Polarity sensitivity and evaluation order in type-logical grammar

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new type-logical framework for analyzing polarity sensitivity that incorporates both scopal relations and linear order, enhancing empirical coverage of licensing phenomena.

Contribution

It presents a novel analysis combining programming-language concepts with linguistic theory to better explain polarity item licensing and prohibition.

Findings

Achieves greater empirical coverage than previous models

Integrates delimited continuations and evaluation order into linguistic analysis

Provides a unified framework for polarity sensitivity and evaluation order

Abstract

We present a novel, type-logical analysis of_polarity sensitivity_: how negative polarity items (like "any" and "ever") or positive ones (like "some") are licensed or prohibited. It takes not just scopal relations but also linear order into account, using the programming-language notions of delimited continuations and evaluation order, respectively. It thus achieves greater empirical coverage than previous proposals.