In search of reference: The case of the Russian adjectival intensifier 'samyj'

This dissertation is a multilayered exploration of the structure of the Determiner Phrase (DP) and the nature of reference in natural language. At the most basic empirical level, it is a case study of the intensifying adjective samyj 'self' in Russian. This phenomenon is understudied and is usually taken to be subsumed under the more general study of modification by emphatic pronouns, such as himself in English or sam in Russian. The general outcome of this case study is that intensification by samyj and sam are two different phenomena in Russian and analyzing samyj in terms of sam misses important generalizations about the structure and functioning of DPs. Three main constructions are examined,inwhichsamyj isusedwith(a)demonstratives(Dem+ samyj),(b)pronouns (Pron+samyj ), and (c) gradable properties to form superlatives (self-superlatives).;At the higher theoretical level, this work contributes to three domains of syntax: (i) the structure of DP, (ii) DPs as phases, and (iii) non-sentential constructions. (i) Using constructions with samyj, I argue that many cases of apparent polysemy may be explained by the merge position of a lexical item (a 'chameleon' effect). I also show that the distribution of samyj provides support for and a way to refine the topological view of the left-periphery of DP. (ii) I present a novel observation about samyj and use it to argue that samyj is a modifier of a DP-internal propositional node - SigmaP. I also show that samyj provides evidence for re-defining the notion of phases. (iii) I show that Pron+samyj is a hybrid fragment answer as it combines the derivation of a fragment answer to wh-questions with properties specific to polarity particles like yes and no..;Finally, on the semantic side, I propose that the main contribution of samyj is to add a secondary assertion of the form X = Y. This proposal explains many properties of samyj, such as the incompatibility of samyj with negation and the impossibility of using pronouns modified by samyj in argument positions.