Polarity subjunctives in German and Russian

IF 1.9 1区文学 0 LANGUAGE & LINGUISTICS

Language Pub Date : 2023-06-01 DOI:10.1353/lan.2023.a900089

K. Sæbø

引用次数: 1

Abstract

Abstract:Subjunctives are typically used in intensional, or modal, contexts to talk about possible worlds, but they can also be licensed in negative contexts. While prior work has sought to unify these ‘polarity’ subjunctives with ‘intensional’ subjunctives, in this article I build a case that they represent, in German and Russian at least, a distinct use as negative polarity items (NPIs). This usage fills a gap in the typology of NPIs: unlike known items such as any or ever, which are taken to activate alternatives consisting of individuals, eventualities, or times, these items activate alternatives consisting of worlds.

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德语和俄语中的极性虚拟语气

摘要：虚拟语气通常用于内涵或语气语境，用来谈论可能的世界，但它们也可以用于负面语境。虽然先前的工作试图将这些“极性”虚拟语气与“内涵”虚拟语气统一起来，但在本文中，我建立了一个案例，即它们至少在德语和俄语中代表了作为负极性项目（NPI）的独特用途。这种用法填补了NPI类型学中的一个空白：与任何或曾经的已知项目不同，这些项目被用来激活由个人、事件或时间组成的替代品，这些项目激活了由世界组成的替代物。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Language Multiple-

CiteScore

4.20

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Language, the official journal for the Linguistic Society of America, is published quarterly and contains articles, short reports, book reviews and book notices on all aspects of linguistics, focussing on the area of theoretical linguistics. Edited by Greg Carlson, Language serves a readership of over 5,000 and has been the primary literary vehicle for the Society since 1924.