Same, different and other as comparative adjectives – A uniform analysis based on French

Abstract

The goal of this article is to provide a uniform and non-specific analysis for all constructions involving terms expressing similarity and difference (sidi terms) such as same, different or other in French. Beyond theoretical economy, the motivation for this enterprise is based on crosslinguistic evidence showing a unique term for same through all constructions in many unrelated languages. The proposed analysis does not resort to any specific mechanism, but relates sidi terms to both comparatives and relational terms: sidi terms are assumed to be relational adjectives that are complemented by DPs or comparative clauses; in short, they are analyzed as comparatives of individuals. The diversity of constructions does not derive from multiple lexical entries, but from the presence of silent structures: in particular, the comparative clause can be fully or partially elided, and the phrasal or clausal complement of sidi terms can include a silent underspecified pronoun, which can get a pronominal, reflexive, reciprocal or vaguer interpretation. The behavior of sidi terms in islands argues for the presence of silent structures.