Yusuke Yagi, June 24, 2022

Title: Split Antecedence in Conjunction: Events and Distributivity in Dynamic Semantics

Speaker: Yusuke Yagi

Date: June 24, 2022

Time: 5pm – 7pm

Place(For F2F attendance): 7th floor conference room, South Annex building, Keio University Mita campus

Zoom (For remote attendance):

https://keio-univ.zoom.us/j/82972175560?pwd=YlRuaGt0NUFWWmI1ajhrNm1vQ3ZVZz09

Abstract: This study presents novel data for which current theories of dynamic semantics do not have an account. The data is a variant of split antecedence discussed in the literature. Though a typical example of split antecedence contains a disjunction, this study focuses on examples with conjunction. The use of conjunction renders currently available analyses of examples with disjunction unapplicable. Following Kamp’s intuition, I propose that semantics contains events as a primitive component. Event referents are stored in an assignment function just as individual referents. Event referents make it possible to focus on individual referents stored in an assignment function that are participants of a particular event. This new apparatus lets the theory analyze the examples in question. The proposal can also be seen as a new formalization of analyzing distributivity in dynamic semantics.