| 17 |
Ups and Downs in Scalar Inferences
|
|
|
|
Abstract:
We examine the notion (Ducrot 1988; Anscombre 1989) that use of scalar adverbs such as almost and only gives rise to systematic semantic inferences. Inferences of the so-called ‘topos’ type were explored in sentence pain in Danish and Finnish texts describing competitive events. An antecedent sentence describing a level of achievement obtained in terms of almost p or only p was predicted to give rise to a reasoning scheme involving two scales and relating the achievement to likelihood of an individual being in a winning or a losing position. Use of this inference scheme was examined from effort in understanding, and the interpretation given to, an ambiguous consequent sentence. In an overt question-answering task, consequent sentences were found to be interpreted in about 90 per cent of cases in the way predicted by the version of topos theory tested (Lundquist, 1987). In a timed reading task, whereas antecedent sentences were read in less time when scales taken to be activated in them were oriented upwards, consequent sentences were read faster if they were co-oriented with the antecedent, and satisfied an inference which was expected to arise there. The results are discussed in terms of different linguistic accounts of scalar adverbs, and the origin of scales in cognition.
|
|
Keyword:
Articles
|
|
URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/jos/11.1-2.33
http://jos.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/11/1-2/33
|
|
BASE
|
|
Hide details
|
|
|
|
|
