Negative polarity and free choice: where do they come from?
This paper argues, in an attempt at a unitary account of
negative polarity and free choice phenomena, that the
notion of arbitrary choice from among the exhaustive
alternative members of the restrictor set is crucial. This
arbitrary choice function is ensured by
indefiniteness/non-specificity of the restrictor common
noun involved and the concept of concession or
betting/challenge. If the exhaustiveness of the set is
emphasized in non-veridical contexts, then the item
functions as a free choice strong Det(erminer), and if the
item appears in negative or implicitly negative
(downward-entailing) contexts, then it functions as a
negative polarity weak Det.
Chungmin Lee