Abstract
In this paper, I argue that the aspectual, marginality, and concessive uses of the grading particles still and already can be reduced to the fol lowing three classes of focus sensitive-grading particles: additive particles like too, scalar particles like even, and exclusive particles like only. The meaning differences among the occurrences of still (and already) are mostly reduced to the differences among these three classes of grading particles. In turn, these differences are shown to correlate with what type of object is denoted by the phrase in the scope of the particle. The proposal has repercussions also for the focus-sensitive particle again. I investigate the latter too, and I propose a parallel between the temporal and nominal domains where the contrast between still and again is analyzed along the lines of the contrast between definite and indefinite noun phrases.
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I would like to thank two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and suggestions. I am very grateful to Donka Farkas, Kai von Fintel, Bill Ladusaw, and the SALT 14 reviewers and its audience for discussions and comments. All mistakes and omissions are mine.
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Ippolito, M. On the meaning of some focus-sensitive particles. Nat Lang Semantics 15, 1–34 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11050-007-9004-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11050-007-9004-0