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May 6, 2026Theoretical Linguistics0 citationsOpen Access

What copredication can(not) teach us

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DLDavid LiebesmanOMOfra Magidor

Key Points

  • The central aim is to critique prevailing lessons drawn from copredication and propose an alternative account.
  • Analyzes examples of copredication sentences.
  • Critiques three commonly held lessons about copredication.
  • Presents the Property Versatility approach as a new theoretical perspective.
  • Argues that the lessons from copredication are fundamentally mistaken.
  • Introduces the Property Versatility approach as a viable alternative.
  • Highlights implications stemming from the new account of copredication.

Abstract

Abstract Copredication sentences such as ‘Lunch was delicious but took hours’ and ‘The book on the shelf was written by Tolstoy’ can be used to express truths despite ascribing prima facie incompatible properties to single entities. Theorists have drawn far-reaching and dramatic lessons about what copredication can teach us about language. We begin by focusing on the three such central lessons. In each case we argue that the lessons are mistaken. We then explain our own preferred account of copredication: the Property Versatility approach. We conclude by drawing out some substantive consequences of the Property Versatility approach.

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Cite This Study

Liebesman et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69fa8eac04f884e66b531064https://doi.org/10.1515/tl-2026-2002
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