German Bare Plural Word Order

@cite{magri-2009} @cite{diesing-1992}

Distributional restrictions on bare plural subjects (BPS) in German, conditioned by predicate level. The key diagnostic is the placement of BPS relative to the modal particles ja doch ('indeed/after all') in the Mittelfeld (middle field).

@cite{diesing-1992} first observed:

• S-predicate verfügbar ('available'): BPS can sit both LEFT and RIGHT of ja doch
• I-predicate intelligent: BPS can only sit LEFT of ja doch

@cite{magri-2009} §4.5 provides a semantic account: there is no syntactic difference between s- and i-predicate subjects. Rather, when the BPS sits to the right of ja doch (= VP-internal at Surface Structure), the truth conditions are identical to the basic "Firemen are tall" BPS — whose ∃-reading is ruled out by the Mismatch Hypothesis for i-predicates.

The key advantage over @cite{diesing-1992}'s syntactic account: the semantic account correctly predicts that universally quantified subjects like alle Studenten ('all students') are fine to the right of ja (ex. 132), since universal quantifiers are maximal in their Horn scale and blind strengthening is vacuous.

Cross-Module Connections

• Phenomena.Generics.BarePlurals: English BPS reading data
• Phenomena.ScalarImplicatures.Studies.Magri2009: BH+MH mechanism

inductive Fragments.German.BarePluralWordOrder.BPSPosition : Type

Position of the bare plural subject relative to ja doch.

• leftOfJaDoch : BPSPosition
• rightOfJaDoch : BPSPosition

instance Fragments.German.BarePluralWordOrder.instDecidableEqBPSPosition : DecidableEq BPSPosition

Equations

• Fragments.German.BarePluralWordOrder.instDecidableEqBPSPosition x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯

instance Fragments.German.BarePluralWordOrder.instBEqBPSPosition : BEq BPSPosition

Equations

• Fragments.German.BarePluralWordOrder.instBEqBPSPosition = { beq := Fragments.German.BarePluralWordOrder.instBEqBPSPosition.beq }

def Fragments.German.BarePluralWordOrder.instBEqBPSPosition.beq : BPSPosition → BPSPosition → Bool

Equations

• Fragments.German.BarePluralWordOrder.instBEqBPSPosition.beq x✝ y✝ = (x✝.ctorIdx == y✝.ctorIdx)

instance Fragments.German.BarePluralWordOrder.instReprBPSPosition : Repr BPSPosition

Equations

• Fragments.German.BarePluralWordOrder.instReprBPSPosition = { reprPrec := Fragments.German.BarePluralWordOrder.instReprBPSPosition.repr }

def Fragments.German.BarePluralWordOrder.instReprBPSPosition.repr : BPSPosition → Nat → Std.Format

Equations

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structure Fragments.German.BarePluralWordOrder.JaDochDatum : Type

A German BPS word order datum.

• predicate : String
• predicateLevel : Semantics.Lexical.Noun.Kind.Carlson1977.PredicateLevel
• bpsPosition : BPSPosition
• acceptable : Bool
• gloss : String

def Fragments.German.BarePluralWordOrder.instReprJaDochDatum.repr : JaDochDatum → Nat → Std.Format

Equations

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instance Fragments.German.BarePluralWordOrder.instReprJaDochDatum : Repr JaDochDatum

Equations

• Fragments.German.BarePluralWordOrder.instReprJaDochDatum = { reprPrec := Fragments.German.BarePluralWordOrder.instReprJaDochDatum.repr }

def Fragments.German.BarePluralWordOrder.verfuegbar_left : JaDochDatum

@cite{diesing-1992} ex. (8a)/(125a): s-predicate verfügbar, BPS left of ja doch — OK. Both generic and existential readings available.

Equations

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def Fragments.German.BarePluralWordOrder.verfuegbar_right : JaDochDatum

@cite{diesing-1992} ex. (8a)/(125a): s-predicate verfügbar, BPS right of ja doch — OK. Existential reading available in both positions.

Equations

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def Fragments.German.BarePluralWordOrder.intelligent_left : JaDochDatum

@cite{diesing-1992} ex. (8d)/(125b): i-predicate intelligent, BPS left of ja doch — OK. Generic reading available.

Equations

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def Fragments.German.BarePluralWordOrder.intelligent_right : JaDochDatum

@cite{diesing-1992} ex. (8c)/(125b): i-predicate intelligent, BPS right of ja doch — ODD.

@cite{magri-2009} §4.5: this is odd (not ungrammatical) because the truth conditions are identical to the basic ∃-BPS reading, whose strengthened meaning contradicts common knowledge via the MH.

Equations

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def Fragments.German.BarePluralWordOrder.allJaDochData : List JaDochDatum

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theorem Fragments.German.BarePluralWordOrder.slp_both_positions : ((List.filter (fun (d : JaDochDatum) => d.predicateLevel == Semantics.Lexical.Noun.Kind.Carlson1977.PredicateLevel.stageLevel) allJaDochData).all fun (d : JaDochDatum) => d.acceptable) = true

S-predicates allow BPS in both positions.

theorem Fragments.German.BarePluralWordOrder.ilp_right_blocked : ((List.filter (fun (d : JaDochDatum) => d.predicateLevel == Semantics.Lexical.Noun.Kind.Carlson1977.PredicateLevel.individualLevel && d.bpsPosition == BPSPosition.rightOfJaDoch) allJaDochData).all fun (d : JaDochDatum) => !d.acceptable) = true

I-predicates block BPS to the RIGHT of ja doch.

theorem Fragments.German.BarePluralWordOrder.ilp_left_ok : ((List.filter (fun (d : JaDochDatum) => d.predicateLevel == Semantics.Lexical.Noun.Kind.Carlson1977.PredicateLevel.individualLevel && d.bpsPosition == BPSPosition.leftOfJaDoch) allJaDochData).all fun (d : JaDochDatum) => d.acceptable) = true

I-predicates allow BPS to the LEFT of ja doch (generic reading).

theorem Fragments.German.BarePluralWordOrder.acceptability_pattern : (allJaDochData.all fun (d : JaDochDatum) => d.acceptable == !(d.predicateLevel == Semantics.Lexical.Noun.Kind.Carlson1977.PredicateLevel.individualLevel && d.bpsPosition == BPSPosition.rightOfJaDoch)) = true

The predicate level + position determines acceptability: the ONLY unacceptable configuration is ILP + right of ja doch.