Speaker: Nadine Bade (University of Konstanz)
Title: Shared Mechanisms Behind Local and Global Implicatures: Evidence from Priming
Time: Friday, May 2nd, 3:30pm - 5pm
Location: 32-141
Abstract: The mechanisms underlying implicature derivation remain a topic of active debate. Competing theoretical accounts make distinct predictions about the role of different types of alternatives in implicature computation. Recent experimental work has begun to address this issue using priming paradigms (Chemla & Bott 2016; Rees & Bott 2018; Waldon & Degen 2021; Marty et al. 2024). In this talk, I present an extension of the existing priming paradigm that includes both matrix and embedded (downward-entailing) contexts, as well as conditions that manipulate the visual salience of alternatives. The findings suggest that both embedding and visual highlighting influence the rate at which implicatures are derived. I will discuss the implications of these results for theories of implicature and alternative-based reasoning.
Issue of Monday, April 28th, 2025
Colloquium 5/2 - Nadine Bade (University of Konstanz)
Syntax Square 4/29 - Noa Bassel (UMass Amherst/MIT)
Speaker: Noa Bassel (UMass Amherst/MIT)
Title: Toward a simpler binding theory
Time: Tuesday, April 29th, 1pm - 2pm
Location: 32-D461
Abstract: Classical Binding Theory has been successful at capturing basic facts about the distribution of DPs. It has also raised some long standing concerns at the empirical and conceptual level. These include high-profile violations of Principles A, B, and C that are nonetheless grammatical, and questions on these principles’ explanatory adequacy. This talk explores whether broader empirical coverage may be achieved by reducing the number of principles.
Specifically, I will show that many known counterexamples to the Binding Theory dissolve when we collapse its principles to a single rule based on default disjointedness. Building on ideas by Heim (1989) and Sauerland (2013), I will propose that covaluation between local DPs requires an identity statement at the level of presupposition (in anaphors) or assertion (in full DPs).
Speaker: Noa Bassel (UMass Amherst/MIT)
Title: Toward a simpler binding theory
Time: Tuesday, April 29th, 1pm - 2pm
Location: 32-D461
Abstract: Classical Binding Theory has been successful at capturing basic facts about the distribution of DPs. It has also raised some long standing concerns at the empirical and conceptual level. These include high-profile violations of Principles A, B, and C that are nonetheless grammatical, and questions on these principles’ explanatory adequacy. This talk explores whether broader empirical coverage may be achieved by reducing the number of principles.
Specifically, I will show that many known counterexamples to the Binding Theory dissolve when we collapse its principles to a single rule based on default disjointedness. Building on ideas by Heim (1989) and Sauerland (2013), I will propose that covaluation between local DPs requires an identity statement at the level of presupposition (in anaphors) or assertion (in full DPs).
LF Reading Group 4/30 - Cooper Roberts (MIT)
Speaker: Cooper Roberts (MIT)
Title: Agreement determines the interpretation of fraction partitives in some languages, but why?
Time: Wednesday, April 30th, 1pm - 2pm
Location: 32-D461
Abstract: This LFRG presents in-progress work on the syntax-semantics of fraction partitives (e.g., one-third of the cakes). In several Indo-European languages (but not American English), FPs are ambiguous between two readings if the complement is plural. On one reading, the FP is understood to denote a subplurality of the plural individual denoted by the complement. On the other, it can refer to any subpart of the plural individual measuring a fraction of that individual along some non-cardinal dimension. I call these readings count and measure, respectively. Apart from the cross-linguistic variation previously mentioned, this ambiguity is particularly interesting as Agreement determines which reading is licensed. If a DP-external element (e.g., a verb) Agrees with the phi-features of the complement, only the count interpretation is available. If that element Agrees with the fraction, only the measure interpretation is available.
While I ultimately will not offer a satisfying treatment for FPs, this talk outlines the relevant data and theory which may yield useful in understanding the alternation. Ideally, this session will mostly be discussion and deliberation. I welcome any thoughts!
Speaker: Cooper Roberts (MIT)
Title: Agreement determines the interpretation of fraction partitives in some languages, but why?
Time: Wednesday, April 30th, 1pm - 2pm
Location: 32-D461
Abstract: This LFRG presents in-progress work on the syntax-semantics of fraction partitives (e.g., one-third of the cakes). In several Indo-European languages (but not American English), FPs are ambiguous between two readings if the complement is plural. On one reading, the FP is understood to denote a subplurality of the plural individual denoted by the complement. On the other, it can refer to any subpart of the plural individual measuring a fraction of that individual along some non-cardinal dimension. I call these readings count and measure, respectively. Apart from the cross-linguistic variation previously mentioned, this ambiguity is particularly interesting as Agreement determines which reading is licensed. If a DP-external element (e.g., a verb) Agrees with the phi-features of the complement, only the count interpretation is available. If that element Agrees with the fraction, only the measure interpretation is available.
