Is there a superlative rabbit in the ordinal hat? A study of ordinals vs. degree modifiers in nested definites

Authors

  • Elizabeth Coppock
  • David Beaver
  • Wilder Perkins
  • Emily Richardson

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3765/elm.3.5859

Keywords:

relative readings, nested definite descriptions, ordinals, superlatives

Abstract

This study probes how the semantics of ordinals relates to the semantics of comparatives and superlatives. We examine this question with the help of a picture task in which participants are asked to locate objects described by nested descriptions like the candle on the first/closer/closest table, with an ordinal, comparative or superlative modifier in the inner noun phrase. We show that ordinals systematically lack the ‘relative readings’ observed for unmodified nested descriptions like the rabbit in the hat, in which the inner definite is understood with enriched content, as in the rabbit in the hat with a rabbit in it, in contrast to superlatives. Our explanation for this relies on the idea that an ordinal expects an ordering that can be provided by context.

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Published

2025-01-24

Issue

Section

Articles