Formal Approaches to Semantic Microvariation: Adverbial ...

(53) *J’ai lu de livres
I have read of books
The correct empirical generalization seems to be that de phrases in argument position
are licensed only by two classes of elements: negative quantifiers like pas, personne,
jamais, aucun, guère, rarement 3 and degree quantifiers like beaucoup, assez, tellement
etc. and combien. Given that the distribution of de phrases in argument position is so
restricted, analyses of these structures are obliged to propose some link, be it syntactic
or semantic, between the quantifier and the de phrase. However, in the incorporation
analysis, the formation of a complex predicate and the subsequent binding of the event
variable are treated as two independent processes. This leaves the distribution of de
phrases in argument position unaccounted for.
Secondly, I argue that the incorporation analysis makes wrong predictions for the
interpretations that may be assigned to QAD sentences. The interpretation for J’ai
beaucoup lu de livres given in (51) requires only that there be at least one participant
in every event. QAD sentences constructed in this way are predicted to be true if the
object is the same in every event. However, QAD sentences are subject to an additional
requirement:
(54) Multiplicity of Objects Requirement:
QAD sentences are only true in contexts involving multiple objects
(52) La regle establie dans cette Remarque doit estre observée à la rigueur. Il n’y a que les Gascons
& ceux de quelques Provinces voisines qui ne peuvent s’accoustumer à s’y soumettre"
(Académie française (1705), t.2 : 558) .
The rule established in this Remark must be rigourously observed. Only the Gascons and those
people from some neighbouring provinces that cannot become accustomed to submit to it.
I therefore assume that the presence of de before prenominal mono-syllabic adjectives is an artificial
stylistic device that does not have much relation to the basic principles that underly the general licensing
of de in the language.
3 The formal characterization of this class will be given in chapter 4.
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