Reference to the dependency in a multiple-wh question

Reference to the dependency in a multiple-wh question
Haoze Li
November 2024

It is known that a multiple-wh question can inquire about a dependency between wh-expressions, termed ‘wh-dependency’, admitting a pair-list answer. In discourse, the dependency can even support a ‘plural’ interpretation of a singular pronoun. Consider Which_u girl bought whichν book and how much did she_u pay for it_ν?. The multiple-wh question is asking about a dependency between girls and books. In the subsequent question, the dependency is referred to and the resolution of the singular pronouns varies among the girls and the books they bought. While van Rooy (1998) and Dotlačil & Roelofsen (2019) have noticed this phenomenon, it is still understudied. Based on their insights, this paper argues that reference to wh-dependencies is facilitated in two types of subordination constructions—quantificational subordination, where reference to wh-dependencies is facilitated through quantificational structure, and question subordination, where reference to wh-dependencies is facilitated through con- joining questions. Building on Hamblin-Karttunen semantics of questions and Dynamic Plural Logic, this paper proposes a dynamic family-of-questions approach to multiple-wh questions. In particular, a multiple-wh question generates a set of sub-questions, i.e., a family of questions, and then the set is transformed into a set of possible pair-list answers. Both encode the relevant wh-dependency in a different manner. As a consequence, the dependency encoded in a family of questions is retrievable in question subordination, while the one encoded in a pair-list answer is retrievable in quantificational subordination.

Format:	[ pdf ]
Reference:	lingbuzz/008611 (please use that when you cite this article)
Published in:	Accepted at Linguistics and Philosophy
keywords:	multilple-wh questions, pair-list reading, dependency, anaphora, dynamic semantics, alternative semantics, semantics, syntax
Downloaded:	297 times

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