The mirative and scalar meaning of even

The analysis I develop here draws on the concept of mirativity (DeLancey 1987) and on Kay’s (1990) insight into the scalar nature of even. I show that even calls for the reconstruction of an implicit scale, on which the element highlighted by this adverbial marker stands out as the most (or more) su...

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Main Author: Olivier Simonin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Presses Universitaires du Midi 2018-11-01
Series:Anglophonia
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/anglophonia/1775
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author Olivier Simonin
author_facet Olivier Simonin
author_sort Olivier Simonin
collection DOAJ
description The analysis I develop here draws on the concept of mirativity (DeLancey 1987) and on Kay’s (1990) insight into the scalar nature of even. I show that even calls for the reconstruction of an implicit scale, on which the element highlighted by this adverbial marker stands out as the most (or more) surprising in the set considered. This non-referential, non-propositional meaning of even is likely to trigger a series of inferences, whose status is duly discussed, and to strengthen or weaken other derived assumptions, and even to guide their derivation itself.
format Article
id doaj-art-bd9ed831798a4ec0aefd7f469f93e23f
institution Kabale University
issn 1278-3331
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language English
publishDate 2018-11-01
publisher Presses Universitaires du Midi
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spelling doaj-art-bd9ed831798a4ec0aefd7f469f93e23f2025-01-30T12:32:45ZengPresses Universitaires du MidiAnglophonia1278-33312427-04662018-11-012610.4000/anglophonia.1775The mirative and scalar meaning of evenOlivier SimoninThe analysis I develop here draws on the concept of mirativity (DeLancey 1987) and on Kay’s (1990) insight into the scalar nature of even. I show that even calls for the reconstruction of an implicit scale, on which the element highlighted by this adverbial marker stands out as the most (or more) surprising in the set considered. This non-referential, non-propositional meaning of even is likely to trigger a series of inferences, whose status is duly discussed, and to strengthen or weaken other derived assumptions, and even to guide their derivation itself.https://journals.openedition.org/anglophonia/1775mirativityscalarscaleeveninferences
spellingShingle Olivier Simonin
The mirative and scalar meaning of even
Anglophonia
mirativity
scalar
scale
even
inferences
title The mirative and scalar meaning of even
title_full The mirative and scalar meaning of even
title_fullStr The mirative and scalar meaning of even
title_full_unstemmed The mirative and scalar meaning of even
title_short The mirative and scalar meaning of even
title_sort mirative and scalar meaning of even
topic mirativity
scalar
scale
even
inferences
url https://journals.openedition.org/anglophonia/1775
work_keys_str_mv AT oliviersimonin themirativeandscalarmeaningofeven
AT oliviersimonin mirativeandscalarmeaningofeven