The distribution of wide scope indefinite bare duals in Kazym Khanty: a QUD-based approach
Keywords: wide scope indefinites, articleless languages, nominal meaning, QUD, not-at-issueness
Abstract: Bare NPs in articleless languages are commonly known to be unable to get wide scope indefinite interpretation (Dayal 2004; Deal & Nee 2018; Srinivas 2021, a.m.o.). Traditionally, this limitation is explained in semantic terms: depending on a particular theory, the lack of the wide scope indefinite reading is explained either by the definiteness of the bare NP or by its frozen narrow scope.
The data from Kazym Khanty (<Uralic) provide a challenge to this view, for two reasons. First, contrary to the predictions, bare NPs with dual number in this language can get wide scope indefinite interpretations. Second, in certain cases, the wide scope indefinite interpretation of bare duals is unavailable, as in other articleless languages, but the nature of the limitation is clearly not semantic.
In my paper, I will address these challenges by arguing that the limited distribution of the wide scope indefinite bare duals in Kazym Khanty follows from an independently established pragmatic constraint. Namely, I will argue that the wide scope indefinite readings of the bare duals in Kazym Khanty are always semantically available, but bare NPs cannot get wide scope indefinite readings when they address a quantity-oriented QUD.
Submission Number: 240
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