-linguistically. 22015-01-0120152015-01-01Articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501AMhttp://purl.org/coar/version/c_ab4af688f83e57aainfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttps://ddd.uab.cat/record/287772https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.1016/j.lingua.2015.05.012reponame:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UABinstname:Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaInglésengopen accesshttp://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:ddd.uab.cat:2877722026-06-06T12:50:31Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Double Negation in a Negative Concord language
An experimental investigation
title Double Negation in a Negative Concord language
spellingShingle Double Negation in a Negative Concord language
Deprez, Viviane|||0000-0002-2121-5559
Ambiguous Negative Concord Items
Catalan
Double Negation
Experimental approach
Micro-parametric account
Negative Concord
title_short Double Negation in a Negative Concord language
title_full Double Negation in a Negative Concord language
title_fullStr Double Negation in a Negative Concord language
title_full_unstemmed Double Negation in a Negative Concord language
title_sort Double Negation in a Negative Concord language
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Deprez, Viviane|||0000-0002-2121-5559
Tubau, Susagna|||0000-0002-3677-6607
Cheylus, Anne|||0000-0002-4243-3686
Espinal, M. Teresa|||0000-0002-8079-7253
author Deprez, Viviane|||0000-0002-2121-5559
author_facet Deprez, Viviane|||0000-0002-2121-5559
Tubau, Susagna|||0000-0002-3677-6607
Cheylus, Anne|||0000-0002-4243-3686
Espinal, M. Teresa|||0000-0002-8079-7253
author_role author
author2 Tubau, Susagna|||0000-0002-3677-6607
Cheylus, Anne|||0000-0002-4243-3686
Espinal, M. Teresa|||0000-0002-8079-7253
author2_role author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Ambiguous Negative Concord Items
Catalan
Double Negation
Experimental approach
Micro-parametric account
Negative Concord
topic Ambiguous Negative Concord Items
Catalan
Double Negation
Experimental approach
Micro-parametric account
Negative Concord
description This paper investigates the interpretation and processing of simple transitive Catalan sentences with multiple negative expressions experimentally. Our results provide empirical confirmation that Negative Concord (NC) is the preferred and faster interpretation for negative sentences that either omit or contain the overt negative marker no 'not'. However, they also reveal that, in contrast to traditional descriptions of Catalan and independently of particular favouring contexts, a non-negligible amount of Double Negation (DN) readings arises, mainly when the negative marker co-occurs with pre-verbal Negative Concord Items (NCIs), and when these NCIs have a complex DP structure. Our results further suggest that two populations could be distinguished: one for whom the negative marker is optional and leaves the favoured NC reading essentially unaffected, and another where the co-presence of no significantly increases DN readings. We account for these findings within a micro-parametric approach that features ambiguous NCIs (non-negative vs. negative) and a possible ambiguous negative marker no (negative vs. expletive) variably available for Catalan speakers. The nuanced empirical NC landscape that our experimental work reveals serves to stress the importance of taking DN readings into consideration for a better understanding of the nature of negative constructions in Catalan and cross-linguistically.
publishDate 2015
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2
2015-01-01
2015
2015-01-01
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv Article
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
AM
http://purl.org/coar/version/c_ab4af688f83e57aa
dc.type.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://ddd.uab.cat/record/287772
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.1016/j.lingua.2015.05.012
url https://ddd.uab.cat/record/287772
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.1016/j.lingua.2015.05.012
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
eng
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
language eng
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.rights.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
instname:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
instname_str Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
reponame_str Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
collection Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
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