New challenges in the area of semantic dependencies

This paper investigates the parameters of variation in the area of semantically dependent indefinites, by focusing on the distribution of the Romanian dependent determiner vreun. Refining previous descriptions in the literature (Farkas 2002, 2006), I argue that the occurrence of vreun in intensional contexts is sensitive to epistemic alternatives. To account for this, I endorse the unitary approach to polarity-sensitivity due to Chierchia (2006) and argue that the differences between vreun and other dependent indefinites stem from the types of alternatives they activate and the way these alternatives contribute to the overall meaning.

• Affiliations: 1: University of the Basque Country