On the characterization of alternatives

We present an argument for revising the theory of alternatives for Scalar Implicatures and for Association with Focus. We argue that in both cases the alternatives are determined in the same way, as a contextual restriction of the focus value of the sentence, which, in turn, is defined in structure-...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Natural language semantics 2011-03, Vol.19 (1), p.87-107
Main Authors: Fox, Danny, Katzir, Roni
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Broken symmetry
Focus
Formal languages and grammars
Homework
Implicature
Inference
Linguistics
Mathematics and linguistics
Philosophy of Language
Pragmatics
Relevant alternatives
Saliency
Scalarity (Semantics)
Scalars
Semantics
Social Sciences
Stoles
Syntax
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Summary:We present an argument for revising the theory of alternatives for Scalar Implicatures and for Association with Focus. We argue that in both cases the alternatives are determined in the same way, as a contextual restriction of the focus value of the sentence, which, in turn, is defined in structure-sensitive terms. We provide evidence that contextual restriction is subject to a constraint that prevents it from discriminating between alternatives when they stand in a particular logical relationship with the assertion or the prejacent, a relationship that we refer to as symmetry. Due to this constraint on contextual restriction, discriminating between alternatives in cases of symmetry becomes the task of focus values. This conclusion is incompatible with standard type-theoretic definitions of focus values, motivating our structure-sensitive definition instead.
ISSN:0925-854X
1572-865X
DOI:10.1007/s11050-010-9065-3