Itamar Francez

About

Itamar Francez is an Associate Professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Chicago. His professional profile indicates his involvement in linguistic research and academic activities within the department. The page provides his contact information and links to his publications, manuscripts, poetry translations, and other academic work, but does not include specific details about his research focus, background, or key contributions.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Sociology
• Art
• Epistemology
• Linguistics
• Programming language
• Media studies
• Art history
• Medicine
• Philosophy

Selected publications

• Semantics and Morphosyntactic Variation

  2017-03-23 · 85 citations

  book1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract Systematic variation in form between semantic equivalents across languages is a key explanandum of linguistic theory. Two contrasting views of the role of lexical semantics in the analysis of such variation can be found in the literature: (1) uniformity, whereby lexical meaning is universal, and morphosyntactic variation arises from idiosyncratic differences in the inventory and phonological shape of language-particular functional material, and (2) transparency, whereby systematic varia…

  PublisherDOI

• The Implications of Managing

  Journal of Semantics · 2015-06-22 · 56 citations

  articleSenior author

  Since Karttunen's original observations about the two-way implicative verb manage, there has been no consensus as to the descriptive and analytical characterization of the implicational behavior of this verb. This short paper presents a reevaluation of the relevant descriptive generalizations, and proposes an analysis, couched within the causal modeling approach to causation developed by Schulz (2011) . We propose that manage sentences presuppose the familiarity of a ‘catalyst’—a causally necess…

  PublisherDOI

• From change to value difference in degree achievements ∗

  2016-09-24 · 40 citations

  article

  Abstract Degree achievements and directed motion verbs are standardly taken to describe events in which an individual undergoes change over time. The spatial uses of these verbs, giving rise to what are known as their extent readings, indicate that a temporal change based semantics is not general enough to capture their be-havior. In this paper, we introduce a further range of facts that argues for a fully general analysis of the meaning of degree achievements and directed motion verbs in terms…

  Publisher

• A note on possession and mereology in Ulwa property concept constructions

  Natural Language & Linguistic Theory · 2015-07-27 · 33 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Ulwa (Misumalpan; Nicaragua) shows a puzzling and unique pattern in which a single affix marks the head of a possessive noun phrase and appears on roots expressing property concepts. This pattern has been argued to be semantically motivated by Koontz-Garboden and Francez (2010). This paper discusses two constructions of Ulwa that do not receive a natural treatment in their analysis, potentially casting doubt on the plausibility of a semantic motivation for the syncretism. We provide a modified v…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Semantics and Morphosyntactic Variation : Qualities and the Grammar of Property Concepts

  2017-05-23 · 26 citations

  bookOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Systematic variation in form between semantic equivalents across languages is a key explanandum of linguistic theory. Two contrasting views of the role of lexical semantics in the analysis of such variation can be found in the literature: (1) uniformity, whereby lexical meaning is universal, and morphosyntactic variation arises from idiosyncratic differences in the inventory and phonological shape of language-particular functional material, and (2) transparency, whereby systematic variation in f…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Andrew Koontz‐Garboden

  University of Manchester

  63 shared

• Dmitry Levinson

  Stanford University

  2 shared

• Katja Goldring

  University of California, Los Angeles

  2 shared

• David Beaver

  2 shared

• Ashwini Deo

  The University of Texas at Austin

  2 shared

• Karlos Arregi

  University of Chicago

  1 shared

• Louise McNally

  Pompeu Fabra University

  1 shared

• John Beavers

  1 shared

Similar researchers at University of Chicago

• Janet Johnsonh-47
• Robert A. Papeh-26
• Jennifer Pittsh-21