German Polarity-Sensitive Items #
@cite{haspelmath-1997} @cite{chierchia-2006}
German indefinite pronoun polarity items, typed by the categories from
Core.Lexical.PolarityItem.
German's irgendein is a key example in @cite{chierchia-2006}'s typology as an existential FCI with both NPI and FCI uses:
- irgendein/irgendwer: NPI/FCI (irgend- prefix = domain widening)
- wer (conditional): Bare wh-word as weak NPI
- niemand: Negative indefinite
irgendein/irgendwer — NPI/FCI. @cite{chierchia-2006}'s EFCI class: existential FCI with both NPI uses (questions) and FCI uses (irrealis, modals). The irgend- prefix marks non-specificity / domain widening.
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Instances For
wer (conditional/negative) — Bare wh-word as weak NPI. Used as indefinite in conditionals and indirect negation contexts.
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Instances For
niemand — Negative indefinite. Direct negation; no negative concord (unlike Russian/Italian N-words).
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