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Quarterly (winter, spring, summer, fall)
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ISSN
0024-3892
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1530-9150
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1.71

Linguistic Inquiry

Spring 2003, Vol. 34, No. 2, Pages 173-198
(doi: 10.1162/002438903321663370)
© 2003 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Epistemic Containment
Article PDF (116.29 KB)
Kai von Fintel
Department of Linguistics and Philosophy, MIT, E39-245, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, fintel@mit.edu, http://web.mit.edu/fintel
Sabine Iatridou
Department of Linguistics and Philosophy, MIT, E39-245, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, iatridou@mit.edu
Abstract

This article concerns a new constraint on the interaction of quantifier phrases and epistemic modals. It is argued that QPs cannot bind their traces across an epistemic modal, though it is shown that scoping mechanisms of a different nature are permitted to cross epistemic modals. The nature and source of this constraint are investigated.