Sloppy Construal in TP Ellipsis: Evidence from Polarity Reversal in “Neg-Raising

Abstract

This paper investigates polarity reversal under TP/VP ellipsis when fed by the antecedent TP or VP in the “Neg-Raising” structural environment. Kroll (2019) observes that in such an environment, polarity reversal under TP ellipsis is allowed, but Sato (2022) observes that in the same environment, polarity reversal under VP ellipsis is not. To account for this contrast in polarity reversal between the two types of ellipsis, we argue that the uni-directional entailment requirement for e-GIVENESS or identity in ellipsis entertained by Kroll (2019) and Sato (2022) cannot be a valid approach. Instead we propose that the valuation of the unvalued polarity feature [Pol:__] at the edge of TP/VP ellipsis is a viable solution in accounting for the contrast at hand, still adhering to Merchant’s (2001) bi-directional entailment requirement for e-GIVENESS or identity in ellipsis.