Distributivity over pairs of events and entities

Abstract

This paper aims to offer a formal semantic account of distributivity as introduced by prepositions per in Italian and de in Romanian. These prepositions occur in the configuration [Card N1 Prep N2] (where Card conveys cardinality and N2 is obligatorily a sortal noun), and are specialised in introducing a type of distributive configuration called ratio hereafter. It is shown that the per/de configuration shares properties with phenomena analysed in two separate lines of investigation in the literature, one concerned mainly with nominal distributivity, and the other with relations between events. Like nominal distributive markers, per/de signals an obligatorily distributive interpretation of the DP it is a part of. Like ‘every time’ sentences, the per/de construction involves a distributive relation between key events and share events. It is proposed that per/de introduces distributivity by the selection and matching of a share nominal and an overt or covert key event. Distributivity is formalised via a matching function that resorts to a (possibly overt) universal quantifiers over event-entity pairs.