Types of alternatives for EFCIs.
Scalar alternatives differ in quantificational force. Domain alternatives differ in domain restriction.
- scalar : AlternativeType
Scalar alternatives: some vs all
- domain : AlternativeType
Domain alternatives: ∃x∈D vs ∃x∈D' for D' ⊂ D
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- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.instBEqAlternativeType.beq x✝ y✝ = (x✝.ctorIdx == y✝.ctorIdx)
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An EFCI alternative with its type and whether it's pre-exhaustified.
- content : Prop' World
The propositional content
- altType : AlternativeType
The type of alternative
- isPreExhaustified : Bool
Is this a pre-exhaustified domain alternative?
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Domain Alternatives #
For an existential over domain D, domain alternatives are existentials over proper subsets D' ⊂ D.
Singleton subdomain alternatives are most relevant:
- ∃x∈{d}. P(x) = P(d)
These become the basis for pre-exhaustified alternatives.
A domain: a set of entities that an existential quantifies over.
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- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.Domain Entity = Set Entity
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Generate singleton subdomain alternatives. For domain D = {a, b, c}, generates {a}, {b}, {c}.
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- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.singletonSubdomains D = {S : NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.Domain Entity | ∃ d ∈ D, S = {d}}
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The existential assertion over a domain. ∃x∈D. P(x) holds at world w iff some entity in D satisfies P at w.
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- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.existsInDomain D P w = ∃ d ∈ D, P d w
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A singleton domain alternative. ∃x∈{d}. P(x) = P(d)
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Pre-Exhaustified Domain Alternatives #
Following @cite{chierchia-2013}, domain alternatives are pre-exhaustified: the exhaustification operator applies to them before they enter the alternative set for the main exhaustification.
For singleton alternative P(d): Pre-exh(P(d)) = P(d) ∧ ∀y≠d. ¬P(y) = "d is the only one satisfying P"
Domain alternatives convey uniqueness.
Pre-exhaustify a singleton domain alternative. P(d) becomes: P(d) ∧ ∀y∈D, y≠d → ¬P(y) "d is the unique satisfier in D"
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- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.preExhaustify D d P w = (P d w ∧ ∀ y ∈ D, y ≠ d → ¬P y w)
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The set of pre-exhaustified domain alternatives.
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- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.preExhDomainAlts D P = {φ : Prop' World | ∃ d ∈ D, φ = NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.preExhaustify D d P}
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Scalar Alternatives #
For an existential ∃x. P(x), the scalar alternative is ∀x. P(x).
In UE contexts: ∀ is stronger than ∃ In DE contexts: ∃ is stronger than ∀
The universal (scalar) alternative to an existential.
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- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.universalAlt D P w = ∀ d ∈ D, P d w
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The scalar alternative set for an existential.
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The full EFCI alternative set combines:
- The prejacent (existential assertion)
- Scalar alternatives (universal)
- Pre-exhaustified domain alternatives
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Alternative set with only scalar alternatives (pruned domain). Used when partial exhaustification prunes domain alternatives.
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Alternative set with only domain alternatives (pruned scalar). Used when partial exhaustification prunes scalar alternatives.
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Exhaustification Operator #
O_ALT(φ) = φ ∧ ∧{¬ψ : ψ ∈ IE(ALT, φ)}
where IE(ALT, φ) is the set of innocently excludable alternatives.
An alternative ψ is innocently excludable if:
- ψ is in ALT
- ψ is stronger than φ
- Negating ψ is consistent with φ and negations of other IE alternatives
Simple exhaustification: negate all stronger alternatives. This is a simplified version; full IE requires MC-set computation.
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- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.simpleExh ALT φ w = (φ w ∧ ∀ ψ ∈ ALT, (∀ (v : World), φ v → ψ v) → ψ ≠ φ → ¬ψ w)
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The Problem: Exhaustifying Both Types Causes Contradiction #
Consider domain D = {a, b} and predicate "came":
Prejacent: ∃x∈{a,b}. came(x) = "a came ∨ b came"
Scalar alt: ∀x∈{a,b}. came(x) = "a came ∧ b came" After exh: ¬(a came ∧ b came) = "not both came"
Pre-exh domain alts:
- [a]: came(a) ∧ ¬came(b) = "only a came"
- [b]: came(b) ∧ ¬came(a) = "only b came" After exh: ¬[only a] ∧ ¬[only b] = (came(a) → came(b)) ∧ (came(b) → came(a)) = came(a) ↔ came(b)
Combined with prejacent (a ∨ b) and scalar neg ¬(a ∧ b):
- (a ∨ b) ∧ ¬(a ∧ b) ∧ (a ↔ b)
- = (a ∨ b) ∧ (a ⊕ b) ∧ (a ↔ b)
- = ⊥
This is why EFCIs need rescue mechanisms.
Check if an alternative set leads to contradiction when exhaustified.
