Selected Papers

• An analogy between a connected exceptive phrase and polarity items

  In Beyond any and ever.

• Comments on Negative Polarity Items in Definite Descriptions

  With I-Ta Chris Hsieh. In Art and Craft of Semantics.

• Another Look at NPIs in Definite Descriptions: An Experimental Approach

  In Negation and Polarity: Experimental Perspectives.

• Polarity-sensitive Intensifier Mouth Gestures in Japanese Sign Language

  With Kazumi Matsuoka. Journal of Japanese Linguistics.

• One grammar or two? Sign Languages and the Nature of Human Language

  With Diane Lillo-Martin. WIREs Cognitive Science.

   

  Superlatives, Most and NPIs (pdf)

  Argues that, despite appearance, NPIs in the restrictor of English determiner most are licensed by Downward Entailingness. The account makes crucial use of Hackl’s (2009) superlative analysis of most. I argue that both the standard analysis of superlatives and Hackl’s account need to be revised for independent reasons. Once the revisions are carried out, we see that NPIs in the restrictor of most are in a DE environment. Journal of Semantics.

• In Defense of the Grammatical Approach to Local Implicatures

  With Yael Sharvit. Natural Language Semantics.

• A Note on Licensing Strong NPIs (pdf)

  Develops the idea that both strong and weak NPIs are sensitive to the Downward Entailingness of their licensers. This contradicts the position of Zwarts (1998) that strong NPIs are sensitive to Anti-Additivity. The difference between weak and strong NPIs is argued to be whether or not the assessment of DE-ness takes into account non-truth-conditional meaning. Natural Language Semantics.

• Innocent Exclusion is not Contradiction Free (pdf)

  Argues that the notion of Innocent Exclusion, introduced by Fox (2007) to define the exhaustive operator EXH, is not contradiction free as claimed in Fox (2009). This is demonstrated by showing that application of an Innocent Exclusion EXH to the cases in Fox & Hackl (2006) leads to a contradiction. Manuscript.

• Semantic Correlates of the NP/DP Parameter (pdf)

  (with Zeljko Boskovic) Based on generalizations made in Boskovic (2008). Offers explanations for semantic phenomena that correlate with the presence/absence of articles crosslinguistically. Topics include the interpretation of MOST and neg-raising. To appear in Proceedings of NELS 39.

• Plural Superlatives and Distributivity (pdf; pre-final version!)

  (With Natasha Fitzgibbons and Yael Sharvit) Solves a problem in the semantics of plural superlatives first noted by Stateva (2005). Makes crucial use of the notion of a plural degree and cumulation of such degrees with plural individual arguments. To appear inProceedings of SALT XVIII

• More on Quantifiers in Comparative Clauses (pdf; pre-final version!)

  Builds on recent work (Schwarzschild and Wilkinson 2002, Schwarzschild 2004, Heim 2006) on the interpretation of quantifiers in comparative clauses. Focus is DP quantifiers; goal is to give a unified account of ban on DE quantifiers in comparatives and correct truth conditions for non-monotone quantifiers. To appear in Proceedings of SALT XVIII

• Neg-Raising and Polarity (pdf; pre-final version!)

  A development of Excluded Middle account of Neg-Raising Predicates. Semantics of NRPs related to Abusch’s (2005) soft presupposition triggers. Positive consequences for NPI licensing are demonstrated. Linguistics and Philosophy 30.3: 289-328
  DOI: 10.1007/s10988-007-9020-z

• NPI “any” and Connected Exceptive Phrases (pdf; pre-final version!)

  Building on von Fintel’s (1993) semantics for exceptives, gives an account of the compatibility of NPI “any” with exceptives. Convergent evidence for the account comes from an explanation of the NPI-licensing properties of quantifiers modified by exceptives.Natural Language Semantics
  DOI: 10.1007/s11050-007-9025-8

• On the Semantics of Hindi-Urdu Multiple Correlatives (pdf; pre-final version!)

  I propose to derive certain stipulations in Dayal’s (1996) account of the semantics of multiple correlatives from the properties of independently needed operators and type-shifting principles.Linguistic Inquiry 39.2:327-334

• Licensing Strong NPIs (pdf)

  From the Proceedings of Penn Linguistics Colloquium 31

• L-Analyticity and Natural Language (pdf)

  A formal method is developed for separating harmless trivial sentences from sentences ungrammatical in virtue of their triviality. A subset of trivial sentences is identified: the L-analytic sentences. (Ms. 2002)

Selected Handouts

• L-Triviality and Grammar (pdf)

  A more recent take on the ideas explored in Gajewski (Ms., 2002) available above. In addition to there-sentences and exceptives, L-triviality is applied to the case of negative islands in comparative clauses (see Gajewski to appear, above). The Appendix includes an extension of the L-triviality to cases of boolean complex quantifiers. Presented in the UConn Logic Group on February 27, 2009.

• Semantic Correlates of the NP/DP Parameter (pdf)

  (with Zeljko Boskovic) Based on generalizations made in Boskovic (2008). Offers explanations for semantic phenomena that correlate with the presence/absence of articles crosslinguistically. Topics include the interpretation of MOST and neg-raising. (NELS 39)

• More on Quantifiers in Comparative Clauses (pdf) (slides)

  Handout from the SALT talk that gave rise to paper above. Special feature is the set of expository slides that accompany the handout. For every example marked with a dark circle there is a slide illustrating a related concept. (SALT 18)

• On the Excluded Middle (pdf)

  A listing of constructions that have been argued to carry an Excluded Middle presupposition (EMP). Listing of arguments that same construction invovle plural reference. Derives EMP as a byproduct of repairing type-mismatch of plural sum argument and atom-taking predicate. (NELS 36)

• Licensing Strong NPIs (pdf)

  (Handout of talk given at NYU February, 2007)

Thesis

• Neg-Raising: Presupposition and Polarity

  PhD dissertation (2005), Massschusetts Institute of Technology. Much of the content is superceded by above papers.