bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Context on Processing (non)-Compositional Expressions
Authors: Holsinger Edward , Kaiser Elsi
Published: June 2015

We report a self-paced reading experiment investigating phrasal verbs that are ambiguous between literal/non-literal interpretations (wait on {a bench, a customer}). We tested how/whether contextual biases (towards literal/non-literal interpretations) influence processing ease. Our results suggest an asymmetry in how contextual bias affects processing: When context biases the non-literal interpretation, comprehension proceeds smoothly regardless of whether the verb sequence turns out to be literal or non-literal; when context biases the literal interpretation, processing difficulties arise when the verb sequence turns out to be non-literal. We discuss the implications of our findings for existing models of non-compositional processing.
Inducing Epenthesis: Phonetic, Phonological and Morphological Considerations
Authors: Morley Rebecca
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
Looking beyond English: Linguistic inquiry for English Language Learners
Authors: Ginsberg Daniel , Honda Maya , O'Neil Wayne
Published: June 2015

Is there a role for linguistic inquiry in a class of high school English Language Learners? Based on a year-long pilot project initiated by a Greater Boston high school teacher, we present evidence: (1) that examining the spoken and written languages represented in the classroom captures students’ interest and engages them in critical inquiry about the nature of linguistic knowledge and about their beliefs about language; (2) that the analysis of students’ home languages validates these languages in the school context, defining them as a rich resource worthy of study, rather than as a hindrance to education.
Multiple Exponence on Archi Pronouns
Authors: Antonenko Andrei , Harris Alice C.
Published: June 2015

In this paper we consider multiple exponence in Archi pronouns. We investigate the morphological structure of pronominal forms with several class markers, and demonstrate how the schema-based approach advocated by Harris (2009) can account for their occurrence. We show that pronominal forms with multiple class markers consist of a number of independent morphemes, each taking a class marker. Finally we show that concord is responsible for obligatory co-occurrence of the morphemes on the sequences of reflexive pronouns in Archi. This paper provides additional arguments for a layered structure of words in languages with multiple exponence based on morphological schemas.
Nominal classification in Asheninka Perene (Arawak)
Authors: Mihas Elena I
Published: June 2015

The study describes nominal classification in Ashéninka Perené, of the Kampan subgrouping of Arawak and presents preliminary results from fieldwork data collected in Ashéninka communities of southeastern Peru. The results show that Ashéninka Perené has three systems of nominal classification, (i) class and measure terms, (ii) noun and verbal classifiers, and (iii) a gender-based classification system. Noun classifiers categorize nouns in terms of their shape, dimensionality, and consistency; the categorization of verbal classifiers is based on the semantic parameters of shape, dimensionality, arrangement, and amount.
On the Ambiguity of Obligatory Control into the tolok-Clause in Korean
Authors: Park Jong Un
Published: June 2015

This paper aims to provide an analysis of various interpretation patterns found in the Obligatory Control construction in Korean, which particularly subordinates the tolok-clause. As observed by a few in the literature, the range of readings that arises in the construction in question includes not only Exhaustive Control but also Non-Obligatory Control. To explain these patterns, this paper appeals to Hornstein’s (2001) insight on the interpretation of anaphors and pronouns: that is, referentially dependent DPs are interpreted as anaphors like reflexives or A-traces in contexts where A-movement is allowed, while they are as pronouns elsewhere.
Using probability distributions to account for recognition of canonical and reduced word forms
Authors: Clayards Meghan
Published: June 2015

The frequency of a word form influences how efficiently it is processed, but canonical forms often show an advantage over reduced forms even when the reduced form is more frequent. This paper addresses this paradox by considering a model in which representations of lexical items consist of a distribution over forms. Optimal inference given these distributions accounts for item based differences in recognition of phonological variants and canonical form advantage.
Vowel Harmony Loss in West Rumelian Turkish
Authors: Dombrowski Andrew
Published: June 2015

This paper provides a quantitative analysis of the breakdown of vowel harmony in the West Rumelian Turkish dialect spoken in Ohrid, Macedonia, in which harmony no longer exists as a productive process. Disharmony and variable allomorphy are shown to characterize all levels of the lexicon to a degree that cannot be explained as the cumulative result of known sound changes and the introduction of disharmonic loanwords. However, it is also shown that statistically significant vowel harmony is observable in the lexicon on the level of bisyllabic sequences. On the basis of this evidence, it is argued that vowel harmony breakdown in Ohrid Turkish is the result of grammatical interference from Macedonian and Albanian.
Elliptical constructions and underlying clefts
Authors: Nykiel Joanna
Published: June 2015

In this study, I argue that, contra previous accounts, the possibility of preposition omission in elliptical constructions, in particular under sluicing, is not syntactically motivated. Polish has no possibility of preposition stranding in non-elliptical interrogatives, and nor does it have acceptable cleft interrogatives that could underlie elided phrases without prepositions. However, manipulations of the complexity of elided phrases and/or their correlates influence the acceptability of preposition omission in three elliptical constructions. These results are not predicted on a transformational account, but are consistent with accounts appealing to the salience of the correlate available in the antecedent, including processing accounts.
I love me some Jiminy Glick: The semantic contribution of 'some' in personal dative constructions
Authors: Rotschy Liela Edel
Published: June 2015

