Scalar implicatures are traditionally viewed as pragmatic inferences that result from a reasoning about speakers' communicative intentions (Grice 1989). This view has been challenged in recent years by theories propose scalar grammatical phenomenon. Such claim can be computed embedded positions and enter into the recursive computation of meaning—something is not expected under traditional view. Recently, Geurts Pouscoulous (2009) presented an experimental study which were detected. Using...

A Scalar Implicature (SI) arises when the use of a weaker expression (e.g., some politicians are corrupt) implies denial an alternative sentence not all corrupt). The cognitive effort associated with processing SIs involves central memory resources (De Neys & Schaeken 2007, Dieussaert et al. 2011, Marty 2013). goal this study is to locate previous result within current psycholinguistic debate, and understand at which level SI these specifically involved. Using dual-task approach, we show...

Significance One key issue in the study of human language is understanding what, if any, features individual languages may be universally accessible. Sign offer a privileged perspective on this because visual modality can help implement and detect certain properties that present but unmarked spoken languages. The current work finds fine-grained aspects verb meanings visibly emerge across unrelated sign using identical mappings between meaning form. Moreover, nonsigners lacking prior exposure...

Abstract In Part I, we have introduced two of the main approaches to scalar implicature: Gricean approach and grammatical approach. We argued that although they rely on conceptually different views about phenomenon, share various insights, their empirical differences were more subtle than what one may expected. this second part review paper, will sample some experimental results with goals in mind. First, exemplify simplifications are found literature examine consequences these...

Abstract (for Part I and II) There has been a recent ‘experimental turn’ in the study of scalar implicature, yielding important results concerning online processing acquisition. This paper highlights some these places them current theoretical context. We argue that there is sometimes mismatch between experimental studies, we point out how mismatches can be resolved. furthermore highlight ways which landscape richer than often assumed, light this discussion, offer suggestions for what seem to...

Sentence (1) strongly suggests that the speaker does not have a sister: According to Heim (1991), Percus (2006), and Sauerland this inference should follow from comparison of (1a). However, such an analysis would only predict very weak implicature: it is common belief has sister. I propose strengthen prediction by two means. First, rely on precise understanding modern Stalnakerian view presuppositions ground (Stalnaker 1998, 2002; von Fintel 2000; Schlenker 2006). Second, argue depends...

One defining and yet puzzling feature of linguistic presuppositions is the way they interact with operators. For instance, when a presupposition trigger (e.g., realise) occurs under negation Zoologists do not realise that elephants are mammals), sentence most commonly interpreted same global (elephants mammals) as if was present. Alternatively, may be locally accommodated, i.e., become part what negated. In this paper, we develop test two processing accounts projection, global-first model...

Mintz (2003) described a distributional environment called frame, defined as the co-occurrence of two context words with one intervening target word. Analyses English child-directed speech showed that fell within any frequently occurring frame consistently belonged to same grammatical category (e.g. noun, verb, adjective, etc.). In this paper, we first generalize result French, language in which function word system allows patterns are potentially detrimental frame-based analysis procedure....

When interpreting disjunctive sentences of the form 'A or B', young children have been reported to differ from adults in two ways. First, interpret disjunction inclusively rather than exclusively, accepting B' contexts which both A and B are true (Chierchia et al. 2001; Gualmini 2001). Second, some conjunctively, rejecting only one disjuncts is (Paris 1973; Braine & Rumain 1981; Chierchia 2004; Singh 2015). In this article, we extend investigation children's interpretation include simple...

Abstract We argue that rich data gathered in experimental primatology the last 40 years can benefit from analytical methods used contemporary linguistics. Focusing on syntactic and especially semantic side, we suggest these could help clarify five questions: (i) what morphology syntax, if any, do monkey calls have? (ii) is ‘lexical meaning’ of individual calls? (iii) how are meanings combined? (iv) or call sequences compete with each other when several appropriate a given situation? (v) did...

Are color adjectives (“red”, “green”, etc.) relative or absolute adjectives? Existing theories of the meaning attempt to answer that question using informal (“armchair”) judgments. The judgments theorists conflict: it has been proposed are with standards anchored at minimum degree on scale, they but have near-midpoint standards, and relative. In this paper we report two experiments, one based entailment patterns presupposition accommodation, investigate scalar adjectives. We find evidence...

Meanings of basic expressions can be enriched by considering what the speaker could have said, but chose not to, that is, alternatives. We report three priming experiments test whether there are shared enrichment mechanisms across a diverse range linguistic categories. find quantifier, number, and ad hoc enrichments exhibit robust within their categories between each other. Plural enrichments, in contrast, demonstrate within-category no between-category priming. Our results (1) typically...

Abstract We argue that formal linguistic theory, properly extended, can provide a unifying framework for diverse phenomena beyond traditional objects. display applications to pictorial meanings, visual narratives, music, dance, animal communication, and, more abstractly, logical and non-logical concepts in the ‘language of thought’ reasoning. In many these cases, careful analysis reveals classic notions are pervasive across domains, such as instance constituency (or grouping) core principle...

Universal inferences like (i) have been taken as evidence for a local/syntactic treatment of scalar implicatures (i.e. theories where the enrichment "some" into "some but not all" can happen sub-sententially): Everybody read some books --> [some all books]. In this paper, I provide experimental which casts doubt on argument. The counter-argument relies new set data involving free choice (a sub-species implicatures) and negative counterparts (i), namely sentences with quantifier "no" instead...

ABSTRACT In several animal species, an alarm call (e.g. ABC notes in the Japanese tit Parus minor ) can be immediately followed by a recruitment D notes) to yield complex that triggers third behaviour, namely mobbing. This has been taken argument for syntax and compositionality (i.e. property which meaning of expression depends on its parts way they are put together). Several additional discoveries were made across species. First, some cases, animals respond with mobbing order...

We consider the possible role of current large language models (LLMs) in study human linguistic cognition. focus on use such as proxies for theories cognition that are relatively linguistically-neutral their representations and learning but differ from LLMs key ways. illustrate this potential context two kinds questions: (a) whether target theory accounts acquisition a given pattern corpus; (b) makes typologically-attested easier to acquire than another, typologically-unattested pattern. For...

Compositionality is a means of constructing complex objects through the transformation and combination simpler elements. While it common to view compositionality as inherently complex, thus assume that byproduct advanced language expertise, we argue otherwise. We propose that, although produces outcomes, underlying processes are simple can often be reduced general mechanism function application. Accordingly, explore origins not only in compositional but also, at an earlier stage, development...

Compositionality is a means of constructing complex objects through the transformation and combination simpler elements. While it common to view compositionality as inherently complex, thus assume that byproduct advanced language expertise, we argue otherwise. We propose that, although produces outcomes, underlying processes are simple can often be reduced general mechanism function application. Accordingly, explore origins not only in compositional but also, at an earlier stage, development...