Formal Approaches to Semantic Microvariation: Adverbial ...

forward: The polyadic elements combine with the set of ordered pairs denoted by lire
de lives to yield a truth value, and so block the merger of combien.
This analysis also makes some predictions: I predict that, should binding of the de
phrase by beaucoup be impossible for some reason, beaucoup in this case should not
block Split-Combien. We can, in fact, find such a case. Recall that beaucoup cannot
bind a de phrase across a tensed clause boundary.
(45) *J’ai beaucoup dit que t’as lu de livres
I have a lot said that you have read of books
We can now construct a sentence in which beaucoup appears in a higher clause to
see if it blocks Split-Combien. The construction of this example requires a particular
context. Suppose for example that you’ve been spreading rumours about me in which
you say that I’ve kissed a certain number of guys. In other words, you’ve been saying
a lot that I kissed a certain number of guys. I want to know what that number is, so I
ask:
(46) ?Combien as-tu beaucoup dit que j’ai embrassé de gars?
How many have you a lot said that I have kissed of guys
‘How many guys did you say a lot that I kissed?’
Although this sentence is clearly very heavy 7 , many speakers find (46) an improvement
on (47) in which beaucoup is allowed to bind de gars. (intended meaning: How many
guys did you say that I kissed a lot?)
(47) *Combien as-tu dit que j’ai beaucoup embrassé de gars?
how many have you said that I have a lot kissed of guys
It must be noted that my analysis of negative quantifiers as polyadic operators only
7 In particular, some speakers simply cannot use beaucoup with the verb dire.
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