Reciprocity: Anaphora, scope, and quantification

Abstract

We present a relational analysis of reciprocity in the setting of Plural Partial Compositional Discourse Representation Theory, combining ideas from Plural Compositional DRT and Partial Compositional DRT. Our analysis accounts for a wide range of data that are problematic for proposals involving quantification over individuals and for relational analyses relying on cumulative operators on predicates. We also provide an account of apparent “scope” ambiguities and long-distance readings which have been a focus of attention for quantificational analyses, but have not been adequately addressed by previous relational analyses.

Our Partial Plural CDRT analysis also enables us to address other issues in the semantics of reciprocity. First, we provide a simple account of reciprocals with quantificational antecedents, whose analysis has been problematic for previous accounts. Second, it has often been noted that the meaning contribution of the reciprocal varies in strength, with some examples requiring the reciprocal relation to hold between every member of the relevant group, while others allow for a weaker relation. We explore an approach to this problem in our Partial Plural CDRT setting.