This paper examines the semantics of the I Love Me Some {X} variant of the personal dative construction. Contrary to previous analyses (Horn 2008, 2010), I argue that the sub-construction manifests characteristic personal dative semantics, and that its use of ‘some’ is semantically motivated. When blended with the constructional semantics and with the semantics of ‘love’ (in its ‘desire’ sub-sense), ‘some’ invites a construal of the direct object as a consumable commodity for which the subject experiences a habitual craving.
Reflexives and blocking effects in Iron Range English
Authors: Loss Sara Schmelzer
Published: June 2015

In some, but not all, languages with long-distance reflexives, coreference with a higher nominal expression is “blocked” when an intervening expression does not match a lower expression for person. It is suggested that only languages without subject/verb agreement exhibit Blocking Effects. The fact that languages differ in terms of Blocking Effects suggests that binding and Blocking are separate processes (Cole & Sung 1994). I present new data from Iron Range English which challenges the generalization that blocking only occurs in languages without subject/verb agreement, but at the same time provides further evidence that binding and blocking are separate processes.
Relative clauses in Asheninka Perene (Arawak)
Authors: Mihas Elena I
Published: June 2015

We argue that existing syntactic typologies of relative clauses which distinguish between two categories of relatives, i.e. headed and headless relative clauses, based on the presence or absence of head NP in the main clause, do not include externally headed relative clauses with reduced and light heads such as demonstratives, pronominal person clitics, classifiers, plural number markers, etc. The Ashéninka Perené data show that the third syntactic category of intermediate heads such as demonstratives, indefinite terms, numerals, pronominal verbal clitics and classifiers should be included in syntactic typology of relatives to more accurately represent variability of headed relatives in individual languages.
Evaluation and consumption
Authors: Beller Charley Evan , Zaroukian Erin
Published: June 2015

Singular indefinite objects of evaluative predicates (e.g. like) are interpreted specifically (1). But several constructions do not yield specific readings, (2). (1) # John likes a cookie. (specific reading/#kind reading) (2) a. John likes a cookie after dinner. b. John likes having a cookie. c. John likes a good cookie. d. John likes a cookie as much as the next guy. We propose that constructions with a minimal consumption-situation reading license a contextual operator which binds the object, giving it a non-specific reading.
Learnable vs. unlearnable harmony patterns
Authors: Lai Regine
Published: June 2015

Phonological patterns have been characterized as regular, and regular patterns are those that are accepted by a finite state machine. However, being regular is only a necessary condition, but not a sufficient condition for phonology. Two subregular classes which further restrict the computational properties of phonological patterns have been identified: strictly piecewise (SP), and strictly local (SL). In this study, the learnability of a SP pattern and a pattern from the regular class (but not SP/SL) were tested by using the artificial language learning paradigm, and the results suggest that the identified computational boundaries are psychologically real.
Nominal Possession in American Sign Language
Authors: Abner Natasha Renee
Published: June 2015

This study re-visits an alternation in American Sign Language wherein the nominal member of a noun-verb pair is characterized by tense reduplication of the movement associated with the root (Newport and Supalla 1978, Klima and Bellugi 1979). This alternation is shown to be (a) highly productive but (b) constrained to the derivation of non-event nominalizations in the sense of Grimshaw (1990). The absence of an eventive interpretation supports root-level application of the morphosyntactic process involved and explains the observed restrictions on how possessor arguments in nominalizations of this type are interpreted.
Preposition omission in English ellipsis
Authors: Nykiel Joanna
Published: June 2015

The availability of preposition omission in ellipsis is assumed to follow from the possibility of preposition stranding in corresponding non-elliptical clauses (Merchant 2001). To test this assumption I sampled 409 ellipsis remnants from three corpora of American English, and developed generalized mixed-effects models of preposition omission in ellipsis. The results show that preposition omission is, among others, sensitive to gradient constraints independently found to influence preposition placement in interrogative clauses, without being correlated with the possibility of preposition stranding. This finding challenges evidence for syntactic parallels between elliptical constructions and their nonelliptical counterparts, and hence, for deletion-based approaches to ellipsis.
Revisiting the population vs phoneme-inventory correlation
Authors: Moran Steven , McCloy Daniel , Wright Richard
Published: June 2015

Relationships between phonological systems and extralinguistic factors is controversial. Using a sample of 961 phoneme inventories from the PHOIBLE database, genetic and speaker population data from Ethnologue and WALS, and a hierarchical linear model that accounts for genetic relatedness at family and genus levels, we show that speaker population accounts for little to no variation in most aspects of the phonological system (number of phonemes, vowels, obstruents, etc). We argue that spurious correlations in previous studies resulted from failure to control for language relatedness, samples skewed by small size or over-representation of certain families, and/or case-based reasoning lacking statistical rigor.
The Effect of Subject Person in Auxiliary Movement Acquisition by Korean-English Bilingual Children
Authors: Park-Johnson Sunny
Published: June 2015

