On the Behaviour of the English Negative Quantifier no in Sentential Negation Tests
In this article I show that, when compared to other English negative quantifiers, no behaves unexpectedly when diagnostic tests of sentential negation are applied. I argue that this can be accounted for within an approach to negative quantifiers that assumes them to be complex syntactic objects invo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Asociación Española de Estudios Anglo-Norteamericanos (AEDEAN)
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Atlantis |
| Online Access: | https://www.atlantisjournal.org/index.php/atlantis/article/view/883 |
| _version_ | 1828467014802341888 |
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| author | Susagna Tubau |
| author_facet | Susagna Tubau |
| author_sort | Susagna Tubau |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this article I show that, when compared to other English negative quantifiers, no behaves unexpectedly when diagnostic tests of sentential negation are applied. I argue that this can be accounted for within an approach to negative quantifiers that assumes them to be complex syntactic objects involving a negative head and an existential Determiner Phrase (DP) and that allows Parallel Merge to generate multidominant phrase markers. Within this view, the verb selects just the existential part of the negative quantifier, while Negation (Neg) also (Parallel) Merges with it. In the case of no I claim that, unlike what is the case for other negative quantifiers, Neg only targets the D head rather than the entire existential DP. This results in a complex left-branching structure that, as such, needs to be transferred upon Merge, thus freezing Neg in the Tense Phrase (TP). As TP is the syntactic domain that sentential negation tests are sensitive to, no can do nothing but behave consistently insentential negation tests, showing, unlike other negative quantifiers, no asymmetry related to the position where it occurs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T03:59:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-880d7e9a57c54231a3472046ffe463a1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1989-6840 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T03:59:03Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | Asociación Española de Estudios Anglo-Norteamericanos (AEDEAN) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atlantis |
| spelling | doaj.art-880d7e9a57c54231a3472046ffe463a12022-12-22T01:21:41ZengAsociación Española de Estudios Anglo-Norteamericanos (AEDEAN)Atlantis1989-68402022-06-0144120823210.28914/Atlantis-2022-44.1.12On the Behaviour of the English Negative Quantifier no in Sentential Negation TestsSusagna Tubau0Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaIn this article I show that, when compared to other English negative quantifiers, no behaves unexpectedly when diagnostic tests of sentential negation are applied. I argue that this can be accounted for within an approach to negative quantifiers that assumes them to be complex syntactic objects involving a negative head and an existential Determiner Phrase (DP) and that allows Parallel Merge to generate multidominant phrase markers. Within this view, the verb selects just the existential part of the negative quantifier, while Negation (Neg) also (Parallel) Merges with it. In the case of no I claim that, unlike what is the case for other negative quantifiers, Neg only targets the D head rather than the entire existential DP. This results in a complex left-branching structure that, as such, needs to be transferred upon Merge, thus freezing Neg in the Tense Phrase (TP). As TP is the syntactic domain that sentential negation tests are sensitive to, no can do nothing but behave consistently insentential negation tests, showing, unlike other negative quantifiers, no asymmetry related to the position where it occurs.https://www.atlantisjournal.org/index.php/atlantis/article/view/883 |
| spellingShingle | Susagna Tubau On the Behaviour of the English Negative Quantifier no in Sentential Negation Tests Atlantis |
| title | On the Behaviour of the English Negative Quantifier no in Sentential Negation Tests |
| title_full | On the Behaviour of the English Negative Quantifier no in Sentential Negation Tests |
| title_fullStr | On the Behaviour of the English Negative Quantifier no in Sentential Negation Tests |
| title_full_unstemmed | On the Behaviour of the English Negative Quantifier no in Sentential Negation Tests |
| title_short | On the Behaviour of the English Negative Quantifier no in Sentential Negation Tests |
| title_sort | on the behaviour of the english negative quantifier no in sentential negation tests |
| url | https://www.atlantisjournal.org/index.php/atlantis/article/view/883 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT susagnatubau onthebehaviouroftheenglishnegativequantifiernoinsententialnegationtests |