Operating over (internal) ‘covert-based’ alternatives with scalar focussensitive particles: Evidence from Modern Hebrew

Abstract

This paper examines a range of readings found with the Hebrew focus sensitive particle bixlal and its accented version BIXLAL observed in Migron 2003, and in a series of works by Greenberg and Khrizman. Following ideas in these works the paper argues that bixlal is a member of the typology of even-like operators in Hebrew, along the unmarked particle afilu, and that the range of readings found with BIXLAL results from the fact that the same even-like operation is done over ‘covert-based’, and in particular degree-based and domain-based, alternatives. This parameter of variation is shown to be relevant for other scalar particles, both even-like and only-like, cross linguistically. The paper is finished by briefly examining another non-standard type of alternatives operated over by some scalar particles, namely speech act alternatives. The general conclusion is that ‘type of alternatives’ is a relevant parameter for scalar focus particles in natural language.