Introduction

Abstract

The motivation of the volume is first presented by sketching the historical developments of investigations on various negative expressions throughout history in the West and the East. A central concept is classical negation as a truth-reverser vs. asymmetric negation for contrariness and scalarity (contrastive-based). The researches on negation and negative polarity is reviewed, showing how licensing has been approached by distinguishing between strong vs. weak NPIs, leaving unresolved issues. The contents of the fifteen chapters of the volume are introduced, most of which relate to experimental perspectives. The volume is unique in focusing on crosslinguistic empirical data and cognitive processes.