July 6, 2018: Satoshi Tomioka

Time:

5:00pm, July 6, 2018

Place:

Keio University, Mita Campus,
South Annex, 7th floor

Speaker:

Satoshi Tomioka (University of Delaware)

Title:

Hurford's constraint, contrastiveness, scalar implicature, and how they all come together

Abstract:

In this talk, I provide an analysis of the ordering asymmetry in disjunction of scalar items (Singh 2007, Fox and Spector 2018).

(1) a. Anna read some or all of the Harry Potter books.
b. ? Anna read all or some of the Harry Potter books.

I first point out that the asymmetry is found not only in disjunction but in contrastive environments in general, which suggests that the asymmetry, and possibly Hurford's constraint as well, has its root in how contrastiveness is computed. I argue that the ordering asymmetry is due to the constraint on contrast: In contrasting two (or more) items, the first item must generate a set of mutually exclusive alternatives that include the semantic value(s) of the subsequent contrast item(s). It will also be shown that the proposal endorses the grammaticit's view of scalar implicature, as the strengthened meaning is required in the computation of mutually exclusive alternatives.

Semantics Research Group Meeting, July 6, 2018