Attributive uses of many

Abstract

In contrast to its determiner-like use, the attributive use of many has received little attention in the literature. The present paper narrows down the gap. First, just like ordinary superlative/positive adjectives and determiner-like many have received a unified account, a unified analysis is developed for reconstructed superlative/positive adjectives and reconstructed attributive many. In addition to the LFs independently motivated for reconstructed superlatives (Bhatt 2002; Hulsey & Sauerland 2006), an exhaustivity operator will be called for (cf. Chierchia, Fox & Spector (2012)), leading to nested foci. Second, the entire palette of readings attested for determiner-like many – cardinal vs. proportional, host-external vs. host-internal – will be shown to obtain for attributive many