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- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.isContradictory ALT φ = ∀ (w : World), ¬NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.simpleExh ALT φ w
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Rescue Mechanism 1: Modal Insertion (Irgendein-type) #
Insert a covert epistemic modal ◇_epi above the existential: ◇∃x. P(x)
Now domain alternatives become: ◇[P(a) ∧ ∀y≠a. ¬P(y)]
Under modal, these are compatible with each other: ◇[only a] ∧ ◇[only b] = "possibly only a, possibly only b" = modal variation
No contradiction!
Covert epistemic modal (possibility).
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- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.covertEpi φ x✝ = ∃ (w : World), φ w
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Rescue Mechanism 2: Partial Exhaustification (Yek-i-type) #
Instead of exhaustifying both alt types, prune one:
Option A: Prune domain alts → only scalar exh Result: ∃x. P(x) ∧ ¬∀x. P(x) = "some but not all" (Not what yek-i does in root contexts)
Option B: Prune scalar alts → only domain exh Result: ∃x. P(x) ∧ ¬[only a] ∧ ¬[only b] ∧... For |D| ≥ 2: ∃!x. P(x) = "exactly one satisfies P" This IS what yek-i does!
Partial exhaustification with pruned scalar alternatives. Only domain alternatives are exhaustified.
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Partial exhaustification with pruned domain alternatives. Only scalar alternatives are exhaustified.
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EFCI types based on available rescue mechanisms.
- none : EFCIRescue
No rescue available (vreun): ungrammatical in UE root
- modalInsertion : EFCIRescue
Modal insertion available (irgendein): epistemic reading in root
- partialExh : EFCIRescue
Partial exhaustification available (yek-i): uniqueness in root
- both : EFCIRescue
Both mechanisms available
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- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.instBEqEFCIRescue.beq x✝ y✝ = (x✝.ctorIdx == y✝.ctorIdx)
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EFCI type determines root context behavior.
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- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.rootBehavior NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.EFCIRescue.none = "Ungrammatical (no rescue)"
- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.rootBehavior NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.EFCIRescue.modalInsertion = "Epistemic modal reading (speaker ignorance)"
- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.rootBehavior NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.EFCIRescue.partialExh = "Uniqueness reading (exactly one)"
- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.rootBehavior NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.EFCIRescue.both = "Either epistemic or uniqueness (context determines)"
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EFCI type for vreun (Romanian).
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EFCI type for irgendein (German). Actually allows both mechanisms, but modal insertion is primary in root.
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EFCI type for yek-i (Farsi). Only partial exhaustification available.
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Modal Contexts #
Under deontic modals (permission), yek-i yields free choice: ◇_deo[∃x. P(x)] with domain exh = ◇_deo[P(a) ∧ ¬P(b)] ∨ ◇_deo[P(b) ∧ ¬P(a)] (simplified) = For each x, ◇_deo[P(x)]
Under epistemic modals, yek-i yields modal variation: ◇_epi[∃x. P(x)] with domain exh = At least two individuals are epistemically possible
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- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.instBEqModalFlavor.beq x✝ y✝ = (x✝.ctorIdx == y✝.ctorIdx)
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EFCI reading type under different conditions.
- plainExistential : EFCIReading
Plain existential (DE contexts)
- uniqueness : EFCIReading
Uniqueness (root, partial exh)
- freeChoice : EFCIReading
Free choice (deontic modal)
- modalVariation : EFCIReading
Modal variation (epistemic modal)
- epistemicIgnorance : EFCIReading
Epistemic ignorance (modal insertion)
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- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.instBEqEFCIReading.beq x✝ y✝ = (x✝.ctorIdx == y✝.ctorIdx)
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Determine EFCI reading based on context and rescue mechanism.
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- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.efciReading NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.EFCIRescue.none isDE none = if isDE = true then some NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.EFCIReading.plainExistential else none
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Theoretical Predictions #
- Root context prediction: yek-i → uniqueness, irgendein → epistemic
- Deontic prediction: Both → free choice
- Epistemic prediction: Both → modal variation
- DE prediction: Both → plain existential
Yek-i in root yields uniqueness
Irgendein in root can yield uniqueness (with partial exh rescue)
Under deontic modal: free choice
Under epistemic modal: modal variation
In DE context: plain existential
Universal Free Choice Items #
Universal FCIs like English "any" and Italian "qualunque" contrast with existential FCIs like German "irgendein" and Farsi "yek-i":
| FCI Type | Base Force | Examples | Morphological Hints |
|---|---|---|---|
| Existential | ∃ | irgendein, yek-i, vreun | Often contains "one" |
| Universal | ∀ | any, qualunque, whatever | Often wh-based |
Chierchia's analysis #
Both FCI types have the same underlying existential semantics. The universal force of "any" emerges from obligatory exhaustification of domain alternatives.
