Collocation, interpretation and explanation: The case of just any

This article discusses the question of compositionality by examining whether the indiscriminacy reading of the collocation of just with any can be shown to be a consequence of the schematic meaning-potential of each of these two items. A comparison of just with other restrictive focus particles allows its schematic meaning to be defined as that of goodness of fit. Any is defined as representing an indefinite member of a set as extractable from the set in exactly the same way as each of the other members thereof. The collocation just any often gives rise to a scalar reading oriented towards the lowest value on the scale due to the fact that focus on the unconstrained extractability of a random indefinite item brings into consideration even marginal cases and the latter tend to be interpreted as situated on the lower end of the scale. The attention to low-end values also explains why just any is regularly found with the adjective old, the prepositional phrase at all and various devaluating expressions. It is concluded that the meanings of the component parts of this collocation do indeed account for the meaning of the whole, and that an appropriate methodology allows identification of linguistic meanings and their interrelations.

► The meanings of the components of the collocation account for the meaning of the whole. ► Just any presents full freedom of choice as the best way to characterize the situation. ► This can correspond to a positive view in which the idea is that the sky is the limit. ► Randomness can also be construed as the lowest value on a scale of selectiveness. ► Lower-end values are highlighted by collocations of just any with old, at all and various types of devaluators.