The results of this experiment notwithstanding, it remains a fact that NPIs - at least on the surface - form a unitary phenomenon. It is in itself a very interesting question why expressions which exhibit sensitivity to the same linguistic environments render such different results when language users are asked to reflect on their use. It may be that the relevant motivations for NPI use are present at a different level than what can be reached by introspection. This issue touches upon the very complex matter of mental representations of linguistic rules, and will not be further addressed in this thesis.

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