Topic
Scalar implicature
About: Scalar implicature is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 448 publications have been published within this topic receiving 17907 citations. The topic is also known as: quantity implicature.
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Book•
01 Jan 2000TL;DR: In this article, the author outlines a theory of presumptive meanings, or preferred interpretations, governing the use of language, building on the idea of implicature developed by the philosopher H. P. Grice.
Abstract: From the Publisher:
When we speak, we mean more than we say. In this book Stephen C. Levinson explains some general processes that underlie presumptions in communication. This is the first extended discussion of preferred interpretation in language understanding, integrating much of the best research in linguistic pragmatics from the last two decades. Levinson outlines a theory of presumptive meanings, or preferred interpretations, governing the use of language, building on the idea of implicature developed by the philosopher H. P. Grice. Some of the indirect information carried by speech is presumed by default because it is carried by general principles, rather than inferred from specific assumptions about intention and context. Levinson examines this class of general pragmatic inferences in detail, showing how they apply to a wide range of linguistic constructions. This approach has radical consequences for how we think about language and communication.
1,881 citations
Book•
01 Sep 2002
TL;DR: The Long Road from Linguistically Encoded Meaning to the Thought(s) Explicitly Communicated is described, from Multiple Semantic Ambiguity to Univocal Semantics and Pragmatic Enrichment.
Abstract: Introduction. 1. Pragmatics and Linguistic Underdeterminacy: Saying and Meaning. The Underdeterminacy Thesis. Eternal Sentences and Effability. Metarepresentation, Relevance and Pragmatic Inference. Underdeterminacy, Truth Conditions and the Semantics/Pragmatics Distinction. Radical Underdeterminacy and the Background. Underdeterminacy of Thought? Summary. 2. The Explicit/Implicit Distinction: Semantics/Pragmatics Distinction. Grice: Saying/Implicating. Sperber and Wilson: Relevance-theoretic Distinctions. Travis and Recanati: Enriched 'What is Said'. Bach: What is Said/Impliciture/Implicature. Pragmatic Meaning: Enrichment or Implicature? Postscript: Hidden Indexicals or 'Free Enrichment? Conclusion: From Generative Semantics to Pro-active Pragmatics. 3. The Pragmatics of 'And'-Conjunction: Preserving the Truth-functionality of 'And'. A Relevance-based Pragmatics of Conjunction. The Semantic Alternatives. Cognitive Fundamentals: Causality and Explanation. Relevance Relations and Units of Processing. Processing Effort and Iconicity. Residual Issues. Conclusion: From Generalized Conversational Implicature. 4. The Pragmatics of Negation: Some Data and Some Distinctions. Semantic Ambiguity Analyses. Strong Pragmatic Analyses. 'Presupposition'-cancelling Negation and Metalinguistic Negation. The Pragmatics of 'Presupposition'-Denial. Conclusion: From Multiple Semantic Ambiguity to Univocal Semantics and Pragmatic Enrichment. 5. The Pragmatics of On-line Concept Construction: Encoded Concepts and Communicated Concepts. A Symmetrical Account of Narrowing and Broadening. Metaphor: Loose Use and Ad Hoc Concepts. Word Meaning and Concepts. Conclusion: The Long Road from Linguistically Encoded Meaning to the Thought(s) Explicitly Communicated. Appendix 1: Relevance Theory Glossary. Appendix 2: Gricean Conversational Principles. References. Index.
1,165 citations
TL;DR: Experimental investigations of scalar implicature reveal a consistent ordering in which representations of weak scalar terms tend to be treated logically by young competent participants and more pragmatically by older ones.
636 citations
TL;DR: The findings indicate that children do not treat all scalar terms alike and, more importantly, that children's ability to derive scalar implicatures is affected by their awareness of the goal of the task.
529 citations