Publication details
Generating and Selecting Alternatives for Scalar Implicature Computation: The Alternative Activation Account and Other Theories
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Chapter of a book |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | This paper discusses the connection between the generation and selection of alternatives in the domain of focus and scalar implicature. We argue that the mechanism for constructing alternatives needs to be separated from the inferential process itself. Taking inspiration from the work on the activation of focus alternatives (e.g., Gotzner, 2017), we propose an analogous Alternative Activation Account for scalar implicature. We review experimental evidence suggesting that initially a broad cohort of elements is activated for focus and scalar alternatives. Crucially, non-entailed alternatives are included in this initial as a result of how our brain organizes information in semantic networks. Later during incremental sentence comprehension, the initial set is narrowed down to those alternatives that are relevant for inference computation. We discuss whether the same kinds of alternatives feature in the case of focus and different scalar expressions such as quantifiers and gradable adjectives. Finally, we point out key test cases for future research to tackle the nature of alternatives and the mechanisms underlying scalar implicature computation. |