Predicate Logic with Barriers and its Locality Effects

Abstract

This paper presents a system of interpretation for a language of first order predicate logic with barriers (PLB), which builds on Dekker’s (2002) Predicate Logic with Anaphora (PLA). The novel ingredient of the system is a barrier operator. This moves value information from the assignment function to the discourse context, with the result of producing locality effects. These are shown to match up with a range of locality effects found in natural language, including binding (condition A, B and C) effects, constraints on different types of movement (A-bar and A), and strong crossover violations.