Outer Negation of Universal Quantifier Phrases

This is a new article on negated quantifier phrases.

https://ling.auf.net/lingbuzz/003642?_s=A6s8qGap_LzKi5b6&_k=XGvqD5SPLeL5LWbF

This paper discusses two ways of negating DP quantifier phrases. In one way, NEG modifies the quantifier D directly with the structure [[NEG D] NP] (inner negation). In the other way, NEG modifies the whole DP with the structure [NEG DP] (outer negation). I give evidence based on negative polarity items that negated universal quantifier phrases like not every student involve outer negation.

This paper continues a series of papers on the syntax and semantics of negated quantifier phrases, such as [not everybody] and [not many people]. Consider examples such as (1):

(1)  Not every student was there.

The question is whether the structure is (2a) or (2b):

(2) a. [not [every student]] was there.

      b. [[not every] student] was there.

I give evidence in this paper, based on the distribution of NPIs for the structure in (2a).

The results fit in with the results of a series of papers I have written recently in the wake of Collins and Postal 2014, which introduced a number of syntactic and semantic assumptions about negation.