The present study provides new evidence that Korean-English (K-E) bilingual children show an effect of subject person in their acquisition of subject-auxiliary inversion (SAI). Twenty-one preschool-aged K-E bilingual children and 19 English monolingual proficiency-matched children were recruited for an elicitation study testing the effect of person on the use of SAI. Results indicated a main effect for group; the K-E group showed a significant effect for subject person on SAI, while no effect was found for the monolingual children. A generative account of the findings will be provided in the analysis.
The Distribution of Non-clause Bound Reflexives in Northeast Ohio English1
Authors: Schmelzer Loss Sara
Published: June 2015

The Distribution of Non-clause Bound Reflexives in Northeast Ohio English1
Japanese Accent Shift: Generalizing from Ambiguous Input
Authors: Allen Blake , Noguchi Masaki
Published: June 2015

Japanese Accent Shift: Generalizing from Ambiguous Input
Factivity and Presuppositions
Authors: Schueler David
Published: June 2015

Factivity and Presuppositions
The Status of Gumuz as a Language Isolate
Authors: Ahland Colleen
Published: June 2015

The Status of Gumuz as a Language Isolate
On not deriving auxiliary have from be
Authors: Samko Bern
Published: June 2015

On not deriving auxiliary have from be
Variation and Preferences in Modern Hebrew Nonce Verbs
Authors: Temkin Martínez Michal
Published: June 2015

Variation and Preferences in Modern Hebrew Nonce Verbs
Intervention, covert movement, and focus computation in multiple wh-questions
Authors: Kotek Hadas
Published: June 2015

Intervention, covert movement, and focus computation in multiple wh-questions
WHO chased the bird? Narrative cohesion in Nicaraguan signing
Authors: Coppola Marie , Gagne Deanna , Senghas Ann
Published: June 2015

WHO chased the bird? Narrative cohesion in Nicaraguan signing
The Role of Negative Polarity and Concord Marking in Natural Language Reasoning
Authors: Dowty David
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
Umbrellas and Bathrooms
Authors: Krahmer Emiel , Muskens Reinhard
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
Disruption of NPI Licensing: the Case of Presuppositions
Authors: Homer Vincent
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
Only the Strong: Restricting Situation Variables
Authors: Keshet Ezra
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
The Inde?niteness and Focusing of Question Words
Authors: Haida Andreas
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
Unifying "if"-conditionals and unconditionals
Authors: Rawlins Kyle
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
What an "Average" Semantics Needs
Authors: Kennedy Christopher , Stanley Jason
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
Nothing else for 'something else': A variable-free account
Authors: Kubota Yusuke , Uegaki Wataru
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
What might be known: Epistemic modality and uncertain contexts
Authors: Roussarie Laurent
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
Quantification and Context in Measure Adverbs
Authors: Deo Ashwini Sharad , Pinango Maria Mercedes
Published: June 2015

We present a universal quanti?er analysis of for-adverbs which builds on the notion of context-determined temporal partitions (Deo 2009) and intermediate distributivity (Schwarzschild 1996; Champollion 2010a, b). In contrast to the measure function analysis, this analysis places neither selectional restrictions on the arguments of for-adverbs, nor does it appeal to type-shifting coercion operators in accounting for iterative and imperfective readings associated with them. The proposal improves on earlier quanti?cational analyses in dealing with the minimal parts problem and the scopal restriction problem. Further, it also succeeds in capturing a robust psycholinguistic pattern of delayed and sustained cost associated with comprehension of for-adverbs composed with semelfactive/telic predicates, which until now had not been satisfactorily understood. It does so by attributing the cost, not to a mismatch-repair mechanism, but to the lexical and contextual mining necessitated in the retrieval of contextual information (a partition measure) without which the expression cannot be fully interpreted.
The adicities of thematic separation
Authors: Lohndal Terje
Published: June 2015

This paper discusses whether or not verbs have thematic arguments or whether they just have an event variable. The paper discusses some evidence in favor of the Neo-Davidsonian position that verbs only have an event variable. Based on this evidence, the paper develops a transparent mapping hypothesis from syntax to logical form where each Spell-Out domain corresponds to a conjunct at logical form. The paper closes by discussing the nature of compositionality for a Conjunctivist semantics.
Avoiding predicate whiplash: social choice theory and linguistic vagueness
Authors: Grinsell Timothy Wood
Published: June 2015

Vagueness effects predictably occur in predicates that aggregate judgments along a number of different criteria. With these types of aggregations, small changes along one of the criteria can lead to big changes in the outcome of the aggregation procedure. Vagueness results from avoiding this ‘whiplash’ effect.
Cross-categorial modification of properties in Hebrew and English
Authors: McNabb Yaron
Published: June 2015

