Douglas Wharram Presentation

… predicated on Johns (2007)?

Douglas Wharram, Memorial University

Branigan & Wharram (under review) attempts to reduce low scope interpretations (obligatory, or otherwise) of indefinites in a range of constructions in Inuktitut – incorporated objects, objects of antipassivised verbs, and objects of prepositions – to a general operation of phase-level D-deletion. The proposal is predicated on the assumption that Ns in Inuktitut are universally property-denoting, contra the argument that Inuktitut Ns are inherently referential (Johns (2007,2009), Compton (2004)). This talk will (a) justify this assumption, via consideration of a number of facts regarding Inuktitut indefinites, but – alas! – (b) will also point to a disadvantage attached this assumption.