@cite{fillmore-kay-oconnor-1988}: Let Alone #
Formalization of "Regularity and Idiomaticity in Grammatical Constructions: The Case of Let Alone" (Language 64(3):501–538).
This foundational Construction Grammar paper argues that let alone is a formal idiom: a productive syntactic pattern with non-compositional semantics and specific pragmatic constraints. The key contributions:
- Idiom typology: encoding vs decoding, grammatical vs extragrammatical, substantive vs formal (§1.1–1.2)
- Scalar model: n-dimensional argument space with a monotonicity constraint on propositional functions (Appendix, Definition A3)
- Let alone construction: form F ⟨X A Y let alone B⟩ requires A and B to be points on a presupposed scale, with F'⟨X A Y⟩ entailing F'⟨X B Y⟩
- Pragmatic function: resolves conflict between Gricean Quantity (informativeness — the A clause) and Relevance (the B clause)
Section 1: Idiom Typology (§1.1–1.2) #
Fillmore et al.'s classification cross-cuts two dimensions:
- Encoding vs decoding
- Grammatical vs extragrammatical
- Substantive (lexically filled) vs formal (open slots)
Encoding vs decoding idioms (§1.1.1, @cite{makkai-1972}).
A decoding idiom cannot be interpreted without prior learning ("kick the bucket"). An encoding idiom can be understood but its conventional status must be learned ("answer the door").
- decoding : IdiomInterpretability
- encoding : IdiomInterpretability
Instances For
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Instances For
Equations
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.instDecidableEqIdiomInterpretability x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯
Grammatical vs extragrammatical idioms (§1.1.2).
Grammatical idioms have words filling proper grammatical slots ("kick the bucket"). Extragrammatical idioms have anomalous structure ("first off", "by and large", "so far so good").
- grammatical : IdiomGrammaticality
- extragrammatical : IdiomGrammaticality
Instances For
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Instances For
Equations
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.instDecidableEqIdiomGrammaticality x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯
Substantive vs formal idioms (§1.1.3).
Substantive (lexically filled) idioms have fixed lexical content. Formal idioms are syntactic patterns dedicated to semantic/pragmatic purposes not knowable from form alone.
- substantive : IdiomFormality
- formal : IdiomFormality
Instances For
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Instances For
Equations
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.instDecidableEqIdiomFormality x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯
Combined idiom classification.
- interpretability : IdiomInterpretability
- grammaticality : IdiomGrammaticality
- formality : IdiomFormality
Instances For
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Instances For
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.instBEqIdiomType.beq x✝¹ x✝ = false
Instances For
Familiar-pieces typology (§1.2): how familiar are the pieces and their mode of combination?
- unfamiliarPiecesUnfamiliarlyArranged : FamiliarityPattern
- familiarPiecesUnfamiliarlyArranged : FamiliarityPattern
- familiarPiecesFamiliarlyArranged : FamiliarityPattern
Instances For
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Instances For
Equations
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.instDecidableEqFamiliarityPattern x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯
Section 2: Scalar Models (§2.3.2, Appendix) #
The formal backbone of the paper: an n-dimensional scalar model with a monotonicity constraint on propositional functions.
Definition A3: (S, T, D^x, P) is a SCALAR MODEL iff, for distinct d_i, d_j in D^x, P(d_j) entails P(d_i) just in case d_i is LOWER than d_j.
Where "lower" means: d_i is lower than d_j iff no coordinate of d_i has a higher value than the corresponding coordinate of d_j, and at least one coordinate of d_i has a lower value (Definition A2).
An argument point in the n-dimensional argument space D^x. In the paper's example: (Apotheosis, English) is an argument point in the 2D space of linguists × languages.
- coordinates : List α
Coordinates, one per dimension
Instances For
Equations
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.instDecidableEqArgumentPoint.decEq { coordinates := a } { coordinates := b } = if h : a = b then h ▸ isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯
Instances For
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Instances For
A scalar model (Definition A3 from the Appendix).
Given argument space D^x and propositional function P, the scalar model constrains P so that lower argument points yield weaker (entailed) propositions.
We use Bool for decidable propositions over states S.
- points : List (ArgumentPoint α)
Argument points (elements of D^x)
- propFn : ArgumentPoint α → S → Bool
Propositional function: argument point → proposition over states
- dimLe : α → α → Bool
Ordering on individual dimension values
Instances For
An argument point d_i is LOWER than d_j (Definition A2): no coordinate of d_i exceeds the corresponding coordinate of d_j, and at least one coordinate of d_i is strictly lower.
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Instances For
Scalar entailment: P(d_j) entails P(d_i) iff {s | P(d_j)(s)} ⊆ {s | P(d_i)(s)}.
In a valid scalar model, this holds exactly when d_i is lower than d_j.
Instances For
Informativeness/strength (Definition A5): p is MORE INFORMATIVE (STRONGER) than q relative to a scalar model iff p entails q in SM and q does not entail p in SM.
Equations
- sm.strongerThan dj di = (sm.entails dj di ∧ ¬sm.entails di dj)
Instances For
Definition A3 validity: a scalar model satisfies the monotonicity constraint iff for all distinct argument points d_i, d_j in D^x, P(d_j) entails P(d_i) exactly when d_i is lower than d_j.
