This paper discusses the syntactic properties and interpretations of the universal quantifier GUME ‘all’ in the Sibe language. GUME imparts universality and maximality to various preceding expressions, including noun phrases, pronouns, free-choice items, adverbial temporal phrases, and unconditional clauses. Employing a feature-checking approach, I propose that GUME possesses an uninterpretable universal feature u∀, which triggers its associates to move to the specifier position of GUME. This feature-checking mechanism not only clarifies the leftness condition but also contributes to the determination of scope interpretations. Furthermore, the analysis highlights similarities as well as distinctions between GUME quantification in Sibe and DOU quantification in Mandarin Chinese, emphasizing the significance of universal quantifiers across languages.
Pei-Ling Hsu (Thu,) studied this question.