Supplements within a Unidimensional Semantics I: Scope

Potts (2005, 2007) claims that Grice's `conventional implicatures' offer a powerful argument in favor of a multidimensional semantics, one in which certain expressions fail to interact scopally with various operators because their meaning is located in a separate dimension. Focusing on NonRestrictive Relative Clauses (= NRRs), we explore an alternative to Potts's bidimensional account. In our analysis, (1) NRRs can be syntactically attached with matrix scope, despite their appearance in embedded positions; (2) NRRs can in some cases be syntactically attached within the scope of other operators (whether attitudinal or not), in which case they semantically interact with them; (3) NRRs are semantically conjoined with the rest of the sentence, but (4) they are subject to a pragmatic rule that requires that their content be relatively easy to accommodate

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2009
• Where: AMSTERDAM
• Authors: Philippe Schlenker
• Keywords: AMSTERDAM 2009, Et Al, Logical Reasoning, NonRestrictive Relative Clauses, Semantic