The syntax and semantics of focus - Einzelansicht

Dozent: Dr. Aron Hirsch

The interpretation of only varies depending on the placement of stress. ´Mary only read MACBETH`conveys that Mary read nothing more, while ´Mary only READ Macbeth`conveys that she did nothing more with Macbeth, such as act in it. Stress placement in these data signals "focus" which will be our concern in this seminar. How is focus represented in the grammar, and how do operators like only interact with focus? We will begin with the classical analysis of focus as introducing alternatives into the semantic composition, and then consider old and new puzzles surrounding the syntax and semantics of focus-sensitive operators (both only and even).