A Compositional Semantic Analysis of Plurality and Distributivity

Abstract

This paper discusses a recent analysis of distributivity proposed by de Vries (2017), which assumes that quantificational distributivity (D-operator based distributivity) and lexical distributivity should exist together in the semantic system. Specifically, de Vries argues that the interpretive pattern of group noun constructions is explained by a lexical approach assuming that their interpretations can be captured using pseudo-equivalences, with a pragmatic factor implemented in the framework. This paper points out that there are group noun constructions in Korean whose interpretive pattern cannot be easily explained by such a lexical analysis, and suggests an alternative, structural analysis to derive the available interpretations. The proposed analysis assumes that distributivity of the group noun constructions is based on the presence of a D-operator at LF and its interactions with other arguments in the sentence, and shows that it has an advantage over a lexical analysis in that it can adequately capture the puzzling interpretations in a compositional manner.