Fulltext

Licensing Double Negation in NC and non-NC languages

Puskás, Genoveva

In: Natural Language & Linguistic Theory, 2012, vol. 30, no. 2, p. 611-649

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    Title
    • Licensing Double Negation in NC and non-NC languages
    Author
    • Puskás, Genoveva. Département de Linguistique, Faculté des Lettres, University of Geneva, 5, rue de Candolle, 1204, Geneva, Switzerland
    Document Type
    • Postprint
    Language
    • English
    Published in
    • Natural Language & Linguistic Theory, 2012, vol. 30, no. 2, p. 611-649. Springer Netherlands
    Other Version
    Classification
    • Language, Linguistics
    OAI-PMH Identifier
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:316675
    Summary
    The paper proposes a syntactic and semantic analysis of Double Negation (DN). It is shown that there are two types of DN. Strong DN is the result of a Focus construction that involves a polar reading triggered by a Verum Focus; Weak DN, on the other hand, arises when the corresponding n-word is marked as a Contrastive Topic and introduces weak (i.e. non-exclusive) alternatives. The paper discusses the occurrence of these two kinds of DN in two types of languages, which feature different negative strategies. While Hungarian is a strict NC language with non-negative n-words and an obligatory negative marker, English and German are non-NC languages, with negative n-words that can function on their own. It is shown that both strong DN and weak DN occur in each of these languages. However, the mechanisms that license n-words contributing the DN reading are different, due to the differences in the nature of the n-words and in the discourse-functional behavior of the languages in question