Formal Approaches to Semantic Microvariation: Adverbial ...
Formal Approaches to Semantic Microvariation: Adverbial ...
Formal Approaches to Semantic Microvariation: Adverbial ...
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(Obenauer (1983: 78, his (42))<br />
QAD sentences with PPs forcing a single-event reading are ungrammatical.<br />
(23) a. *Dans<br />
In<br />
cette<br />
this<br />
cassette,<br />
casette,<br />
il a beaucoup trouvé de pièces d’or<br />
he has a lot found of pieces of gold<br />
b. *En soulevant le couvercle, il a beaucoup trouvé de pièces d’or<br />
In lifting the lid, he has a lot found of pieces of gold<br />
(Obenauer (1983: 78, his (43))<br />
Note that QAD sentences with PPs suggesting a context where there are many events<br />
are fine. This suggests that QAD is semantically not, in fact, quantification over the<br />
direct object, but rather some sort of quantification over events.<br />
(24) a. Dans cette caverne, il a beaucoup trouvé de pièces d’or<br />
In this caverne, he has a lot found of pieces of gold<br />
‘In this caverne, he found a lot of gold pieces’<br />
b. En cherchant par<strong>to</strong>ut, il a beaucoup trouvé de pièces d’or<br />
In searching everywhere, he has a lot found of pieces of gold<br />
‘Searching everywhere, he found a lot of gold pieces’<br />
(Obenauer (1983: 78, his (45))<br />
A second way of testing whether or not a dialect has a multiplicity of events requirement<br />
is <strong>to</strong> construct a QAD sentence with a punctual predicate like venir de ‘<strong>to</strong> just<br />
V’. Obenauer (1983) shows that while canonical quantification sentences with venir<br />
de are fine (25), QAD sentences with this predicate are bad (26).<br />
(25) a. Il vient de boire beaucoup de lait<br />
He came <strong>to</strong> drink a lot of milk<br />
‘He has just drunk a lot of milk’<br />
28