Formal Approaches to Semantic Microvariation: Adverbial ...

de, and rarement, that does, is that one is positive and the other is negative. So it
is difficult to see how simple polarity would have an effect on the quantificational
domain of an adverb. But it might be suggested that negation does make a difference
in transforming a frequency adverb into a degree adverb. In other words, perhaps
jamais and rarement are actually degree adverbs, or are some sort of degree/frequency
hybrids. This would explain why they license de.
In fact, in a later article, Doetjes (2007) provides some tests for establishing whether
or not an adverb is degree or frequency. Since, as Doetjes (2007) notices, degree/frequency
adverbs tend to come in pairs: the frequency adverb souvent’s counterpart in the degree
class is beaucoup; while, rarement’s counterpart in the degree class is peu ‘little’.
Therefore, in which follows, I will compare souvent, rarement and peu, and show that,
in all of Doetjes’ tests, rarement behaves like souvent, and not like peu.
A first difference between frequency adverbs and degree adverbs is that only frequency
adverbs can take scope over an indefinite. For example, as first noticed by
Milner (1978), while frequency adverbs like souvent may appear both in the scope of
a weak noun phrase (71-a) and take scope over it in an impersonal construction (71-b),
degree adverbs like peu may only appear within its scope (72-b).
(71) a. Trois allemands sont souvent venus chez toi l’an dernier
three germans are often come at you the year last
‘Three Germans often visited you last year’
b. Il est souvent venu trois allemands chez toi l’an dernier
There is often came three germans at you the year last
‘There often came three Germans to your place last year’
(72) a. Trois allemands sont peu venus chez toi l’an dernier
three germans are little come at you the year last
‘Three Germans rarely visited you last year’
b. *Il est peu venu trois allemands chez toi l’an dernier
There is little came three germans at you the year last
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