We check the forward direction (lower → entails) for all point pairs.
This is the computable check used by native_decide.
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Instances For
Section 3: The Let Alone Construction (§2.1–2.4) #
The let alone construction as a Construction.
Form: F ⟨X A Y let alone B⟩
- F = negative polarity operator (negation, doubt, barely, etc.)
- X, Y = shared non-focused material
- A = first focused element (in the stronger, full clause)
- B = second focused element (in the weaker, reduced clause)
- A and B must be points on a presupposed scale
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Instances For
Semantic conditions on let alone sentences (p.528).
For a let alone sentence to be well-formed:
- The full clause and reduced clause are propositions from the same scalar model
- The two propositions are of the same polarity
- The full clause proposition is stronger (more informative) than the reduced clause
- scalarModel : ScalarModel S α
The presupposed scalar model
- focusA : ArgumentPoint α
Argument point for the A focus (in the stronger clause)
- focusB : ArgumentPoint α
Argument point for the B focus (in the weaker clause)
- aStrongerThanB : self.scalarModel.strongerThan self.focusA self.focusB
A is stronger than B in the scalar model
Instances For
The let alone family: related conjunctions with similar scalar semantics (p.533). All presuppose a scalar model relating their two conjuncts. They differ in clause ordering (stronger-first vs weaker-first).
- letAlone : LetAloneFamily
- muchLess : LetAloneFamily
- notToMention : LetAloneFamily
- neverMind : LetAloneFamily
- ifNot : LetAloneFamily
- inFact : LetAloneFamily
Instances For
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Instances For
Equations
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.instDecidableEqLetAloneFamily x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯
Clause ordering: let alone presents the stronger proposition first, while if not and in fact present the weaker first (p.533).
Equations
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.presentsStrongerFirst ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.LetAloneFamily.letAlone = true
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.presentsStrongerFirst ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.LetAloneFamily.muchLess = true
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.presentsStrongerFirst ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.LetAloneFamily.notToMention = true
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.presentsStrongerFirst ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.LetAloneFamily.neverMind = true
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.presentsStrongerFirst ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.LetAloneFamily.ifNot = false
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.presentsStrongerFirst ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.LetAloneFamily.inFact = false
Instances For
Section 4: NPI status (§2.2.4) #
Let alone is a negative polarity item, but with nuances:
- It occurs in standard NPI environments (negation, doubt, barely, etc.)
- Some speakers accept it in positive contexts (p.519, exx.71-72)
- The NPI requirement may be pragmatic rather than purely syntactic
NPI trigger types that license let alone (§2.2.4, exx.62-70).
- simpleNegation : LetAloneNPITrigger
- tooComplementation : LetAloneNPITrigger
- comparisonOfInequality : LetAloneNPITrigger
- onlyDeterminer : LetAloneNPITrigger
- minimalAttainment : LetAloneNPITrigger
- conditionalSurprise : LetAloneNPITrigger
- failureVerb : LetAloneNPITrigger
- anyoneWhod : LetAloneNPITrigger
Instances For
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Instances For
Equations
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.instDecidableEqLetAloneNPITrigger x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯
Section 5: Construction definitions for the constructicon #
The X-er the Y-er comparative correlative (§1.2.1, exx.1-2).
A formal idiom with unfamiliar pieces unfamiliarly arranged. The definite article "the" is unique to this construction (p.507) — a fixed element — and the two-part structure has no parallel elsewhere in English. The open comparative phrases make it partially open (mix of fixed "the" and open comparatives).
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Instances For
The Incredulity Response construction (§1.1.4, ex.14h).
"Him be a doctor?" — non-nominative subject + bare stem verb, expressing incredulity. A formal idiom: the pattern (NP[acc] VP[bare]) is productive and dedicated to a rhetorical/evaluative pragmatic function not derivable from its component meanings.
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Instances For
Inheritance: let alone inherits from coordinating conjunction but overrides several properties.
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Instances For
Section 6: 1D Scalar Model — Military Ranks (§2.1, ex.21) #
The running example: ⟨second lieutenant,..., colonel, general⟩.
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Instances For
Equations
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.instDecidableEqRank x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Rank ordering (lower index = lower rank).
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.rankLe ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.Rank.secondLieutenant x✝ = true
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.rankLe ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.Rank.lieutenant x✝ = true
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.rankLe ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.Rank.captain x✝ = true
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.rankLe ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.Rank.major ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.Rank.colonel = true
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.rankLe ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.Rank.major ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.Rank.general = true
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.rankLe ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.Rank.major ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.Rank.major = true
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.rankLe ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.Rank.major x✝ = false
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.rankLe ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.Rank.colonel x✝ = false
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.rankLe ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.Rank.general x✝ = false
Instances For
States: whether a person achieved each rank.
- achievedNone : AchievementState
- achievedUpToLt : AchievementState
- achievedUpToCol : AchievementState
- achievedUpToGen : AchievementState
Instances For
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Instances For
Equations
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.instDecidableEqAchievementState x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
"He made rank R" is true in a state iff the state includes R.