Abstract Work in the past decade has greatly improved our understanding of the meaning of gradable predicates and degree modification. The discussion of these expressions has charted the way to an examination of additional types of modifiers that do not operate on degrees but rather on context candidates. In this study, I analyze the Hebrew modifier _mamaš_ and its English equivalent _really_ as modifiers of properties of individuals, situations, or propositions. The flexible semantics accounts for these modifiers’ wide distribution and types of semantic contribution.
No need for a dedicated theory of the distribution of readings of English bare plurals
Authors: Magri Giorgio
Published: June 2015

This paper explores the idea that English bare plurals (BPs) uniformly have a plain existential semantics. And that their generic/universal reading arises through a mechanism of exhaustification modeled on Spector (2007), whereby the BP 'firemen' triggers the implicature ''not-only-some'' that the implicature ''only-some'' triggered by the corresponding indefinite 'some firemen' is false. The distribution of existential and generic readings of English BPs is thus completely determined by the availability of the 'only-some' implicature of the corresponding indefinite, without any need for a dedicated theory of the distribution of readings of BPs.
Ordering combination for modal comparison
Authors: Katz Graham , Portner Paul , Rubinstein Aynat
Published: June 2015

The well-known ordering semantics for modality has recently been challenged by a number of puzzles which may cast doubt on the viability of this approach. We investigate the properties of the ordering relations used in ordering semantics with a focus on how to derive appropriate orderings based on intuitively correct premises. We use these tools to propose solutions to two of the puzzles and discuss how they relate to other puzzles that have been raised in the literature, and to modal semantics more generally.
Accounting for counting: A unified semantics for measure terms and classifiers
Authors: Scontras Gregory
Published: June 2015

This paper develops and extends the semantic account of morphological number marking in the presence of numerals from Scontras (2013). The account handles variation in patterns of number marking along two dimensions: cross-linguistically, between languages that either necessitate or prohibit singular morphology in the presence of numerals greater than ‘one’, and within one and the same language: English. The proposed semantics accounts for both sorts of variation by assuming flexibility in the selection of the measure relevant to the one-ness presupposition of the morphological singular form. The system also provides an explanation for the Slobin-Greenberg-Sanches Generalization, which states that no classifier language has obligatory number marking: by aligning the semantics of counting in both number marking and classifier languages, and by assuming that nouns in classifier languages denote kinds, the semantic contribution of number marking is necessarily redundant in classifier languages. A system of obligatory number marking only surfaces in languages where it delivers otherwise unrecoverable information about the number of intended referents.
Children's knowledge of free choice inferences
Authors: Zhou Peng , Romoli Jacopo , Crain Stephen
Published: June 2015

This paper presents experimental results showing that four-year-old Mandarin- speaking children draw free choice inferences from disjunctive statements, though they are not able to compute inferences of exclusivity for disjunctive statements or other scalar implicatures. The findings connect to those of Chemla & Bott (under review) who report differences in how adults process free choice inferences versus scalar implicatures and, prima facie, the findings pose a challenge to treatments that attempt to unify inferences of both kinds. Instead, the findings appear to favour accounts that invoke different analyses for each kind of inference, such as Zimmerman 2000a, Geurts 2005, and Barker 2010. The results, however, also support the recent approach in the experimental literature which attributes children’s failures to compute scalar implicatures to a difficulty with alternatives: children may lack the lexical knowledge of alternatives, or these implicatures impose such a high processing cost that children are unable to handle the alternatives necessary to compute them (Gualmini, Crain, Meroni, Chierchia & Guasti 2001 Chierchia, Crain, Guasti & Thornton 2001 Reinhart 2006; Barner, Brooks & Bale 2011; Singh, Wexler, Astle, Kamawar & Fox 2012). If accessing alternatives is the source of children’s difficulty, then they would be expected to perform better if the requisite alternatives are made explicit, as sub-strings of the asserted sentences. This is exactly what we found. Children were able to compute free choice inferences based on alternatives that were made explicit in the assertion, but children were unable to compute ‘regular’ scalar implicatures arising from alternatives lacking this property. We discuss the implications of these findings for the debate about the relationship between free choice inferences and scalar implicatures and children’s knowledge of alternatives.
Counterfactuals and Conditional Questions under Discussion
Authors: Ippolito Michela
Published: June 2015

In this paper I investigate the issue of the context-dependence of counterfactual conditionals and how the context constrains similarity in selecting the right set of worlds necessary in order to arrive at their correct truth-conditions. I will review previous proposals and conclude that the puzzle of how we measure similarity and thus resolve the context-dependence of counterfactuals remains unsolved. I will then consider an alternative based on the idea of discourse structure and the concept of a question under discussion.
Degrees and segments
Authors: Schwarzschild Roger
Published: June 2015

I make two related proposals, one about directed scale segments and the other about the nature of degrees. Bale (2007, 2011) argued that degrees should be analyzed as sets of individuals and that degree arguments are created in the syntax from relational predicates. Schwarz (2010) showed that Bale’s construction runs into problems when the required degree relation is complex, denoted by an LF constituent that contains more than just a gradable adjective. I modify Bale’s proposal so that it overcomes Schwarz’s objection. But first I propose a semantics for comparatives based on quantification over directed scale segments, triples consisting of two degrees and a measure function. The modification of Bale’s proposal depends upon this. Segments are of independent interest as they permit a conjunctive semantics for extended adjectival phrases, the way events do for verb phrases. Potential benefits of ‘degree-conjunctivism’ are explored.
The dynamics of subjectivity
Authors: Fleisher Nicholas
Published: June 2015

