Negating Gradable Adjectives
Chris Collins
May 2023
 

In this paper, I give an analysis of the syntax and semantics of the prefix un- with gradable adjectives like unhappy, unfriendly, unsafe, uninteresting, and compare it to the syntax and semantics of not. Within the framework of Collins and Postal 2014, I propose that un- and not have the same semantics but negate different constituents, accounting for differences in interpretation.
Format: [ pdf ]
Reference: lingbuzz/003655
(please use that when you cite this article)
Published in: none
keywords: gradable adjectives, negation, degree quantification, quantifier domain restriction, litotes, klima tests
previous versions: v3 [March 2023]
v2 [June 2018]
v1 [September 2017]
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