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On some questionable arguments about quantifiers and negation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 April 2026

Ray S. Jackendoff
Ray S. Jackendoff*
Affiliation:
Brandeis University
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Abstract

The theory that quantifiers are verbs of higher sentences in deep structure is examined critically. It is shown that this theory leads to loss of generality on several points, and that the syntactic arguments supporting it are inconclusive. Similar conclusions are reached with respect to the proposed Not-Transportation transformation.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Language , Volume 47 , Issue 2 , June 1971 , pp. 282 - 297
Copyright
Copyright © 1971 Linguistic Society of America

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Footnotes

*

This is a revised version of my paper ‘On some incorrect notions about quantifiers and negation’, in S. R. Anderson, R. S. Jackendoff, and S. J. Keyser, Studies in transformational grammar and related topics, AFCRL-68-0032, Brandeis University Department of English, 1968. I wish to thank Joseph Emonds and Peter Culicover for valuable discussion that led to the discovery of many of the points raised here.

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