Abstract
We suggest a new semantic interpretation of interrogative NPs, based on a novel algebraic theory of the semantics of questions. We discuss the role of interrogative NPs in compositionally deriving the semantics of wh-questions, examine the coordination of interrogative NPs, and apply notions from generalized quantifier theory to their interpretation.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arieli, O. and A. Avron. Reasoning with Logical Bilattices. Journal of Logic, Language and Information, 5(1): 25–63, 1996.
Arieli, O. and A. Avron. The Value of the Four Values. Artificial Intelligence, 102(1): 97–141, 1998.
Barwise, J. and R. Cooper. Generalized Quantifiers and Natural Language. Linguistics and Philosophy, 4: 159–219, 1981.
Belnap, N.D. A Useful Four-Valued Logic. In J.M. Dunn and G. Epstein, editors, Modern Uses of Multiple-Valued Logic. Reidel, Dordrecht, 8–37, 1977.
Chierchia, G. Questions with Quantifiers. Natural Language Semantics, 1(2): 181–234, 1993.
Fauconnier, G. Polarity and the Scale Principle. In Papers from the Eleventh Regional Meeting of the Chicago Linguistic Society, 1975.
Fitting, M. Bilattices and the Semantics of Logic Programming. The Journal of Logic Programming, 11: 91–116, 1991.
Gamut, L.T.F. Logic, Language, and Meaning, Vol. 2: Intensional Logic and Logical Grammar, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1991.
Ginsberg, M.L. Multi-Valued Logics: a Uniform Approach to Inference in Artificial Intelligence. Computational Intelligence, 4(3): 265–316, 1988.
Ginsberg, M.L. Bilattices and Modal Operators. Journal of Logic and Computation, 1(1): 41–69, 1990.
Ginzburg, J. Resolving Questions I & II. Linguistics and Philosophy, 18: 459–527, 567–609, 1995.
Ginzburg, J. and I. Sag. English Interrogative Constructions, CSLI, Stanford, Ca, to appear.
Groenendijk, J. and M. Stokhof. Semantic Analysis of Wh-Complements. Linguistics and Philosophy, 5: 175–233, 1982.
Groenendijk, J. and M. Stokhof. The Semantics of Questions and the Pragmatics of Answers. Ph.D. thesis, University of Amsterdam, 1984.
Groenendijk, J. and M. Stokhof. Type-shifting Rules and the Semantics of Interrogatives. In G. Chierchia, B.H. Partee, and R. Turner, editors, Properties, Types and Meaning, Vol. 2: Semantic Issues. Kluwer, Dordrecht, 21–68, 1989.
Groenendijk, J. and M. Stokhof. Questions. In J. van Benthem and A. ter Meulen, editors, Handbook of Logic and Language. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1055–1124, 1997.
Gutiérrez-Rexach, J. Semantic Properties of Interrogative Generalized Quantifiers. In Proceedings of the Tenth Amsterdam Colloquium, 1996.
Gutiérrez-Rexach, J. Questions and Generalized Quantifiers. In A. Szabolcsi, editor, Ways of Scope Taking, Kluwer, Dordrecht, 409–452, 1997.
Higginbotham, J. The Semantics of Questions. In S. Lappin, editor, The Handbook of Contemporary Semantic Theory, Blackwell, Oxford, 1996.
Karttunen, L. Syntax and Semantics of Questions. Linguistics and Philosophy, 1: 3–44, 1977.
Karttunen, L. and S. Peters. Interrogative Quantifiers. In C. Rohrer, editor, Time, Tense and Quantifiers, Proceedings of the Stuttgart Conference on the Logic of Tense and Quantification. Tuebingen, 181–205, 1980.
Keenan, E. A Semantic Definition of ‘Indefinite NP’. In E.G. Reuland and A. ter Meulen, editors, The Representation of (In)definiteness, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass. 1987.
Keenan, E. The Semantics of Determiners. In S. Lappin, editor, The Handbook of Contemporary Semantic Theory. Blackwell, Oxford, 1996.
Keenan, E. and L. Faltz. Boolean Semantics for Natural Language. Reidel, Dordrecht: 1985.
Ladusaw, W. Logical Form and Conditions on Grammaticality. Linguistics and Philosophy, 6: 389–422, 1983.
Montague, R. The Proper Treatment of Quantification in Ordinary English. In J. Hintikka, J. Moravcsik and P. Suppes, editors, Approaches to Natural Languages, Proceedings of the 1970 Stanford Workshop on Grammar and Semantics. Reidel, Dordrecht, 1973. Reprinted in R. Thomason, editor (1974), Formal Philosophy: Selected Papers of Richard Montague, Yale University Press, New Haven, CT.
Muskens, R.A. Going Partial in Montague Grammar. In R. Bartsch, J.F.A.K. van Benthem and P. van Emde Boas, editors, Semantics and Contextual Expression, Foris, Dordrecht, 1989.
Nelken, R. and N. Francez. Bilattices and the Semantics of Natural Language Questions. To appear in Linguistics and Philosophy.
Partee, B. and M. Rooth. Generalized Conjunction and Type Ambiguity. In R. Bauerle, C. Schwarze and A. von Stechow, editors, Meaning, Use and Interpretation of Language, De Gruyter, Berlin, 1983.
Schoeter, A. Evidential Bilattice Logic and Lexical Inference. Journal of Logic, Language and Information, 5(1): 65–105, 1996.
Szabolcsi, A. Quantifiers in Pair-List Readings. In A. Szabolcsi, editor, Ways of Scope Taking, Kluwer, Dordrecht, 311–347, 1997.
Van Benthem, J., editor, A Manual of Intensional Logic, second edition, revised and expanded. CSLI, Stanford, CA, 1988.
Van Eijck, J. Quantifiers and Partiality. In J. Van der Does and J. Van Eijck, editors, Quantifiers, Logic and Language. CSLI, Stanford, CA, 105–144, 1996.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nelken, R., Francez, N. The Algebraic Semantics of Interrogative NPs. Grammars 3, 259–273 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009965410477
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009965410477