2012 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

On the Modality and Quantification in Generic Sentences

Research Project

Project/Area Number	22520500
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Research Field	English linguistics
Research Institution	Yamaguchi University
Principal Investigator	IWABE Kozo 山口大学, 人文学部, 教授 (90176561)
Project Period (FY)	2010 – 2012
Keywords	総称文 / 数量化 / 演繹 / 帰納
Research Abstract	Generic sentences are closely connected with the human capacity of generalization. There are two major frameworks in describing generic sentences. One is Carlson's non-quantificational analysis based on the notion of kind predication. The other is the quantificational analysis, the standard version of which assumes unselective operators as essential part of the theory. Certainly, some of the generic sentences are non-quantificational in nature, and the non-quantificational analysis is necessary anyway, but the variety of generic sentences cannot be subsumed under the non-quantificational analysis. The quantificational approach will be a fruitful framework if it is modified appropriately. Specifically, it must incorporate several selective operators. Different ways of generalization, which are described by generic sentences, include induction and deduction, and need a dual approach.