to appear) A pragmatic explanation of the stage level/individual level contrast in combination with locatives

One important difference between stage level predicates (SLPs) and individual level predicates (ILPs) is their behavior with respect to locative modifiers. It is commonly assumed that SLPs but not ILPs combine with locatives. The present study argues against a semantic account for this behavior (as advanced by e.g. Kratzer 1995, Chierchia 1995) and proposes a genuinely pragmatic explanation of the observed stage level/individual level contrast instead. The proposal is spelled out using Blutner’s (1998, 2000) optimal-ity theoretic version of the Gricean maxims. Building on the observation that the respective locatives are not event-related but frame-setting modifiers, the preference for main predicates that express temporary properties is explained as a side-effect of “syn-chronizing ” the main predicate with the locative frame in the course of finding an optimal interpretation. By emphasizing the division of labor between grammar and pragmatics, the proposed solution takes a considerable load off of semantics. 1 Locatives and the SLP/ILP Distinction One of the most prominent linguistic criteria that have been advanced in order to distinguish stage level predicates (SLPs), which are commonly understood as expressing temporary or accidental properties, and individual level predicates (ILPs), which express (more or less) permanent or inherent properties, is their behavior with respect to locative modifiers.1 SLPs like tired, hungry or nervous can be combined with locative modifiers (1a), while ILPs like blond, intelligent or a linguist don’t seem to accept locatives (1b); see Chierchia (1995) and Kratzer (1995) among many others. (1) a. Maria was tired / hungry / nervous in the car. (SLP) b. */??Maria was blond / intelligent / a linguist in the car. (ILP) Adherents of the stage level/individual level distinction take data like these as strong support for the claim that there is a fundamental difference between SLPs and ILPs in the ability to be located in space; see, e.g., the following quote fro