First published in 1997, this book addresses the question: What is the interpretation of Englishthere-existential construction? One of the principal goals is to develop an interpretation for the construction that will specifically address other properties of the postcopular DP. After outlining the problem, the author goes on to present a syntactic motivation for the claim that the postcopular DP is the sole complement to the existential predicate, as well as for the claim that the optional final phrase is a predictive adjunct. In chapter 3 the interpretation for the basic existential construction is developed and then compared to analyses that take the postcopular DP to denote an ordinary individual or a generalised quantifier of individuals. This analysis is then augmented to account for the contribution of the final XP and shows how the predicate restriction can be derived from a more general condition on depictive/circumstantial VP-adjuncts. The final chapter contain some speculative discussion of the broader implications of the proposal in the context of data such as "list" existential and "presentational-there"sentences.
1 The Problem; 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Facts of be Accounted For 1.2.1 The
Definiteness Effect 1.2.2 The Predicate Restriction 1.3 Previous Analyses
1.3.1 There-Insertion and Its Descendants 1.3.2 Previous Characterizations of
the DE 1.3.3 The Predicate Restriction 1.4 Outline of Remaining
Chapters; 2
Existential Syntax; 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Identifying VP-Adjuncts 2.2.1
Description 2.2.2 A Proposal for Depictive Adjuncts 2.3 Why a DP-External XP
Must Be Posited 2.3.1 Arguments for Independence 2.3.2 Williams
Counterarguments 2.4 Supporting the Adjunct Analysis 2.4.1 Stowells Small
clause Diagnostics 2.4.2 Extraction 2.5
Chapter Summary; 3 The Existential,
Descriptions, and Instantiation; 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Data to Be Accounted
For 3.2.1 Quantificational DPs 3.2.2 Scope 3.2.3 Contact Clauses 3.2.4
Relative Clauses 3.3 Property Theory 3.3.1 The Syntax of PT 3.3.2 The
Interpretation of PT 3.4 Interpreting the Existential 3.4.1 A Dynamic PT
Fragment of English 3.4.2 Interpreting Existential Sentences 3.5 Definites
and the Other Half of the DE 3.5.1 Augmenting the Fragment 3.5.2 A Felicity
Condition on Existentials 3.5.3 Summary 3.6 Advantages of the Analysis 3.6.1
Acceptability of Quantified Kind DPs 3.6.2 Quantification and Scope 3.6.3
Contact Clauses 3.6.4 Relativization 3.6.5 Summary; 4 Adjunct Predicates and
the Predicate Restriction; 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Interpreting Depictive
Adjuncts 4.2.1 The Adjunct Rule 4.2.2 Individual/Stage Sensitivity 4.3
Extending the Analysis 4.3.1 Nominalized Functions as Controllers 4.3.2 The
Predicate Restriction Revisited 4.4 Eventive Existentials 4.4.1 The Problem
4.4.2 Eventive Participles 4.4.3 Why These Existentials Are Not Passives
4.4.4 A Proposal 4.5
Chapter Summary; 5 Some Final Remarks; 5.1 Introduction
5.2 Definites in the Existential 5.2.1 List Existentials 5.2.2 Focus and
Existential 5.3 Other Expectations 5.3.1 Other Expletive There Sentences
5.3.2 The Existential and Other Indexicals; References; Index
Louise McNally
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