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Rodney Huddleston Geoffrey K Pullum. (2017). The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. p.612.

However, we will not depart further from the traditional account than is justified.

  1. However, we will not depart further from the justified traditional account.
  2. However, we will depart further from the traditional account unless justified.

What does it mean? Is it a kind of 'negative transfer', and why does 'not + than' have the meaning of 'unless'?

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    It doesn't mean 'unless'. We will not depart any further from the traditional account than it is justified for us to do or than we are justified in doing.
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Apr 19 at 9:31
  • @Kate Bunting This sentence is a little difficult to understand. How are 'depart any further from the traditional account ' and 'it is justified for us to do' compared?
    – Mr. Wang
    Commented Apr 19 at 9:39
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    The authors say that they feel justified in departing a little from the traditional account, but not very far - so they will only depart a little way from it.
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Apr 19 at 9:52
  • The basic construction here is "not depart further from X than Y". X=the traditional account. Y= [it] is justified [to do so]. I'm not sure why you think this is difficult to understand., but there is some ellipsis going on in the final term here. Is it that the source of your confusion? Another simpler example "I can't walk further from my house than the end of the street". i.e. The end of the street is the limit, or furthest distance that I am able to walk.
    – Billy Kerr
    Commented Apr 19 at 11:39
  • @Mr.Wang I'm sorry, but if you cannot understand basic English, then perhaps you should not be using an advanced scholarly reference book like CGEL.
    – BillJ
    Commented Apr 19 at 12:50

1 Answer 1

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"than is justified" complements "further"

further comparative ... than is justified

Don't make the curry spicier comparative than is palatable for the children.

OK, I will not make the curry spicier than is palatable for the children.

or

Even though you're in a hurry, don't drive faster than is allowed.

NOTE: There is no sense of unless involved.

We will not depart further from the traditional account than is justified.

The order of the constituents in the original may be confusing you:

We will not depart further than is justified from the traditional account.

They will not depart from the traditional account to a greater degree than [the degree that] is justified (by something) -- and that "something" is their sense that the traditional account requires a corrective.

The second comparand is implicit.

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  • I agree with see except for your last sentence. more than is justified [by whatever the thing is]
    – Lambie
    Commented Apr 19 at 14:03
  • Can 'is' in your examples be omitted ? Why is it 'than is allowed/justified',but not 'than allowed/justified'
    – Mr. Wang
    Commented Apr 19 at 14:29
  • @mrwang Yes, is can be omitted in AmE -- not sure about BrE. The version with "is" is more formal.
    – TimR
    Commented Apr 19 at 15:22

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