8 December 2014, XLSX seminar, Anna Szabolcsi (NYU)

Abstract: In Japanese, the particle ka occurs (at least) in disjunctions, indefinites, wh-questions, and polar questions; Malayalam oo and Sinhala de/hari have a similarly wide distribution (Jayaseelan 2001, 2008, 2011; Shimoyama 2006; Slade 2011; a.o.). In many other languages, the distribution of what I generically dub “KA particles” is narrower (Bhat 2000; Cable 2010; Haspelmath 1997; Szabolcsi, Whang & Zu 2014; Winter 1995; a.o.). This talk will ask what unifies the signature contexts of KA, and why the particle is not always present in such contexts.

For more information, please contact m.d.aloni at uva.nl