Comparisons of Equality With Germanso…wie, and the Relationship Between Degrees and Properties

Abstract

We present a compositionally transparent, unified semantic analysis of two kinds of so…wie-equative constructions in German, namely degree equatives and property equatives in the domain of individuals or events. Unlike in English and many other European languages (Haspelmath & Buchholz 1998, Rett 2013), both equative types in German feature the parameter marker so, suggesting a unified analysis. We show that the parallel formal expression of German degree and property equatives is accompanied by a parallel syntactic distribution (in predicative, attributive, and adverbial position), and by identical semantic properties: Both equative types allow for scope ambiguities, show negative island effects out of context, and license the negative polarity item überhaupt ‘at all’ in the complement clause. As the same properties are also shared by German comparatives, we adopt the influential quantificational analysis of comparatives in von Stechow (1984ab), Heim (1985, 2001, 2007), and Beck (2011), and treat both German equative types in a uniform manner as expressing universal quantification over sets of degrees or over sets of properties (of individuals or events). Conceptually, the uniform marking of degree-related and property-related meanings is expected given that the abstract semantic category degree (type $d$) can be reconstructed in terms of equivalence classes, i.e., ontologically simpler sets of individuals (type $\langle e,t\rangle $) or events (type $\langle v,t\rangle $). These are found in any language, showing that whether or not a language makes explicit reference to degrees (by means of gradable adjectives, degree question words, degree-only equatives) does not follow on general conceptual or semantic grounds, but is determined by the grammar of that language.

On Old English <em>swa</em> 'so'

“…I take these examples to involve properties of events, type <v,t> (see e.g. Meier 2000;Umbach & Gust 2014;Hohaus & Zimmermann 2021). A first approximation of their semantic contribution is given in (10) for example (9).…”

“…To round off the discussion, we take a brief look at property equatives. Hohaus & Zimmermann (2021) extend a degree equative analysis to property equatives. I follow them here, but by way of extending the Penka-style analysis above (see also Penka 2021).…”

“…Here, as well, I want to concentrate on the compositional aspects of the analysis rather than peculiarities of properties (of events or individuals). See Hohaus & Zimmermann (2021), Penka (2021 and Umbach & Gust (2014; for discussion. The structure to be interpreted is (62') (parallel to (55), following the arguments presented above).…”

The semantics of scalar equatives in Mandarin Chinese

“…Furthermore, the analysis also lends strong support for the well-felt intuition that the connection between degrees and properties runs deep and fundamental (cf. Cresswell 1976;Anderson & Morzyki 2015;Scontras 2017;Hohaus & Zimmermann 2021).…”

“…proposes a non-uniform analysis, arguing that equatives differ from other equation constructions in that they contain a lexicalized degree argument while the other constructions equate a non-lexicalized argument. But seeHohaus & Zimmermann (2021) for a unified account of equatives and similatives in German.The semantics of scalar equatives in Mandarin Chinese…”