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.madeRank ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.Rank.secondLieutenant x✝ = true
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.madeRank ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.Rank.lieutenant x✝ = true
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.madeRank ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.Rank.captain x✝ = true
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.madeRank ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.Rank.major x✝ = false
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.madeRank ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.Rank.colonel x✝ = false
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.madeRank ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.Rank.general x✝ = false
Instances For
The military rank scalar model.
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Instances For
The rank scalar model satisfies Definition A3: for every pair of points where d_i is lower than d_j, P(d_j) entails P(d_i).
The rank scalar model is one-dimensional: every argument point has exactly one coordinate. The paper argues (fn.16, p.535) that some examples require ≥2 dimensions.
Scalar entailment: "He made general" entails "He made colonel". This is the core semantic condition on let alone (p.523, 528): the stronger (A) proposition entails the weaker (B) proposition.
Scalar entailment: "He made colonel" entails "He made lieutenant".
The reverse does NOT hold: "He made colonel" does not entail "He made general". This is why "He didn't make colonel, let alone general" is felicitous — general is STRONGER (p.528).
Making general is STRONGER than making colonel: the extension of "made general" is a proper subset of "made colonel" (Definition A5).
Second lieutenant is the LOWEST point: no other rank is lower. This explains the anomaly in ex.107: "let alone a second lieutenant" is anomalous because you cannot scalar-entail the negation of the lowest point from the negation of a non-lowest point (p.526).
The rank scalar model validates FKO's ex.21: "He didn't make colonel, let alone general."
Under negation, the scalar direction reverses: "not make colonel" entails "not make general" (if you can't do the easier thing, you can't do the harder thing).
Section 7: 2D Scalar Model — Linguists × Languages (§2.3.2, Tables 1–4) #
The paper's most carefully developed example: four professors (Apotheosis, Brilliant, Competent, Dimm) and four languages (English, French, Greek, Hittite), ordered by erudition and accessibility respectively.
The propositional function P: "professor X can read language L" is monotone: if X is more erudite and L is more accessible, P is more likely to be true.
This 2D model is the basis for the Appendix definitions (A1–A5).
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Instances For
Equations
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.instDecidableEqLinguist x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Instances For
Equations
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.instDecidableEqLang x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Dimension value: either a linguist or a language.
The argument space D^x = Linguist × Lang, encoded as 2-element
coordinate lists of LingLangVal.
- ling : Linguist → LingLangVal
- lang : Lang → LingLangVal
Instances For
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Instances For
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Instances For
Dimension ordering (≤) for the linguist/language scalar model.
From Definition A2 (p.536) and the worked example on p.537: d_i is LOWER than d_j when d_i has coordinatewise ≤ values with at least one strict. A LOWER argument point yields a WEAKER proposition (true in more states).
- Linguist: Apotheosis ≤ Brilliant ≤ Competent ≤ Dimm (more erudite = LOWER = weaker — "Apotheosis reads L" is easiest to satisfy)
- Language: English ≤ French ≤ Greek ≤ Hittite (more accessible = LOWER = weaker — "X reads English" is easiest to satisfy)
The paper confirms (p.537): "(B, E) is lower than (B, G)" — Brilliant with English is lower than Brilliant with Greek. Cross-type comparisons return false (dimensions are independent).
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Instances For
States of affairs for the linguist/language model. Each state specifies which (linguist, language) pairs satisfy "X can read L". We use a few representative states from Table 2 in the paper (p.527).
Instances For
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Instances For
Equations
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.instDecidableEqLLState x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
"Professor X can read language L" in each state. The diagonal state is the paper's primary example: knowledge forms a staircase from the 1-corner (Apotheosis, English) outward.
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.canRead x✝¹ x✝ ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.LLState.allFalse = false
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.canRead x✝¹ x✝ ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.LLState.allTrue = true
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.canRead x✝¹ x✝ ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.LLState.topLeft = false
- ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.canRead x✝¹ x✝ ConstructionGrammar.Studies.FillmoreKayOConnor1988.LLState.twoTrue = false
Instances For
Convenience constructor for 2D argument points.
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Instances For
The linguist/language scalar model from §2.3.2 (Tables 1–4, p.526–527).
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Instances For
The linguist/language model is two-dimensional.
The 2D model satisfies Definition A3.
In the 2D model, "Brilliant can read Hittite" entails "Brilliant can read English" — Hittite is less accessible, so knowing it is stronger (p.528, exx.109–112).
"Brilliant can read Hittite" is stronger than "Competent can read French" (Definition A5). Note: these points are INCOMPARABLE in the partial order (Brilliant < Competent on linguist, Hittite > French on language), but the entailment holds empirically — the scalar model constrains more than just comparable pairs.
(Brilliant, English) is lower than (Brilliant, Greek): the paper's own worked example (p.537). Same linguist, but English is more accessible (lower) than Greek.
(Competent, French) and (Brilliant, Hittite) are INCOMPARABLE: Competent > Brilliant on linguist but French < Hittite on language. Neither is uniformly ≤ the other (Definition A2).