Documentation

Linglib.Phenomena.Generics.Studies.BonehDoron2013

@cite{boneh-doron-2013} — Hab and Gen in the Expression of Habituality #

In Genericity (Mari, Beyssade, Del Prete eds.), OUP, Oxford Studies in Theoretical Linguistics 43.

Core Claim #

HAB and GEN are distinct covert operators, not a single operator with different parameters. They share the same quantificational skeleton (covertQ in CovertQuantifier.lean) but differ in:

  1. Quantificational force: HAB is a modalized existential quantifier over sums of events; GEN is a modalized universal quantifier.
  2. Restrictor requirement: GEN requires an explicit restrictor (e.g., "after dinner" in ex. (4a)); HAB does not — it uses INIT to anchor to an initiating event.
  3. Structural position: HAB sits low as a VP adverb selected by AspP; GEN sits high in MoodP (parallel to would).

The chapter provides English evidence from three habitual verb forms: the simple past tense form, the periphrastic used to, and would.

English Habitual Forms (Table (41)) #

FormViewpoint aspectPerspective
simple formimperfective/perfectiveinternal/retrospective
used toimperfectiveretrospective
wouldimperfectiveinternal

Connection to Existing Infrastructure #

Quantificational force of a covert operator.

@cite{boneh-doron-2013} §6.2.1: HAB is a "modalized existential quantifier over sums of events"; GEN is a "modalized universal quantifier" (Krifka et al. 1995).

  • existential : QForce

    Existential: HAB ∃-quantifies over event sums via ITER.

  • universal : QForce

    Universal: GEN ∀-quantifies over individuals/events meeting the restrictor.

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

      Configuration for a covert quantifier, recording the structural differences between GEN and HAB beyond the shared covertQ skeleton.

      • force : QForce

        Quantificational force (existential vs universal)

      • requiresExplicitRestrictor : Bool

        Whether the operator requires an explicit restrictor in the clause. GEN requires one (e.g., "after dinner"); HAB uses INIT instead.

      • isModal : Bool

        Whether the operator is modalized (references a modal base MB). Both GEN and HAB reference MB in their denotations (eqs. (13), (21)).

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

            GEN configuration: universal, requires explicit restrictor, modal.

            Equations
            Instances For

              HAB configuration: existential, no explicit restrictor needed, modal.

              Equations
              Instances For

                GEN and HAB have distinct configurations despite sharing covertQ.

                GEN and HAB agree on modality (both are modalized) but differ on quantificational force and restrictor requirement.

                The three English verb forms that express habituality.

                @cite{boneh-doron-2013} §6.1, ex. (1): "In the good old days, people dressed/used to dress/would dress elegantly to go to the opera."

                • simpleForm : HabitualForm

                  Simple past tense form: "people dressed elegantly."

                • usedTo : HabitualForm

                  Periphrastic used to: "people used to dress elegantly."

                • would : HabitualForm

                  Periphrastic would: "people would dress elegantly."

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

                    An English habituality datum.

                    • sentence : String
                    • felicitous : Bool
                    • operator : String

                      Which operator the chapter's analysis assigns to this reading. Under B&D's proposal, the simple form typically involves Hab, would involves Gen, and used to involves Hab + aspectual marking.

                    • exNumber : String
                    Instances For
                      Equations
                      • One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
                      Instances For

                        Ex. (4a): "Mary smokes a cigarette after dinner" — GEN with explicit restrictor "after dinner". Felicitous because the restrictor supplies Gen's required restriction over events.

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

                          Ex. (4b): "#Mary smokes a cigarette" — No explicit restrictor, so Gen cannot apply. Hab applies but the singular indefinite "a cigarette" scopes over events, forcing a same-object reading (smoke the same cigarette repeatedly), which is infelicitous.

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

                            Ex. (6b): "A flower grows out behind the old shed" — singular indefinite under Hab forces a same-object reading: the same flower grows out repeatedly. This is the same-object phenomenon that @cite{del-prete-2013} calls the Same-Object Effect (SOE).

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

                              Ex. (7b): "#Max killed a rabbit repeatedly" — singular indefinite under adverbial repeatedly forces same-object (same rabbit killed over and over), which is pragmatically absurd.

