The meaning of more / Alexis Wellwood.
| Author/creator | Wellwood, Alexis |
| Other author | Oxford University Press. |
| Format | Electronic |
| Edition | First edition. |
| Publication Info | Oxford, United Kingdom : Oxford University Press, 2019. |
| Description | vi, 216 pages : illustrations ; 26 cm. |
| Supplemental Content | Full text available from Oxford Scholarship Online |
| Subjects |
| Series | Oxford linguistics Oxford studies in semantics and pragmatics ; 12 Oxford linguistics. ^A520562 Oxford studies in semantics and pragmatics ; 12. UNAUTHORIZED |
| Summary | This book reimagines the compositional semantics of comparative sentences using words such as more, as, too, and others. The book's central thesis entails a rejection of a fundamental assumption of degree semantic frameworks: that gradable adjectives like tall lexicalize functions from individuals to degrees, i.e., measure functions. 0Alexis Wellwood argues that comparative expressions in English themselves introduce measure functions; this is the case whether that morphology targets adjectives, as intaller or more intelligent; nouns, as in more coffee, more coffees; verbs, such as run more, jump more; or expressions of other categories. Furthermore, she suggests that expressions that comfortably and meaningfully appear in the comparative form should be distinguished from those that do not in terms of a general notion of "measurability": a measurable predicate has a domain of application with non-trivial structure. This notion unifies the independently motivated distinctions between, for example, gradable and non-gradable adjectives, mass and count nouns, singular and plural noun phrases, and telic and atelic verb phrases. Based on careful examination of the distribution of dimensions for comparison within the class of measurable predicates, she ties the selection of measure functions to the specific nature and structure of the domain entities targeted for measurement.0The book ultimately explores how, precisely, we should understand semantic theories that invoke the "nature" of domain entities: does the theory depend for its explanation on features of metaphysical reality, or something else? Such questions are especially pertinent in light of a growing body of research in cognitive science exploring the understanding and acquisition of comparative sentences. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 197-213) and index. |
| Access restriction | Available only to authorized users. |
| Technical details | Mode of access: World Wide Web |
| Genre/form | Electronic books. |
| LCCN | 2019933015 |
| ISBN | 9780198804659 hardback |
| ISBN | 0198804652 hardback |
| ISBN | 9780198804666 paperback |
| ISBN | 0198804660 paperback |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electronic Resources | Access Content Online | ✔ Available |