I adapt the dynamic framework for vagueness of Barker 2002 to the analysis of subjective taste predicates. I argue, following Kennedy 2013, that there are two qualitatively distinct types of subjectivity in natural language, which I call mapping subjectivity and (vague) standards subjectivity, and that the matrix predicate *find* is sensitive to the distinction between them. Novel to the present analysis is the proposal that *find* requires not just a complement that supports mapping subjectivity, but also a context that supports nonvacuous entailments about those scalar mappings. I part ways from Kennedy and from Barker 2013 in treating mapping subjectivity as a fact of the world, unassimilable to the metalinguistic variety of subjectivity associated with vague standards.
Episodic -ee in English: Thematic Relations and New Word Formation
Authors: Barker Chris
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
Negative Polarity and General Statements
Authors: Jackson Eric
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
Negative Polarity in Hindi
Authors: Lahiri Utpal
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
On the Proper Treatment of Tense
Authors: Von Stechow Arnim
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
The Semantics of Relative Position
Authors: Zwarts Joost
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
Predicates or Formulas? Evidence from Ellipsis
Authors: Heim Irene
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
Intensional Choice Functions for "Which" Phrases
Authors: Romero Maribel
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
On Negative Eventualities, Negative Concord, and Negative "Yes/No" Questions
Authors: Przepiórkowski Adam
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
At the Semantics / Pragmatics Interface in Child Language
Authors: Gualmini Andrea , Crain Stephen , Meroni Luisa , Chierchia Gennaro , Guasti Maria Teresa
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
Distributivity in an Event Semantics
Authors: Oh Sei-Rang
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
Topical Referents for Individuals and Possibilities
Authors: Bittner Maria
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
A Finer Look at the Causative-Inchoative Alternation
Authors: Piñón Christopher
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
A Situation Semantics for Binding out of DP
Authors: Büring Daniel
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
The Grammar of Measurement
Authors: Schwarzschild Roger
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
Wholes and Their Covers
Authors: Morzycki Marcin
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
Front matter
Authors: Young Robert B. , Zhou Yuping
Published: June 2015

Proceedings of the 13th Semantics and Linguistic Theory Conference, held May 9-11, 2003 at the University of Washington, edited by Robert B. Young and Yuping Zhou.
Probabilistic Model-theoretic Semantics for 'want'
Authors: Levinson Dmitry
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
Quantification over Times in Subjunctive Conditionals
Authors: Ippolito Michela
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
Front matter
Authors: Young Robert B.
Published: June 2015

Proceedings of the 14th Semantics and Linguistic Theory Conference, held May 14-16, 2004, at Northwestern University, edited by Robert B. Young.
The Semantic Contributions of Wh-words and Type Shifts: Evidence from Free Relatives Crosslinguistically
Authors: Caponigro Ivano
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
On Comparative Quantification in the Verbal Domain
Authors: Nakanishi Kimiko
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
Some Remarks on Indicative Conditionals
Authors: Abbott Barbara
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
Choice-functional Series of Indefinite Pronouns and Hamblin Semantics
Authors: Yanovich Igor
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
Coherence-Driven Constraints on the Placement of Accent
Authors: Kehler Andrew
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
"Little"
Authors: Heim Irene
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
(Non)maximality and Distributivity: A Decision Theory Approach
Authors: Malamud Sophia A.
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
Remarks on "only"
Authors: Ippolito Michela
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
Antonymy and Evaluativity
Authors: Rett Jessica
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
Cross-linguistic representations of numerals and number marking
Authors: Bale Alan Clinton , Gagnon Michaël , Khanjian Hrayr
Published: June 2015

Inspired by Partee (2010), this paper defends a broad thesis that all modifiers, including numeral modifiers, are restrictive in the sense that they can only restrict the denotation of the NP or VP they modify. However, the paper concentrates more narrowly on numeral modification, demonstrating that the evidence that motivated Ionin & Matushansky (2006) to assign non-restrictive, privative interpretations to numerals – assigning them functions that map singular sets to sets containing groups – is in fact consistent with restrictive modification. Ionin & Matushansky (2006)’s argument for this type of interpretation is partly based on the distribution of Turkish numerals which exclusively combine with singular bare nouns. Section 2 demonstrates that Turkish singular bare nouns are not semantically singular, but rather are unspecified for number. Western Armenian has similar characteristics. Building on some of the observations in section 2, section 3 demonstrates that restrictive modification can account for three different types of languages with respect to the distribution of numerals and plural nouns: (i) languages where numerals exclusively combine with plural nouns (e.g., English), (ii) languages where they exclusively combine with singular bare nouns (e.g., Turkish), (iii) languages where they optionally combine with either type of noun (e.g., Western Armenian). Accounting for these differences crucially involves making a distinction between two kinds of restrictive modification among the numerals: subsective vs. intersective modification. Section 3 also discusses why privative interpretations of numerals have trouble accounting for these different language types.
Deriving full repetition in Blackfoot with additive focus
Authors: Louie Meagan
Published: June 2015