While I ultimately will not offer a satisfying treatment for FPs, this talk outlines the relevant data and theory which may yield useful in understanding the alternation. Ideally, this session will mostly be discussion and deliberation. I welcome any thoughts!
Phonology Circle 4/28 - Cynthia Zhong (MIT)
Speaker: Cynthia Zhong (MIT)
Title: Coronal consonant typology in Japanese
Time: Monday, April 28th, 5pm - 6:30pm
Location: 32-D831
Abstract: In Japanese, the voiced coronal consonants /z/ and /d/ used to contrast before high vowels /i/ and /u/, forming a 4-way distinction among /zi, di, zu, du/. A merger that began around the 16th century neutralized these contrasts to different extents in different regions in Japan, and today we could observe 4, 3, 2, and 1-way contrasts across various Japanese dialects. Furthermore, in the same high vowel contexts, there are asymmetries in the number of contrasts available for voiced coronals versus voiceless coronals. One notable example of asymmetry is found in Standard Tokyo Japanese, which maintains a 4-way contrast among voiceless coronals /si, ti, su, tu/ but neutralizes the continuancy contrast between /d/ and /z/, resulting in a 2-way contrast [(d)?i, (d)z?] in voiced coronals. In this talk, I will present generalizations about the typology of Japanese coronal consonants that I gathered from the Japanese linguistics literature, then I will discuss a sketch of an analysis for the realization of coronals in Standard Japanese using the P-map (Steriade, 2008). The hope is that some of the constraints proposed and the general structure of analysis would be extendable to other dialects of Japanese.
Speaker: Cynthia Zhong (MIT)
Title: Coronal consonant typology in Japanese
Time: Monday, April 28th, 5pm - 6:30pm
Location: 32-D831
Abstract: In Japanese, the voiced coronal consonants /z/ and /d/ used to contrast before high vowels /i/ and /u/, forming a 4-way distinction among /zi, di, zu, du/. A merger that began around the 16th century neutralized these contrasts to different extents in different regions in Japan, and today we could observe 4, 3, 2, and 1-way contrasts across various Japanese dialects. Furthermore, in the same high vowel contexts, there are asymmetries in the number of contrasts available for voiced coronals versus voiceless coronals. One notable example of asymmetry is found in Standard Tokyo Japanese, which maintains a 4-way contrast among voiceless coronals /si, ti, su, tu/ but neutralizes the continuancy contrast between /d/ and /z/, resulting in a 2-way contrast [(d)?i, (d)z?] in voiced coronals. In this talk, I will present generalizations about the typology of Japanese coronal consonants that I gathered from the Japanese linguistics literature, then I will discuss a sketch of an analysis for the realization of coronals in Standard Japanese using the P-map (Steriade, 2008). The hope is that some of the constraints proposed and the general structure of analysis would be extendable to other dialects of Japanese.
MIT Linguistics @ WCCFL 43
This year, the West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics (WCCFL 43) took place at University of Washington on April 25-27. MIT was well-represented by the following current and very recently graduated students with their work:
- Yiannis Katochoritis (2nd year), Magdalena Lohninger: Same but Different: Balinese vs. Malagasy Pivots
- Giovanni Roversi (5th year): “Non-local A-movement” is predicted to exist, and it does
- Fulang Chen (PhD 2023)[Gridspace]: The unaccusative-unergative distinction in Mandarin resultative constructions
- Zachary Feldcamp (3rd year), Ido Benbaji-Elhadad (6th year): Structure matters: missing implicatures and their consequence for the theory of alternatives
- Yurika Aonuki (3rd year): ‘Irrealis’ particle ji in Gitksan
- Yiannis Katochoritis (2nd year): An argument for Syntactic Reconstruction: Distributivity as Variable Binding
- Haoming Li (3rd year): Diagnosing modal clause structure with focus-sensitive operators in Mandarin Chinese
- Zhouyi Sun (3rd year), Peter Grishin (Postdoc; PhD 2023): Ordering postsyntactic operations within domains
This year, the West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics (WCCFL 43) took place at University of Washington on April 25-27. MIT was well-represented by the following current and very recently graduated students with their work:
- Yiannis Katochoritis (2nd year), Magdalena Lohninger: Same but Different: Balinese vs. Malagasy Pivots
- Giovanni Roversi (5th year): “Non-local A-movement” is predicted to exist, and it does
- Fulang Chen (PhD 2023)[Gridspace]: The unaccusative-unergative distinction in Mandarin resultative constructions
- Zachary Feldcamp (3rd year), Ido Benbaji-Elhadad (6th year): Structure matters: missing implicatures and their consequence for the theory of alternatives
- Yurika Aonuki (3rd year): ‘Irrealis’ particle ji in Gitksan
- Yiannis Katochoritis (2nd year): An argument for Syntactic Reconstruction: Distributivity as Variable Binding
- Haoming Li (3rd year): Diagnosing modal clause structure with focus-sensitive operators in Mandarin Chinese
- Zhouyi Sun (3rd year), Peter Grishin (Postdoc; PhD 2023): Ordering postsyntactic operations within domains