Abstract
In a recent book, Jeffrey King (King 2001) argues that complexdemonstratives, i.e., noun phrases of the form `this/that F’, are not singular terms. As such,they are not devices of direct reference contributing the referent to the proposition expressed.In this essay I challenge King's position and show how a direct reference view can handle the datahe proposes in favor of the quantificational account. I argue that when a complex demonstrativecannot be interpreted as a singular term, it is best understood as a case of deferredreference – in which case it should be viewed as an anaphora inheriting its value from a quantifiedterm – or as an emphatic description.
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Corazza, E. Complex Demonstratives Qua Singular Terms. Erkenntnis 59, 263–283 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024626512774
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024626512774