The But Not All: A Partitive Account of Plural Definite Descriptions

Author: BROGAARD, BERIT

Source: Mind & Language, Volume 22, Number 4, September 2007 , pp. 402-426(25)

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Abstract:

A number of authors in favor of a unitary account of singular descriptions have alleged that the unitary account can be extrapolated to account for plural definite descriptions. In this paper I take a closer look at this suggestion. I argue that while the unitary account is clearly onto something right, it is in the end empirically inadequate. At the end of the paper I offer a new partitive account of plural definite descriptions that avoids the problems with both the unitary account and standard Russellian analyses.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0017.2007.00314.x

Publication date: 2007-09-01