Subset comparatives as comparative quantifiers

Abstract

This paper motivates and presents a novel analysis of the "subset comparative" construction (e.g. John saw more phonologists than just Mary; John drank more than just coffee). I build on Hackl (2000) and Alxatib (2013)'s analyses of comparative quantifiers (more than three) to develop a unified account for both. This analysis entails that subset comparatives are formed via ellipsis of a clausal source; I provide evidence for this claim and against previous analyses that give subset comparatives a phrasal analysis.