Comparing to What is Possible

Abstract

A novel pragmatic account of Heim (2001) and Rullmann (1995) ambiguities in comparatives with possibility modals is proposed and compared to a structural approach. The new analysis builds on a proposal in Fox and Hackl (2006) to treat strong readings of possibility statements with ‘before’ clauses as a result of strengthening their literary meanings by a free choice implicature.