한국영어학회지:영어학 (Korean Journal of English Language and Linguistics)
- 제1권1호
- /
- Pages.81-100
- /
- 2001
- /
- 1598-1398(pISSN)
An Ambiguity View of Specificity
초록
In this paper I review previous analyses of specific indefinites, and propose a new analysis. The main claim is that a specific indefinite presupposes that an agent, a speaker in general, has in mind an individual which satisfies the descriptive content. I provide evidence for the ambiguity view of specificity. First, I show that a specific indefinite triggers a pre- supposition. Second, I show that a specific indefinite is a strong quantifier while a nonspecific is a weak one. Finally, I discuss different behaviors of specific and nonspecific indefinites in anaphora.
키워드