I argue that Blackfoot’s method of marking repetition, mattsista’- consists of two morphemes, matt- and ista’-. While both encode an additional event, matt-’s event is restricted only to being a focus alternative to the asserted event, leaving predicate identity and temporal precedence to be encoded by ista’-. I propose that ista’-’s event variable requires a linguistically encoded antecedent which matt-’s event acts as, deriving the fact that mattsista’- has a focus-sensitive interpretation.
Even more evidence for the emptiness of plurality: An experimental investigation of plural interpretation as a species of implicature
Authors: Pearson Hazel Anne , Khan Manizeh , Snedeker Jesse
Published: June 2015

In two experiments, we test a family of theories that treat the 'more than one' meaning component of the plural morpheme as an implicature rather than an inherent part of its semantics (Sauerland et al. 2005, Spector 2007, Zweig 2009). We find that under certain circumstances, this meaning component appears to be canceled, in the manner of an implicature. Our findings suggest that the implicature is relatively difficult to cancel, and that cancelation is facilitated by employing a linguistic environment in which plural marking contributes to the presupposed but not the asserted content. The notion that implicatures may be more easily canceled when they contribute to the presuppositional component is a novel contribution of the study.
On the acquisition of maximality in free relative clauses and plural definite descriptions
Authors: Caponigro Ivano , Pearl Lisa , Brooks Neon , Barner David
Published: June 2015

Plural definite descriptions (e.g. 'the things on the plate') and free relative clauses (e.g. 'what is on the plate') have been argued to share the same semantic properties, despite their syntactic differences: both are non-quantificational expressions referring to the maximal element of a given set (e.g. the set of things on the plate). Experimental support for this semantic analysis is provided by the first investigation ever of children's interpretation of both constructions. A Truth-Value Judgment task, an Act-Out task, and a corpus study of children's linguistic input show that children are aware that the two constructions are different from quantificational nominals (e.g. 'all the things on the plate', 'some of the things on the plate') very early on (4 years old), despite the major difference in frequency in the input. Children acquire the adult interpretation of both constructions at the very same time, around 6-7 years old. We suggest that this relative delay depends on children's difficulties with the concept of the maximal element of a set or its association with specific linguistic constructions.
Principles of interdimensional meaning interaction
Authors: Barker Chris , Bernardi Raffaella , Shan Chung-chieh
Published: June 2015

Expressions that contribute side issues, including at least expressives, supplements, and epithets, take scope only at the level of a complete utterance. Kubota and Uegaki 2009 give a compositional semantics for side-issues, but do not explain why at-issue content never interacts with side issues. We draw an analogy with indexicals, which also depend on context but typically do not interact with surrounding semantic material. As with indexicals, side-issue content motivates staged interpretation: an at-issue stage, and a context update stage. We show how the undelimited continuations provided by Bernardi and Moortgat's 2010 Lambek Grishin calculus can provide a principled way to regulate interdimensional interaction.
Seuren/Rullmann ambiguities as plural comparisons
Authors: Beck Sigrid
Published: June 2015

This paper reexamines ambiguous comparatives of a kind made famous in Rullmann's (1995) dissertation, e.g. The helicopter was flying less high than a plane can fly. There is some disagreement in the semantic literature regarding whether the ambiguity is limited to less or also shows up in more-comparatives. Accordingly, the analyses suggested differ substantially, ranging from structural to pragmatic. My primary goal is to provide a more solid empirical basis for building semantic theories of the phenomenon. I report the results from a series of questionnaire studies that show (i) that the difference between more- and less-comparatives is not clear cut, and (ii) that we need to make more fine-grained distinctions among less-comparatives. I propose an analysis in terms of plural predication that captures the major effects found in the studies, and I begin to approach the more subtle data points.
Counting and Bare Plurals
Authors: Werner Tom
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
Exceptions in Relational Plurals
Authors: Beck Sigrid
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
Paychecks, Stress, and Variable-Free Semantics
Authors: Jacobson Pauline
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
Dynamic Interpretation and Hoare Deduction: Extended Abstract
Authors: Van Eijck Jan , De Vries Fer-Jan
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
Gerunds and Types of Events
Authors: Portner Paul
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
The anaphoric semantics of partial control
Authors: Haug Dag Trygve Truslew
Published: June 2015

This paper deals with partial control, the phenomenon that instead of identity there is a subset relation between the controller and the controllee in a control construction. We argue that the context dependency of partial control requires an anaphoric approach, rather than hard-coding the possibility of a reference shift in the semantics of the control verb. The anaphoric analysis is formalized in Partial Compositional Discourse Representation Theory.
Conditional independence and biscuit conditional questions in Dynamic Semantics
Authors: Sano Katsuhiko , Hara Yurie
Published: June 2015

