1997/kallulli.html

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<center><B>NP Predicates</B></center><br>
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<center><B>Dalina Kallulli</B>
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<B>University of Durham<br>
<i><a href="mailto:dalina.kallulli@durham.ac.uk">dalina.kallulli@durham.ac.uk</a></i></B></center><br>
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	This paper describes the relationship between syntactic structure and semantic interpretation for noun phrases.  Specifically, I justify with new evidence Longobardi's (1994) claim that only DPs/QPs but not NPs may function as syntactic arguments. In addition, I claim that NPs, on the other hand, invariably translate as predicates at LF. These claims are prompted by evidence gathered from investigating the so-called (countable) bare singular noun phrases (BSs) as found in Balkan and Mainland Scandinavian languages, as well as bare plurals (BPs) across Germanic, Romance and Balkan languages.  Crucially, I claim that as opposed to non-bare nouns which are always syntactic arguments, BSs and existential BPs are property-denoting expressions which invariably translate as predicates at LF.  Consequently, they are not restricted quantifiers or variables.  I follow Dobrovie-Sorin and Laca (1996) in that the basic/universal property of BPs is property-denotation. The generic reading of BPs is derived from the property-denotation by a (language specific) nominalization mechanism.  This statement is prompted by a clear empirical observation: all the languages that have BPs allow them to receive an existential interpretation, but only some (notably Germanic but not Romance and Balkan languages) allow them to receive a generic interpretation. Further, the paper argues that while BSs and existential BPs are NPs lacking a D projection, generic BPs are DPs with a morphologically empty D.<br>
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<em>Last updated July 20, 1997 by</em><br>
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