Mats Rooth

A Theory of Focus Interpretation

Page 89

Consider next focusing adverbs. Given the lexical semantics for "only" which was introduced earlier, any use of "only" in auxiliary position introduces a free variable with the type of a set of properties:

(30) a. configuration: [only VP]

(30) b. interpretation: \lambda x [forall P [[P in C & P (x)] -> P = VP']]

Here VP is the phrase where focus is being interpreted, that is alpha in the FIP. If we again use the first clause of the FIP, a variable with the type of a set of properties is introduced. We identify this with the domain of quantification variable introduced by the lexical semantics of "only", which as required is a set of properties. In the representation of the introduction example below, C in the notation "only"(C) is an overt representation of the domain of quantification.

(31)       S

        /     \

     NP         VP
    Mary
             /     \

         only(C)     VP

                  /     \

               VP        ~C

            /  |  \

          V   NPF   PP
  introduced  Bill  to Sue

Since C is a variable, there need not be any independent information about its reference. The effect is that the constraint introduced by focus interpretation may give information about C. In this case, the requirement is that C be a set of properties of the form `introducing y to Sue'. Focus need not be the only source of information about C, though. At a formal level, C remains a free variable, which is viewed as an indication that its value is to be fixed pragmatically.

Back to Thumbnails Classics