The anchor of a modal superlative and the individual vs stage level reading of the adjective
This paper is about the semantics of quality modal superlatives in predicative function, e.g. Italian È stata il più calma possibile (‘She was the calmest possible’), with a focus on what is the anchoring of the modal superlative, and how what is being compared is restricted. The limitations of sin...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Isogloss |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://revistes.uab.cat/isogloss/article/view/424 |
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| Summary: | This paper is about the semantics of quality modal superlatives in predicative function, e.g. Italian È stata il più calma possibile (‘She was the calmest possible’), with a focus on what is the anchoring of the modal superlative, and how what is being compared is restricted. The limitations of single-anchoring in individuals when analysing modal superlatives, following the strategy generally adopted for ordinary absolute and relative superlatives, are highlighted. The alternative of using a comparison class made of world+individual pairs grouped into equivalence classes defined through the amount of the gradable property (Tovena & Fleury 2023), proves a better solution. New data on the stage-level vs. individual-level reading of the gradable adjective provide evidence supporting this form of anchoring. The stage-level reading, although predominant, is not the manifestation of the invariance of the individual being compared. Some stage-level interpretations favour selecting a plurality of individuals for comparison, with the difference that this plurality is determined across possible worlds, not in the actual world, in contrast to ordinary superlatives.
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| ISSN: | 2385-4138 |