@article{Meier_2019, title={Maximality and Minimality in Comparatives}, volume={6}, url={https://ojs.ub.uni-konstanz.de/sub/index.php/sub/article/view/832}, DOI={10.18148/sub/2002.v6i0.832}, abstractNote={<p>In this paper, I investigate more closely the contribution of modal operators to the semantics of comparatives and I show that there is no need for a maximality or minimality operator. Following Kratzer’s (1981, 1991) analysis of modal elements, I assume that the meaning of a modal sentence is dependent on a conversational background <em>and </em>an ordering source. For comparative environments, I demonstrate that the ordering source reduces a set of possible degrees to a single degree that is most (or least) wanted or expected, i.e., maximality and minimality readings of comparative constructions are an effect of the pragmatic meaning of the modal.</p>}, journal={Proceedings of Sinn und Bedeutung}, author={Meier, Cécile}, year={2019}, month={Aug.}, pages={275–288} }