Inverse linking and telescoping as polyadic quantification

Abstract

The paper discusses two constellations in which one quantifier is embedded inside another but where the embedded quantifier seems to outscope its embedder: inverse linking and telescoping. Four phenomena are mentioned that support that idea that the two quantifiers behave neither like the higher nor like the lower quantifier but rather display a unit-like behavior. This motivates a polyadic analysis, which will be expressed in Lexical Resource Semantics. Interesting predictions for so far unnoticed data on negative polarity items follow from this treatment.