Linguistic Variation - Volume 12, Issue 1, 2012

This paper proposes an account of some properties of the manner quotative constructions be like [Quote] in English and hebben (zo)iets van [Quote] in Dutch. We make two main claims about these constructions. First, in the spirit of Rothstein’s (1999) proposal for adjectival predicates of copula be, we propose that eventive direct speech interpretations of these quotatives are derived via a coercion mechanism akin to those that make count readings out of mass nouns in the nominal domain. Second, adapting a proposal for be like originally made by Kayne (2007), we propose that some exceptional syntactic properties of be like as a quote introducer in English are explained by the presence of a silent something quantifier, which takes a like-headed PP as its complement. We compare English be like quotatives with innovative (zo)iets van quotative constructions in Dutch, which contain an overt something quantifier and behave similarly. Keywords: quotative; English; Dutch; copula; event; coercion; have/be alternations

In this paper, I find support for the idea that plural marking shows variation across languages but can still be captured in a universal syntax (Wiltschko 2008, 2011). The proposal that the plural morpheme heads the Number Phrase (Ritter 1991; Bernstein 1991; Valois 1991; inter alia) is not adequate to account for plural marking in all languages. Wiltschko (2008) proposed that plurals may merge either as heads or adjuncts to various projections along the spine of the Determiner Phrase (DP, NumP, nP and the root). I provide syntactic, semantic and experimental evidence that the plural morpheme in Yucatec Maya is adjoined to the DP. I highlight evidence from other language types for variation in the syntax of plural marking, and I discuss how this variation might be constrained in particular ways. The implication of these findings is that identity of function does not imply identical syntax or semantics. Keywords: plural marking; Number Phrase; Determiner Phrase; Yucatec Maya; sentence production; morphosyntactic priming

This paper introduces the Element Theory approach to segmental structure, and describes the variation that exists between different versions of the theory. Elements are unlike traditional features in several respects: they have only positive values, they represent categories motivated solely by phonological behavior, they map on to acoustic patterns in the speech signal, and they are segment-sized units that can be pronounced independently. The standard version of Element Theory recognizes six elements, giving the phonology a level of expressiveness that is capable of capturing most contrasts, natural classes and phonological processes without overgenerating significantly. Furthermore, standard Element Theory compares favorably with two other forms of the theory, conservative and progressive. These employ different element inventories, which distinguish them from the standard theory at a superficial level. Fundamentally, however, all versions of Element Theory are united by a shared conceptual approach and a common set of assumptions and structural principles. Keywords: phonology; elements; features; segmental structure; head-dependency; generative restrictiveness; natural classes; consonant-vowel unity; markedness