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

                                Ex. (2c): "#In the good old days, people would dress elegantly" — would (Gen) is infelicitous even with a discourse context ("At the opera"). Gen requires an explicit in-sentence restrictor (e.g., a purpose clause "to go to the opera"), not just a contextual presupposition.

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

                                  Ex. (2d): "In the good old days, people would dress elegantly to go to the opera" — felicitous because "to go to the opera" provides the restrictor for Gen.

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

                                    Ex. (42a): "She went to work by bus" — simple form, TRUE even with a single episode. Can be read episodically or as a one-episode habit.

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

                                      Ex. (42b): "She would go to work by bus" — would (GEN), TRUE even with a single episode. Gen is about what happens in normal worlds, not about actual iteration.

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

                                        Ex. (42c): "She used to go to work by bus" — used to, FALSE in single-episode context. Used to requires actualization: the habit must be instantiated by multiple actual episodes.

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

                                          Ex. (48a): "The London Bridge used to stand on the Thames" — used to (Hab) is compatible with individual-level predicates because Hab is an aspectual operator that selects for states.

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

                                            Ex. (48b): "*The London Bridge would stand on the Thames" — would (Gen) is incompatible with individual-level predicates when the subject is definite. Gen requires a restrictor, but a definite subject cannot serve as one, and "stand on the Thames" (individual-level) is incompatible with an episodic restrictor. Contrast with (47a), where the indefinite singular "a French teacher" provides Gen's restrictor.

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

                                              Ex. (3a)/(47a): "a French teacher would know Latin" — would (GEN) accepts an indefinite singular subject because Gen takes a nominal restrictor (the indefinite provides it). First introduced as (3a), discussed fully in §6.4 as (47a).

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

                                                Ex. (3b)/(47b): "*a French teacher used to know Latin" — used to rejects an indefinite singular subject. Used to involves Hab, which quantifies over events (not individuals). The indefinite singular "a French teacher" cannot serve as a restrictor for Hab's event quantification, unlike Gen which quantifies over individuals and can bind the indefinite as a nominal restrictor.

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

                                                    The restrictor contrast (4): "Mary smokes a cigarette after dinner" (✓) vs "#Mary smokes a cigarette" (✗). Gen requires an explicit restrictor; without one, Hab applies but the singular indefinite forces same-object.

                                                    The would restrictor contrast (2c-d): would (Gen) is infelicitous without an explicit in-sentence restrictor (2c), but felicitous with a purpose clause (2d). Same underlying mechanism as the (4a-b) contrast.

                                                    The restrictor requirement is consistent across forms: both the simple form (4a-b) and would (2c-d) show Gen needs an explicit restrictor.

                                                    The same-object effect (6b, 7b): singular indefinites under Hab force a same-object reading. When pragmatically implausible (7b), the sentence is infelicitous.

                                                    This is the English counterpart of @cite{del-prete-2013}'s SOE in Italian. Del Prete's "Gianni leggeva un libro di filosofia" (HAB blocked, SOE implausible) parallels B&D's "#Max killed a rabbit repeatedly."

                                                    The actualization contrast (42): simple form and would are true even with a single episode; used to requires actualized iteration.

                                                    Individual-level predicate contrast (48): used to accepts individual- level predicates (it selects states); would rejects them when the subject is definite (Gen needs a restrictor the definite can't provide).

                                                    The would vs used to puzzle (3)/(47): would accepts an indefinite singular subject; used to does not. This follows from would involving Gen (which can bind the indefinite as a nominal restrictor) while used to involves Hab (which quantifies over events, not individuals).

                                                    (47) and (48) together show that would's acceptability depends on whether Gen's restrictor can be filled: indefinite singular fills it (47a ✓), definite subject with individual-level predicate does not (48b ✗). Meanwhile used to is the mirror: rejects indefinite singular (47b ✗) but accepts individual-level predicates freely (48a ✓).

                                                    Despite the structural differences, both operators instantiate covertQ. This is not in tension with distinctness — covertQ is the skeleton, and the two operators differ in what fills its parameters.

                                                    GEN: covertQ individuals (normal ∧ kind) property HAB: covertQ occasions characteristic activity

                                                    The skeleton is shared; the interpretation is different.