September 22, 2000

Time:

4:30pm, September 22, 2000

Place:

3rd floor conference room, Building 10, University of Tokyo (Komaba campus)

Speaker:

Chris Tancredi (University of Tokyo)

Title:

De Se Interpretation and the Many Pronouns Puzzle

Abstract:

In this talk I re-examine the Many Pronouns Puzzle set forth by Fiengo and May (1994) with an eye on de se interpretation. I will show that Fiengo and May's characterization of the data is incorrect, and that one of the sources of error lies in their not having controlled for de se interpretation. I then develop an analysis of de se interpretation and show how it can interact with VP ellipsis to account both for the full range of interpretations found and for the relative ease/difficulty of generating each of the relevant interpretations. The moral of the talk is that binding theory needs to be based on a more thorough understanding of pronominal interpretation than is afforded by standard analyses.