A generalized quantifier logic for naked infinitives (Q3976992)

The paper introduces a logical system formalizing some natural language constructions with ``naked infinitives'' (e.g., ``Mary sees few children play''). The corresponding formal language is second-order, with relational and quantifier variables. It has also a special symbol SEE, allowing to construct ``NI-formulas'' SEE\((t,\varphi)\) (from an individual term \(t\) and a formula \(\varphi\)). Semantics of the language interpretes quantifier variables as relations between subsets of a basic set \(A\), and SEE corresponds to a function \(\Sigma\) such that \(\Sigma(d,\rho)\subseteq\rho^*\) (for \(d\in A\) and a relational symbol \(\rho\) which is interpreted as \(\rho^*\)); truth- values of NI-formulas are defined by an induction over \(\varphi\). Using this semantics, the author explains many logical properties of NI- constructions in natural languages. The deduction system NI described in the paper is proved to be semantically complete. The proof uses the method of \textit{D. Westerståhl} [``Quantifiers in formal and natural languages'', CSLI Report 86-55, Stanford (1986)].