On 'very'-intensified superlatives

Abstract

Most theories of very treat it as a degree modifier whose distribution is restricted to positive-form APs. Against this view, Goncharov (2024) has argued that very has a much wider distribution, highlighting cases like the very beginning, the very same, and the very man and arguing for a unified analysis. While Goncharov (2024) represents a major step towards understanding very, there is another use of very that, though it has been noted in passing, has not been closely scrutinized: very’s use in superlatives (very best). In this paper, I examine very-intensified superlatives more closely to gain a fuller understanding of very. I start by arguing that very’s use in superlatives should be unified with its other uses; then, I turn to the question of what a unified, degree-based theory of very would have to look like. Ultimately, I pursue a new theory of very built on (a) a new approach to comparison classes; and (b) Fitzgibbons et al.’s (2008) claim that -est, like the positive morpheme pos, invokes a standard-degree.