English FCI: Plurality, Universality and Definiteness

Monday, 18 October 2010, Colloquium

Veneeta Dayal, Rutgers University

Abstract

Descriptively speaking, English has the following FCIs: ∀-any, ∃-any, Wh-ever and Some N or other. I present here a new puzzle regarding ∀-any and wh-ever and propose an account for it within an approach that takes them to have distinct quantificational force, ∀ for any and ι for wh-ever.

I present a new puzzle related to FCI any. Subtrigged any can take plural NPs but in modal contexts plurals are awkward at best (1a-b). The contrast remains even with collective predicates (2a-2b) so this is not a pragmatic effect. I focus on ∀-any and its relationship to wh-ever. They align on the possibility of collective interpretations (cf. 2a and 3) but differ in anaphoric possibilities (cf. 4):

  1. a. John talked to any student(s) who were there.
    b. Any student(#s) can attend.

  2. a. Any students remaining can gather in the hall/must work together/should form a circle.
    b. * Any students can gather in the hall/must work together/should form a circle.

  3. Whatever students remain can gather in the hall/must work together/should form a circle.

  4. Mary bought some booksi. Sue read whateveri/*anythingi Mary had bought.

I analyze this puzzle from two perspectives. One perspective takes FCI any to be a universal, like every, but accompanied by a requirement of indeterminacy. The other looks at it from the perspective of approaches where FCI are indefinites that trigger domain alternatives.