Gasparri (2025): Bare Singular Names and Genericity

[Gas25]

Journal of Semantics 42(1–2): 127–135.

Predicativists treat bare singular names (BSNs) like Ruth as predicative DPs: ⟦∅ Ruth⟧ = ⟦the⟧ [λx. x is called Ruth]. If names are count nouns, BSNs should pattern with definite singulars like the tiger for genericity. The rows in Data/Examples/Gasparri2025.json show BSNs CAN get generic readings, but exhibit generic recalcitrance — they are harder to read generically than ordinary definite singulars, and need a licensor (naming-convention context, Q-adverb, locative) to recover.

Main declarations

• genericOf — judgment of a row's generic reading
• generic_recalcitrance — unlicensed BSNs resist generics; unlicensed definite singulars do not
• licensing_enables_generic — naming-convention contexts license BSN generics
• quotation_rescues_kind_level — kind-level predicates reject BSNs but accept quoted names and definite commons

def Gasparri2025.genericOf (row : Data.Examples.LinguisticExample) : Option Features.Judgment

Judgment of the row's generic reading, if recorded.

Equations

• Gasparri2025.genericOf row = Option.map (fun (x : String × Features.Judgment) => x.snd) (List.find? (fun (x : String × Features.Judgment) => x.fst == "generic") row.readings)

theorem Gasparri2025.generic_recalcitrance (row : Data.Examples.LinguisticExample) : row ∈ Examples.all → row.feature? "licensor" = some "none" → (genericOf row = some Features.Judgment.acceptable ↔ row.feature? "subject_type" = some "definite_common")

Generic recalcitrance: without a licensor, no bare singular name has an acceptable generic reading, while every definite common NP does. This is the asymmetry predicativism leaves unexplained: if Ruth is just ⟦the⟧ + a predicate, it should pattern with the tiger.

theorem Gasparri2025.licensing_enables_generic (row : Data.Examples.LinguisticExample) : row ∈ Examples.all → row.feature? "subject_type" = some "bare_name" → row.feature? "licensor" = some "generic_context" → genericOf row = some Features.Judgment.acceptable

Naming-convention contexts license generic readings of BSNs: recalcitrance is not a categorical ban.

theorem Gasparri2025.quotation_rescues_kind_level : genericOf Examples.tristan_extinct = some Features.Judgment.questionable ∧ genericOf Examples.quoted_tristan_extinct = some Features.Judgment.acceptable ∧ genericOf Examples.dodo_extinct = some Features.Judgment.acceptable

Kind-level predicates (extinct) accept definite commons and quoted names but not bare names: quotation rescues the kind-level parallel.