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The the... the... construction: Meaning and readings
Journal Contribution - Journal Article
Themeaning and interpretational effects of the the. . . the. . . construction (the comparative
correlative) in English have often been ill-described. This paper examines some plausible-sounding
but unwarranted semantico-pragmatic aspects that have explicitly or implicitly been suggested in the literature: (i) the construction only involves two scales, (ii) the truth of the more. . . the more. . . invariably allows the inference the less. . . the less. . ., (iii) the construction conveys linear proportionality and (iv) it expresses the same kind of simple conditionality as some other types of asyndetic patterns.
This paper argues that the comparative correlative conveys that if two randomly chosen entities differ with respect to one or more parameters, these entities differ correspondingly or inversely with respect to one or more other parameters. This analysis, which this paper is not the first to defend, is compared to an alternative analysis in terms of correlated differentials.
New insights are offered on the relation between the comparative phrase and the clause it introduces in each half of the construction. First, the comparative phrase can sometimes be given a wide-scope, 'exophrastic' reading. Second, the scope of the {less/fewer} (. . .) vis-à-vis a deontic modal is exactly like that of the negator not in canonical sentences.
correlative) in English have often been ill-described. This paper examines some plausible-sounding
but unwarranted semantico-pragmatic aspects that have explicitly or implicitly been suggested in the literature: (i) the construction only involves two scales, (ii) the truth of the more. . . the more. . . invariably allows the inference the less. . . the less. . ., (iii) the construction conveys linear proportionality and (iv) it expresses the same kind of simple conditionality as some other types of asyndetic patterns.
This paper argues that the comparative correlative conveys that if two randomly chosen entities differ with respect to one or more parameters, these entities differ correspondingly or inversely with respect to one or more other parameters. This analysis, which this paper is not the first to defend, is compared to an alternative analysis in terms of correlated differentials.
New insights are offered on the relation between the comparative phrase and the clause it introduces in each half of the construction. First, the comparative phrase can sometimes be given a wide-scope, 'exophrastic' reading. Second, the scope of the {less/fewer} (. . .) vis-à-vis a deontic modal is exactly like that of the negator not in canonical sentences.
Journal: J Pragmat
ISSN: 0378-2166
Issue: 1
Volume: 43
Pages: 99-117
Publication year:2011
Keywords:comparative correlative, scalarity, conditionality, deontic modality, negation, scope