LINGUIST 2PS3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Adpositional Phrase, Psycholinguistics, Preposition And Postposition
22 Apr 2016
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Having two apples changes how people parse the preposition phrase. Semantics of the word the presupposes that there is a single apple that"s referenced or salient. The" suggests only one, but when say on the towel there is the one apple on the towel and it distinguishes which apple between the two. Once there is a second apple there is a contrast set in referential context = need more information to refer to which apple. An object has affordances, what you can do with something. Egg in shell does not have that affordance. Pour the egg in the bowl over the flour. Two scenarios: two eggs with no shells (a) This one has the contrast set therefore need preposition and more information. Because both compatible and could be the referent: two eggs one has a shell (b) Put the whistle on the folder into the box. Some given a hook to lift whistle some not but same sentence.
