Functional Dependencies and Indirect Binding

Abstract

The functional analysis of wh-expressions (Engdahl (1986), Groenendijk & Stokhof (1984), Chierchia (1991, 1993)) provides a basis for explaining cases of Indirect Binding, where a quantified expression inside a relative clause triggers a bound interpretation of a variable which is outside its s-structure scope. I show that in these cases the variable is not bound by the quantified expression itself, and argue that Indirect Binding in copular vs. non-copular sentences mirrors the distinction between functional vs. pair-list questions.