- "any" = ∃ + obligatory domain alternatives (always active)
- "some" = ∃ + optional domain alternatives (relevance-gated)
The "any" Distribution #
NPI use (DE contexts): "I didn't see any students"
- In DE, exhaustification is vacuous (domain alts are entailed)
- Result: plain existential reading
FC use (modal contexts): "You may read any book"
- Under modal, domain alts yield free choice
- Result: universal-like permission
Generic use: "Any owl hunts mice" (subtrigging)
- Generic contexts license FC reading
- Result: universal generalization
Why "any" Fails in Positive Episodic Contexts #
"*There are any cookies"
Exhaustifying domain alternatives in UE episodic contexts yields contradiction:
- ∃d∈D. P(d) (assertion)
- ∀d∈D. ¬[P(d) ∧ ∀y≠d.¬P(y)] (domain alt negation)
With two witnesses d₁, d₂: the second clause requires that for any d satisfying P, some other y also satisfies P. Combined with the first clause, this leads to infinite regress/contradiction for finite domains.
Contrast with "some" #
"Some" has the same alternatives as "any", but they are optional. When not activated (low relevance), "some" = plain existential. "Any" must activate alternatives, hence the restricted distribution.
FCI flavor: existential vs universal force.
Note: "Universal" FCIs have existential base meaning but universal surface force due to obligatory exhaustification.
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- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.instBEqFCIFlavor.beq x✝ y✝ = (x✝.ctorIdx == y✝.ctorIdx)
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Universal FCI: existential with obligatorily active domain alternatives.
- baseIsExistential : Bool
Base meaning is existential
- obligatoryDomainAlts : Bool
Domain alternatives are always active (not relevance-gated)
- modalRescue : Bool
Can be rescued via modal insertion
- genericRescue : Bool
Can be rescued via generic/subtrigging
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English "any" as a Universal FCI
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Italian "qualunque" as a Universal FCI
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Context type for determining Universal FCI distribution.
- positiveEpisodic : UFCIContext
- negation : UFCIContext
- conditional_ant : UFCIContext
- deonticModal : UFCIContext
- epistemicModal : UFCIContext
- generic : UFCIContext
- question : UFCIContext
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- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.instBEqUFCIContext.beq x✝ y✝ = (x✝.ctorIdx == y✝.ctorIdx)
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Universal FCI grammaticality prediction.
Ungrammatical only in positive episodic (UE without rescue).
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- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.ufciGrammatical NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.UFCIContext.positiveEpisodic = false
- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.ufciGrammatical NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.UFCIContext.negation = true
- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.ufciGrammatical NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.UFCIContext.conditional_ant = true
- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.ufciGrammatical NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.UFCIContext.deonticModal = true
- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.ufciGrammatical NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.UFCIContext.epistemicModal = true
- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.ufciGrammatical NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.UFCIContext.generic = true
- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.ufciGrammatical NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.UFCIContext.question = true
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Reading obtained by Universal FCI in context.
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- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.ufciReading NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.UFCIContext.positiveEpisodic = none
- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.ufciReading NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.UFCIContext.negation = some NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.EFCIReading.plainExistential
- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.ufciReading NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.UFCIContext.conditional_ant = some NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.EFCIReading.plainExistential
- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.ufciReading NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.UFCIContext.deonticModal = some NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.EFCIReading.freeChoice
- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.ufciReading NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.UFCIContext.epistemicModal = some NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.EFCIReading.freeChoice
- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.ufciReading NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.UFCIContext.generic = some NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.EFCIReading.freeChoice
- NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.ufciReading NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.UFCIContext.question = some NeoGricean.Exhaustivity.EFCI.EFCIReading.plainExistential
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In DE contexts, exhaustifying "any"'s alternatives yields entailments, so the exhaustification is vacuous and "any" = plain existential.
This explains the NPI distribution of "any".
"I didn't see any students" ≡ "I didn't see a student"
The "any" contributes no special meaning in DE contexts.
Under modals, "any" yields free choice via exhaustification.
"You may read any book" = For each book x, you may read x
Modal insertion is the rescue mechanism for Universal FCIs.
"*There are any cookies" is ungrammatical.
Domain alternative exhaustification in UE episodic context yields contradiction.
The failure mechanism: exhaustification is G-contradictory. (See Core.Analyticity for G-triviality/L-analyticity)
Summary: Existential vs Universal FCIs #
| Property | Existential (irgendein) | Universal (any) |
|---|---|---|
| Base meaning | ∃ | ∃ |
| Domain alts | Relevance-gated | Obligatory |
| Root reading | Epistemic/Uniqueness | *(blocked) |
| Modal reading | Free choice | Free choice |
| DE reading | Plain ∃ | Plain ∃ (NPI) |
The key difference is whether domain alternatives are optional or obligatory. This single parameter derives the entire distribution difference.
Existential FCIs allow root readings
Universal FCIs block root readings
Both FCIs get FC under modals
An "any" distribution example.
- sentence : String
- context : UFCIContext
- grammatical : Bool
- notes : String
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