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    A single lexical item can exhibit systematic polysemy suc... — Carmelics
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    Challenges→The collective-distributive ambiguity in sentences like 'John and Jane moved a piano' is not due to an ambiguity in the conjunction 'and'

    A single lexical item can exhibit systematic polysemy such that its semantic contribution shifts contextually without rendering conjunction-reduced forms infelicitous.

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    Reasons For

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    Reason for
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    • 1.Words like 'book' (physical object vs. content) systematically shift meaning while preserving coherence in 'I read the book and shelved it.'
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    • 2.Pragmatic context resolves ambiguity dynamically without requiring distinct lexical entries, explaining native speaker felicity judgments.
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    • 3.Conjunction reduction succeeds when a single abstract semantic frame accommodates both uses, demonstrating unified lexical representation.
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    Reasons Against

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    • 1.Apparent polysemy may reflect multiple stored senses with context-sensitive selection, not a single shifting meaning, per lexicalist accounts.
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    • 2.Conjunction reduction felicity depends on shared sortal type or compatible semantic roles—requiring coercion or implicit type-shifting, not core polysemy.
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    • 3.Some systematic polysemic pairs (agent vs. location nouns) actually fail conjunction reduction, contradicting the claim's universality.
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    Philosophy of Language1 linked

    Related

    Apparent polysemy may reflect multiple stored senses with context-sensitive sele...Conjunction reduction felicity depends on shared sortal type or compatible seman...Conjunction reduction succeeds when a single abstract semantic frame accommodate...Pragmatic context resolves ambiguity dynamically without requiring distinct lexi...
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    Some systematic polysemic pairs (agent vs. location nouns) actually fail conjunc...The collective-distributive ambiguity in sentences like 'John and Jane moved a p...Words like 'book' (physical object vs. content) systematically shift meaning whi...

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