Fox & Hackl 2006: Degree Questions and Negative Islands

@cite{fox-hackl-2006} @cite{beck-rullmann-1999} @cite{fox-2007} @cite{rullmann-1995}

Empirical data on degree questions ("how tall is Kim?"), including negative islands, modal obviation, and comparative subdeletion.

@cite{fox-hackl-2006}'s Universal Density of Measurement predicts that degree questions fail under negation because the maximality presupposition of "how" is undefined over dense scales with downward-monotone predicates.

Key Empirical Patterns

1. Negative islands: "*How tall isn't Kim?" is unacceptable (@cite{fox-hackl-2006}: density of measurement blocks maximality).
2. Modal obviation: "How tall is Kim required to be?" is acceptable (universal modal rescues maximality).
3. Existential modal fails: "*How tall is Kim allowed to be?" remains unacceptable (existential modal doesn't help).

structure Phenomena.Comparison.Studies.FoxHackl2006.DegreeQuestionDatum : Type

A degree question acceptability datum.

• sentence : String
• acceptable : Bool
• mechanism : String

  What blocks or rescues the question?

• note : String

instance Phenomena.Comparison.Studies.FoxHackl2006.instReprDegreeQuestionDatum : Repr DegreeQuestionDatum

Equations

• Phenomena.Comparison.Studies.FoxHackl2006.instReprDegreeQuestionDatum = { reprPrec := Phenomena.Comparison.Studies.FoxHackl2006.instReprDegreeQuestionDatum.repr }

def Phenomena.Comparison.Studies.FoxHackl2006.instReprDegreeQuestionDatum.repr : DegreeQuestionDatum → Nat → Std.Format

Equations

• One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.

def Phenomena.Comparison.Studies.FoxHackl2006.degreeQuestionExamples : List DegreeQuestionDatum

Equations

• One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.

def Phenomena.Comparison.Studies.FoxHackl2006.negativeIslandExamples : List DegreeQuestionDatum

@cite{fox-hackl-2006} negative island data.

Equations

• One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.

def Phenomena.Comparison.Studies.FoxHackl2006.modalObviationExamples : List DegreeQuestionDatum

@cite{fox-hackl-2006} modal obviation data.

Equations

• One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.