Subregular Morpho-Semantics: The Expressive Limits of Monomorphemic Quantifiers

Graf, Thomas

Abstract Even though languages are capable of expressing very complex generalized quantifiers such as all but seven and an even number of, the range of possible meanings for monomorphemic determiners seems to be limited to every, no, some, and numerals. In this talk, I argue that this is not an accident. Borrowing insights from the semantic automata approach, I identify generalized quantifiers with string languages and show that all the monomorphemic quantifiers fall into the class of tier-based strictly local (TSL) languages. TSL has independently been argued to play a central role in phonology, morphology, and syntax. This suggests that the semantic limitations of monomorphemic quantifiers are connected to general computational properties of language.

Files [pdf] [code]

@Misc{Graf17Rutgerstalk,
    author = {Graf, Thomas},
    title = {Subregular Morpho-Semantics: {T}he Expressive Limits of Monomorphemic Quantifiers},
    year = {2017},
    note = {Invited talk, {D}ecember 15, {R}utgers {U}niversity, {N}ew {B}runswick, {NJ}},
}

More Output

Evaluating Subregular Distinctions in the Complexity of Generalized Quantifiers

Sat 22 July 2017 | in Presentations |
| subregular hierarchy | semantics | quantifiers | typology | tiers |

De Santo, Aniello, Thomas Graf, and John E. Drury

Abstract Semantic automata were developed to compare the complexity of generalized quantifiers based on the complexity of the string languages that describe their truth conditions. An important point that has gone unnoticed so far is that …
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Fragments of First-Order Logic for Linguistic Structures

Mon 24 April 2017 | in Presentations |
| phonology | morphology | syntax | semantics | morphosemantics | subregular hierarchy | logic | tiers |

Graf, Thomas

Abstract Logic has always played a central role in the study of natural language meaning. But logic can also be used to describe the structure of words and sentences. Recent research has revealed that these structures are so simple that they can be …
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Adjuncts, Islands, Algebra (with a Sprinkling of Semantics)

Graf, Thomas

Files [pdf] [code]

@Misc{Graf14CUNYtalk,
  author    = {Graf, Thomas},
  title     = {Adjuncts, Islands, Algebra (With a Sprinkling of
          Semantics)},
  year      = {2014},
  note      = {Invited talk, November 4, CUNY Graduate Center, New York,
          NY}
}

Optimality Is Not a Race: Against a Performance-Based View of Reference-Set Computation

Fri 29 April 2011 | in Presentations |
| transderivationality | reference-set computation | constraints | syntax | semantics | transducers |

Graf, Thomas

Abstract Reference-set constraints (RCs; also known as transderivational constraints) differ from standard well-formedness conditions in that for every tree, they compute a set of output candidates called its reference set and pick from said set the optimal candidate(s) according to some economy …
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Syntax, Semantics, Pragmatics: Where Do We Find Optimality?

Graf, Thomas

Files [pdf] [code]

@Misc{Graf10Goettingentalk,
  author    = {Graf, Thomas},
  title     = {Syntax, Semantics, Pragmatics: {W}here do we Find
          Optimality?},
  year      = {2010},
  note      = {Invited talk, December 15, Institut für Anglistik,
          Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany}
}

Optimality Conditions Could Care Less About Optimality

Graf, Thomas

Files [pdf] [code]

@Misc{Graf10ZAStalk,
  author    = {Graf, Thomas},
  title     = {Optimality Conditions Could Care Less About Optimality},
  year      = {2010},
  note      = {Invited talk, December 10, Zentrum für Allgemeine
          Sprachwissenschaft (ZAS), Berlin, Germany}
}

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