Middle Constructions and Distributivity

Abstract

Previously, various approaches dealt with middle constructions with insightful observations. However, none of them could address the fundamental property of middle constructions represented by the notion of recursiveness which can further be translated into plurality. Focusing on this semantic property of middle constructions, this paper claims that middle constructions can be viewed as constructions of distributivity. In proposing so, this paper divides middle constructions into three classes and shows that each class can be analyzed by the same pluralization operator that explains constructions of distributivity. One of the advantages of this paper is to explain why an adverb is, most of the time, necessary in forming middle constructions. The adverb functions as the Distributed Share, which is one of the essential arguments of distributivity. Another advantage is to account for why the middle constructions often evoke the modality interpretation by the fact that the pluralization operator comes with a Cover variable.