The anchor of a modal superlative and the individual vs stage level reading of the adjective

• Lucia M. Tovena ^[1] ; Damien Fleury ^[1]
  1. [1] Université Denis Diderot

     Université Denis Diderot

     París, Francia

     
• Localización: Isogloss: Open Journal of Romance Linguistics, ISSN-e 2385-4138, Vol. 10, Vol. 7, 2024 (Ejemplar dedicado a: RLLT23, Selected papers from LSRL 53, Paris)
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • This paper is about the semantics of quality modal superlatives in predicative function, e.g. Italian È stata il più calma possibile (‘She was the calmest possible’), with a focus on what is the anchoring of the modal superlative, and how what is being compared is restricted. The limitations of single-anchoring in individuals when analysing modal superlatives, following the strategy generally adopted for ordinary absolute and relative superlatives, are highlighted. The alternative of using a comparison class made of world+individual pairs grouped into equivalence classes defined through the amount of the gradable property (Tovena & Fleury 2023), proves a better solution. New data on the stage-level vs. individual-level reading of the gradable adjective provide evidence supporting this form of anchoring. The stage-level reading, although predominant, is not the manifestation of the invariance of the individual being compared. Some stage-level interpretations favour selecting a plurality of individuals for comparison, with the difference that this plurality is determined across possible worlds, not in the actual world, in contrast to ordinary superlatives.