Unconditional-FCIs of Dravidian

Abstract

We explore a particle combination in Dravidian that occurs across unconditionals and free choice items. We first propose a semantics for the unconditional and then posit an unconditional structure for the polarity items of Dravidian that are formed with this particle combination. This not only unifies the paradigm for the unconditionals and free choice items that is called for by the occurrence of the same morphemes in both cases, but also explains the distribution and licensing of these polarity items.