The grammar of French quantification (review)

In The grammar of French quantification, Lena Baunaz analyzes the syntax-semantics interface of French indefinites, wh-expressions, universal quantifiers, and n-words in the framework of minimalist grammar. She is particularly interested in the syntax of noncanonical quantification, where the quantifier is not adjacent to its restriction. Two constructions are particularly relevant in French: split DPs, where the quantifier is higher than its restriction (Ch. 2), and floating quantifiers, where the quantifier is in an adjoined position below the restriction (Ch. 3). B explores the semantics of specificity and partitivity as two instances of existential presupposition. Specific noun phrases refer to familiar discourse referents (Starke 2001), while partitivity involves reference to a subset of a previously mentioned group (Enç 1991). Experimental data support the claim that specificity and partitivity correlate with prosody in the case of indefinite un N ‘an N’ and wh-expressions (Ch. 2). In contrast, they are lexically distinguished in the case of universal quantifiers (partitive tous les N ‘all the N’ versus specific chacun des N ‘each of the N’) (Ch. 3) and n-words (partitive personne ‘nobody’ and specific aucun des N ‘none of the N’) (Ch. 4). Specificity and partitivity interpreted as syntactic features are subject to locality constraints, analyzed in the theory of relativized minimality developed by Rizzi (1990) and fine-tuned by Starke (2001). B shows that specific quantifiers are absolute barriers for extraction and must take wide scope (Ch. 5). Of course, French nominal phrases have been extensively investigated in the past, but B brings a range of known and unknown data from syntax, semantics, and prosody together and emphasizes the need for an integrated analysis in a formal linguistic theory. The book presupposes fairly advanced knowledge of minimalist syntax and clearly aims at a specialized audience.

The book consists of six chapters, including the introduction and conclusion. The introduction in Ch. 1 is highly technical and did not make much sense to me until after I read the rest of the book. In retrospect it offers a concise summary of the main theoretical results.

Ch. 2 is entitled ‘Split DPs’. Splitting occurs overtly in French with the wh-expression combien ‘how much’ in 1.

1. 1. Combien  as-tu peint    de chaises           (2, ex. 3b)

   how.many have-you painted of chairs

       ‘How many chairs did you paint?’

Ch. 2, however, is mostly concerned with indefinites like un N ‘an N’ and wh-expressions like qui/quoi ‘who/what’ and quel ‘which’, the analysis of which is claimed to involve covert splitting. Un N allows nonpresuppositional, partitive, and specific readings, which are shown to be prosodically distinct. Most of the observations here are familiar from Ihsane’s (2008) work, but the results from the prosodic experiments are very convincing. B offers a detailed discussion of subtle grammaticality judgments concerning wh-in-situ in nonstandard colloquial French. This variety allows wh-in-situ not just in root sentences (2a), but also in embedded contexts (2b) or under negation (2c).

1. 2.

   1. a. Q: T’as  mangé quoi?          (52, ex. 91)

      you.have eaten  what

      A: nothing/an apple

   2. b. Tu crois  que Jean a  acheté  quel  livre?          (43, ex. 75a)

      you believe that Jean has bought which book

   3. c. Il  n’a  pas rencontré qui?          (44, ex. 77)

      he neg.has not met  who

The interpretation of wh-in-situ is controversial, but B shows that nonpresuppositional as well as presuppositional (specific, partitive) readings are available. Experimental evidence confirms that the different interpretations correlate with prosody. Nonstandard colloquial (NSC) French might be a version of Swiss French, as the informants mostly come from the Geneva area, but it could also be more broadly dependent on intonation and discourse context. These data are important for linguistic theory, because they indicate a new type in the typology of wh-expressions: French wh-constituents may either be moved, or be left in situ.

Ch. 3, ‘Floating quantification: French universal quantifiers’, addresses the syntax and semantics...