The Effects of Character Desire on Focus Patterns and Pronominal Reference following Quantified Statements

Autor/inn/en	Moxey, Linda M.; Filik, Ruth
Titel	The Effects of Character Desire on Focus Patterns and Pronominal Reference following Quantified Statements
Quelle	In: Discourse Processes: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 47 (2010) 7, S.588-616 (29 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0163-853X
Schlagwörter	Language Patterns; Expectation; Inferences; Reader Response; Foreign Countries; United Kingdom (Glasgow) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Sprachmodell; Sprachstruktur; Expectancy; Erwartung; Inference; Inferenz; Leserbrief; Ausland
Abstract	Following a positively quantified statement such as, "A "few" of the children sang the chorus," a plural pronoun is likely to refer to the set of children who sang (the reference set). Negative natural language quantifiers (NLQs) such as "few" or "not many," on the other hand, are more likely to be followed by reference to the complement set of children who did not sing. According to the presupposition-denial account of negative NLQs, the complement set is available for pronominal reference following these expressions because they imply a shortfall between the amount denoted and a presupposed larger amount. Focus on the shortfall set is effectively focus on the complement set. Previous support for this account is largely based on a series of experiments which show that complement set focus is also possible following positive NLQs if a previously mentioned character expects a larger amount, thereby creating a shortfall between the character's expectations and the amount denoted by the NLQ. It is not clear, however, whether the shortfall implied by a negative NLQ must be based on expectation "per se," or whether the NLQ-based implication is more general. This article reports 3 experiments which show that a shortfall can also be created between an NLQ and a character's desire for a particular quantity. Results suggest that the implication of negative NLQs that a larger amount is denied need not be based on expectation, but may be less specific. (Contains 1 figure and 5 tables.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10