Unbinding equatives

Abstract

While traditional degree semantics posits that comparison constructions operate on scalar dimensions, property equatives–which compare individuals with respect to categorical properties–present a theoretical challenge to this view. I demonstrate that property equatives, despite lacking inherent scalar structure, exhibit parallel structural constraints with degree equatives, suggesting a unified semantic operation underlying both constructions. Based on novel data evidence, I propose a QUD-based semantics for equatives that accounts for both scalar and non-scalar interpretations. This analysis suggests that the scalar interpretation of degree equatives emerges from the interaction between question-based similarity assessment and the ordered nature of gradable predicates, rather than from inherent scalar semantics in the comparison operation itself.