Biscuit conditionals such as ‘If you are thirsty, there’s beer in the fridge.’ are felt different from canonical conditionals ‘If it’s raining, the fireworks will be cancelled.’ in that the consequent seems to be entailed regardless of the truth/falsity of the antecedent. Franke (2009) argues that the “feeling of the consequent entailment” in biscuit conditionals is due to the conditional independence between the antecedent and consequent; thus a uniform semantics for canonical and biscuit conditionals can be maintained. A question arises as to whether it is possible to derive the same consequent entailment in the framework of dynamic semantics.
Furthermore, there are some instances of biscuit conditional questions such as ‘If I get thirsty, is there anything in the fridge?’ This paper provides a dynamic and non-symmetric version of the independence condition, a d-independence condition which correctly derives the consequent entailment in both declaratives and interrogatives.
Conjunction and disjunction in a language without 'and'
Authors: Bowler Margit
Published: June 2015

Warlpiri (Pama-Nyungan, Australia) has a single coordinator, manu. This coordinator occurs in constructions of the form P manu Q. In the following paper, I argue that manu has a non-strengthened disjunctive denotation which can undergo pragmatic strengthening to conjunction. I propose that the absence of a conjunctive coordinator in Warlpiri results in the set of scalar alternatives {P, Q, (P or Q)} for P manu Q. This is identical to the set of scalar alternatives for English P or Q proposed by Singh, et al. (2013) for English-speaking children. I follow Singh, et al. in using a recursive application of Fox's (2007) exhaustivity operator, Exh, to derive a strengthened conjunctive reading of P manu Q that is categorical in unembedded contexts. I also address strengthening under the scope of negation and in conditionals and Wh-questions, and place some pragmatic constraints on Exh application.
Anaphor-Antecedent Asymmetry: A Conceptual Necessity?
Authors: Keenan Edward L.
Published: June 2015

No abstract.
MACROSCOPIC MODELING AND CONTROL OF EMISSION IN URBAN ROAD TRAFFIC NETWORKS
Authors: Csikós Alfréd , Tettamanti Tamás , Varga István
Published: June 2015

This work suggests a framework for modeling the traffic emissions in urban road traffic networks that are described by the Network Fundamental Diagram (NFD) concept. Traffic emission is formalized in finite spatiotemporal windows as a function of aggregated traffic variables, i.e. Total Travel Distances (TTDs) in the network and network average speed. The framework is extended for the size of an urban network during a signal cycle – the size of a window in which the network aggregated parameters are modeled in the NFD concept. Simulations have been carried out for model accuracy analysis, using the microscopic Versit+Micro model as reference. By applying the macroscopic emission model function and the traffic modeling relationships, the control objective for pollution reduction has also been formalized. Basically, multi-criteria control design has been introduced for two criteria: maximization of the TTD and minimization of traffic emissions within the network.
Histo-FISH protocol to detect bacterial compositions and biofilms formation in vivo
Authors: Madar M. , Slizova M. , Czerwinski J. , Hrckova G. , Mudronova D. , Gancarcikova S. , Popper M. , Pistl J. , Soltys J. , Nemcova R.
Published: June 2015

The study of biofilm function in vivo in various niches of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is rather limited. It is more frequently used in in vitro approaches, as an alternative to the studies focused on formation mechanisms and function of biofilms, which do not represent the actual in vivo complexity of microbial structures. Additionally, in vitro tests can sometimes lead to unreliable results. The goal of this study was to develop a simple approach to detect bacterial populations, particularly Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium in biofilms, in vivo by the fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) method. We standardised a new Histo-FISH method based on specific fluorochrome labelling probes which are able to detect Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp. within biofilms on the mucosal surface of the GIT embedded in paraffin in histological slices. This method is also suitable for visualisation of bacterial populations in the GIT internal content. Depending on the labelling probes, the Histo-FISH method has the potential to detect other probiotic strains or pathogenic bacteria. This original approach permits us to analyse bacterial colonisation processes as well as biofilm formation in stomach and caecum of BALB/c and germ-free mice.
Managing Talent Risk
Authors: Hatum Andrés , Preve Lorenzo A.
Published: June 2015

Talent Management is one of the most exciting topics in Management, and coincidentally, the same can be said about Risk Management. Additionally, it is worth mentioning that one of the most interesting features of Risk Management is the firm’s ability to attract and retain the most talented individuals. This article tackles this interesting problem by blending both topics into a single framework, and discusses the importance of achieving a superb management of the risk of losing talent in the organizations. The authors combine their knowledge and expertise in both topics and provide a model that helps understanding the basics of managing the risk of not being able to attract and retain the most talented individuals for the organization. The article is grounded on the identification of the likelihood of the person leaving the firm, and the importance of this loss, but moves beyond this discussion analyzing the determinants of the risk of losing talented people in the organization, by studying the causes for the employee’s willingness to leave and the reasons for the importance of this loss. This model allows us a better talent management by helping us identifying the critical variables that we need to control for each category of employee in order to minimize the probability of losing valuable talent in the firm.
A Case Study Approach to Nursing Home Placement: Smooth and Difficult Cases and Implications for Nursing
Authors: Koplow Sarah M. , Gallo Agatha M. , Knafl Kathleen A. , Vincent Catherine , Paun Olimpia , Gruss Valerie
Published: June 2015

