COPULAR STRUCTURES AND ASYMMETRIC IDENTITY†

We propose an analysis of copular structures of the type “DP is DP” based on the existence of a silent predicate of asymmetric identity. Our proposal is based on a cognitively grounded notion of identity as identification of one object on the basis of the properties of another. We argue that our proposal is preferable over Russell's view that the copula is ambiguous between a predicative interpretation (as in “Socrates is wise”) and an equative one (as in “Socrates is a man”) but also improves upon Longobardi's and Moro's influential analyses, which entail that DP's are ambiguous between a referring type (<e > or < et>t>) and a predicational type (<et>). In the new analysis proposed here, copular structures receive a uniform predicational interpretations and DPs are uniformly interpreted as referential.