The anchor of a modal superlative and the individual vs stage level reading of the adjective
This paper is about the semantics of quality modal superlatives in predicative function, e.g. Italian È stata il più calma possibile ('She was the calmest possible'), with a focus on what is the anchoring of the modal superlative, and how what is being compared is restricted. The limitatio...
| Autores: | , |
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| Formato: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2024 |
| País: | España |
| Recursos: | Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona |
| Repositorio: | Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:ddd.uab.cat:304774 |
| Acesso em linha: | https://ddd.uab.cat/record/304774 https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.5565/rev/isogloss.424 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palavra-chave: | Modal superlatives Stage level vs individual level Comparison class Semantics Pragmatics |
| Resumo: | This paper is about the semantics of quality modal superlatives in predicative function, e.g. Italian È stata il più calma possibile ('She was the calmest possible'), with a focus on what is the anchoring of the modal superlative, and how what is being compared is restricted. The limitations of single-anchoring in individuals when analysing modal superlatives, following the strategy generally adopted for ordinary absolute and relative superlatives, are highlighted. The alternative of using a comparison class made of world+individual pairs grouped into equivalence classes defined through the amount of the gradable property (Tovena & Fleury 2023), proves a better solution. New data on the stage-level vs. individual-level reading of the gradable adjective provide evidence supporting this form of anchoring. The stage-level reading, although predominant, is not the manifestation of the invariance of the individual being compared. Some stage-level interpretations favour selecting a plurality of individuals for comparison, with the difference that this plurality is determined across possible worlds, not in the actual world, in contrast to ordinary superlatives. |
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