Schlenker, Philippe. 2005. "Minimize Restrictors! (Notes on Definite
Descriptions, Condition C and Epithets)". Appeared in Bary, Huitink
and Maier (eds), Proceedings
of Sinn und Bedeutung 2004, 385-416
[Full
paper in pdf]
Abstract: Following a general line explored by Bolinger, Reinhart,
Levinson and Schein, we seek to derive Condition C of the Binding
Theory from a Gricean maxim of minimization (Minimize Restrictors!),
which specifies that a definite description the A B is deviant if
A could be dropped without affecting (i) the denotation of
the description, and (ii) its various pragmatic effects. Thus the
small (American) President is deviant if it is assumed that there is
a single (American) President, as small contributes neither to (i) nor
to (ii). By contrast, the stupid (American) President is entirely
natural: although stupid does not affect (i), it contributes
pragmatic information about the speaker's (negative) attitude towards
the denotation of the description. If pronouns are treated as short
descriptions and if the semantics is set up in a slightly non-standard
fashion, Part (i) of Minimize Restrictors! can derive the standard
cases of Condition C. Furthermore, Part (ii) accounts for some
exceptions to Condition C. First, an element may contribute expressive
information about the speaker's attitude towards the denotation of
the description, as is the case of epithets (e.g. the idiot expresses
the speaker's negative attitude towards the person in question). Second,
an element may serve a disambiguating function, as is the case in long
sentences in which a definite description is acceptable in violation
of Condition C; this is the case of the
linguist in: [A linguist working on Binding Theory]i
was so devoid of any moral sense that hei forced [a physicist
working on particles]k to hire [the linguist's]i
girlfriend in hisk lab.