Nursing home placement is one of the most challenging aspects of the caregiving journey. A case study approach was used to understand the experiences of caregivers during the first few months following nursing home placement. Two caregivers were selected from a larger qualitative descriptive study because their experiences exemplified smooth and difficult transitions for both themselves and their older family member. The caregivers were interviewed shortly after placement and 3 months post-placement. Four major contextual issues were identified that indicated the similarities and differences between the two cases, including (a) the caregiver’s relationship with the older adult during the home caregiving time and post nursing home placement, (b) the circumstances surrounding placement, (c) support systems, and (d) continued involvement in care post-placement. Nursing home staff who understand these issues and address concerns through family-centered care can ease the transition and promote successful collaborations between staff and families. [
Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 41
(7), 58–64.]
A fat quality index (FQI) proposal
Authors: Cobos-Murcia J. A. , Osorio-Mirón A. , Márquez-López E. , Hernández-Aguilar E.
Published: June 2015

This paper presents the concept of the fat quality index (FQI), which is based and established in pursuancet of the current food regulations. It is a numerical value representing the correlated information of all parameters that provide the definition of fat according to the international guidelines. With the implementation of this index, it is possible to compare different types of fats using a single numerical value, which facilitates the elucidation of the effects of treatment processes or origins of fats. The FQI includes all the parameters considered in the regulations by incorporating a sub-index for each parameter and using the minimum and maximum limit values to model and adjust an equation describing the quality of fat according to the standard. Finally, the procedure is used to obtain indices based on other experimental works that assessed the quality of fat samples produced under different operating conditions, treatment, origin or processes, allowing for better comparison and evaluation. Therefore, this index is an excellent analytical tool for assessing the quality of fats from different origins for human consumption.
Physicochemical properties, phenolic acids and volatile compounds of oil extracted from dry alhydwan (Boerhavia elegana Choisy) seeds
Authors: Al-Farga A. , Zhang H. , Siddeeg A. , Chamba M. V.M. , Nabil Q. A.
Published: June 2015

In this study, the chemical composition, physicochemical properties, phenolic acids and volatile compounds of alhydwan (Boerhavia elegana Choisy) seed oil were evaluated. The crude oil content was 11.49%, ash 6.88%, moisture 6.12%, protein content 14.60%, total carbohydrate 24.77% and fiber 36.13%. The oil contain a high quantity of unsaturated fatty acids (74.63 mg·100 g−1) with oleic (C18:1) (57.77%), palmitic (C16:0) (18.65%) and linoleic (C18:2) (12.88%) acids as the most abundant. The relative density was 0.88 and the iodine value 105.59. The color analysis showed a value of 28.33 Y+1.43 R. The oil also had a high relative oxidative stability. The tocol composition showed that α-tocotrienol, γ-tocopherol and γ-tocotrienol were in a higher concentration than the rest. Seven phenolic acids (caffeic, vanillic, galic, p-coumaric, ascorbic, cinnamic and ferulic) were detected, with ascorbic acid as the predominant one (5.44 mg·100 g−1). In relation to the volatile composition, 48 compounds were found with Z-10-Pentadecen-1-ol (56.73%); Hexadecenoic acid, Z-11- (18.52%); 9,12-Octadecadienoic acid (Z,Z)- (3.93%) and 9,12-Octadecadienoic acid (Z,Z)-, 2-hydroxy-1-(hydroxymethyl) ethyl ester (3.04%) as the most abundant. These findings demonstrated the potential of alhydwan seeds to be used as a good source of quality edible oil.
Isolation and expression analysis of glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase genes from peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.)
Authors: Chi X. , Yang Q. , Pan L. , Chen N. , Wang T. , Wang M. , Yang Z. , Guan X. , Yu S.
Published: June 2015

sn-Glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) catalyzes the committed step in the production of glycerolipids. The functions of GPAT genes have been intensively studied in Arabidopsis, but not in peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.). In this study, six AhGPAT genes were isolated from peanuts. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR analysis indicated that the AhGPAT9 transcript was more abundant in the stems, flowers, and seeds, whereas the transcript abundances of five other genes were higher in the leaves or flowers than in the other tissues examined. During seed development, the transcript levels of AhGPAT9 gradually increased, whereas the transcript levels of the other five genes decreased. In addition, the levels of AhGPAT2 transcript were distinctly enhanced after exposure to all four kinds of stress treatments except for ABA-treated leaves. The transcripts of AhGPAT1, AhGPAT6, AhGPAT8 and AhATS1 increased substantially in roots exposed to salt, drought, and ABA stress. The expressions of AhGPAT6, AhGPAT8, AhGPAT9 and AhATS1 were slightly higher in leaves under certain stress conditions than under normal conditions. The present study provides significant information for modifying oil deposition and improving the abiotic stress resistance of peanuts through molecular breeding.