Quantity Implicatures

In recent years, quantity implicatures - a type of pragmatic inference - have been widely debated in linguistics, philosophy, and psychology, and have been subject to an enormous variety of analyses, ranging from lexical, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic, to various hybrid accounts. In this first book-length discussion of the topic, Bart Geurts presents a theory of quantity implicatures that is resolutely pragmatic, arguing that the orthodox Gricean approach to conversational implicature is capable of accounting for all the standard cases of quantity implicature, and more. He shows how the theory deals with free-choice inferences as merely a garden variety of quantity implicatures, and gives an in-depth treatment of so-called 'embedded implicatures'. Moreover, as well as offering a comprehensive theory of quantity implicatures, he also takes into account experimental data and processing issues. Original and pioneering, and avoiding technical terminology, this insightful study will be invaluable to linguists, philosophers, and experimental psychologists alike. Cover......Page 1 Frontmatter......Page 2 Contents......Page 6 Preface......Page 8 Introduction......Page 10 1.1 Saying vs. implicating......Page 14 1.2 Discourse and cooperation......Page 19 1.3 Conversational implicatures......Page 21 1.4 Generalised vs. particularised......Page 25 1.5 Cancellability......Page 27 1.6 Gricean reasoning and the pragmatics of what is said......Page 30 2.1 The Standard Recipe......Page 36 2.2 Inference to the best explanation......Page 42 2.3 Weak implicatures and competence......Page 46 2.4 Relevance......Page 51 2.5 Conclusion......Page 57 3 - Scalar implicatures......Page 58 3.1 Horn scales and the generative view......Page 59 3.2 Implicatures and downward entailing environments......Page 63 3.3 Disjunction: exclusivity and ignorance......Page 68 3.4 Conclusion......Page 73 4 - Psychological plausibility......Page 76 4.1 Charges of psychological inadequacy......Page 77 4.2 Logical complexity......Page 79 4.3 Abduction......Page 80 4.4 Incremental processing......Page 81 4.5 The intentional stance......Page 83 4.6 Alternatives......Page 86 4.7 Conclusion......Page 90 5 - Nonce inferences or defaults?......Page 92 5.1 True defaults......Page 94 5.2 Strong defaultism......Page 96 5.3 Weak defaultism......Page 102 5.4 Contextualism......Page 108 5.5 Conclusion......Page 112 6 - Intentions, alternatives, and free choice......Page 114 6.1 Free choice......Page 116 6.2 Problems with the Standard Recipe......Page 119 6.3 Intentions first......Page 121 6.4 Free choice explained......Page 126 6.5 Comparing alternatives......Page 130 6.6 Two flavours of Q-implicature......Page 134 6.7 Conclusion......Page 140 7 - Embedded implicatures: the problems......Page 142 7.1 The problems......Page 144 7.2 Varieties of conventionalism......Page 153 7.3 Against conventionalism......Page 162 7.4 Conclusion......Page 171 8 - Embedded implicatures: a Gricean approach......Page 174 8.1 Disjunction......Page 175 8.2 Belief reports......Page 177 8.3 Factives and other presupposition inducers......Page 180 8.4 Indefinites......Page 185 8.5 Contrastive construals and lexical pragmatics......Page 190 8.6 Conclusion......Page 198 Afterword......Page 202 Notation and abbreviations......Page 206 References......Page 208 Index......Page 218 1. Gricean Pragmatics. 1.1. Saying Vs. Implicating ; 1.2. Discourse And Cooperation ; 1.3. Conversational Implicatures ; 1.4. Generalised Vs. Particularised ; 1.5. Cancellability ; 1.6. Gricean Reasoning And The Pragmatics Of What Is Said -- 2. The Standard Recipe For Q-implicatures. 2.1. The Standard Recipe ; 2.2. Inference To The Best Explanation ; 2.3. Weak Implicatures And Competence ; 2.4. Relevance ; 2.5. Conclusion -- 3. Scalar Implicatures. 3.1. Horn Scales And The Generative View ; 3.2. Implicatures And Downward Entailing Environments ; 3.3. Disjunction : Exclusivity And Ignorance ; 3.4. Conclusion -- 4. Psychological Plausibility. 4.1. Charges Of Psychological Inadequacy ; 4.2. Logical Complexity ; 4.3. Abduction ; 4.4. Incremental Processing ; 4.5. The Intentional Stance ; 4.6. Alternatives ; 4.7. Conclusion -- 5. Nonce Inference Or Defaults?. 5.1. True Defaults ; 5.2. Strong Defaultism ; 5.3. Weak Defaultism ; 5.4. Contextualism ; 5.5. Conclusion -- 6. Intentions, Alternatives, And Free Choice. 6.1. Free Choice ; 6.2. Problems With The Standard Recipe ; 6.3. Intentions First ; 6.4. Free Choice Explained ; 6.5. Comparing Alternatives ; 6.6. Two Flavours Of Q-implicature ; 6.7. Conclusion -- 7. Embedded Implicatures : The Problems. 7.1. The Problems ; 7.2. Varieties Of Conventionalism ; 7.3. Against Conventionalism ; 7.4. Conclusion -- 8. Embedded Implicatures : A Gricean Approach. 8.1. Disjunction ; 8.2. Belief Reports ; 8.3. Factives And Other Presupposition Inducers ; 8.4. Indefinites ; 8.5. Contrastive Construals And Lexical Pragmatics ; 8.6 . Conclusion. Bart Geurts. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [199]-107) And Index. A pioneering study of quantity implicatures, a type of pragmatic inference which has been widely debated in linguistics, philosophy, and psychology. It argues that the Gricean approach to conversational implicature can account for all the standard cases of quantity implicature, and also takes into account experimental data and processing issues. Presents a theory of quantity implicatures, a type of pragmatic inference which is widely debated in linguistics, philosophy, and psychology