Pragmatic Aspects of Scalar Modifiers

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Osamu Sawada
Keyword(s):  
Detailed Analysis ◽  
Historical Development ◽  
Positive Polarity ◽  
Semantic Level ◽  
Pragmatic Information ◽  
Semantics And Pragmatics ◽  
Semantic Shift ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
Scalar Modifiers ◽  
Pragmatic Aspects

This book investigates pragmatic aspects of scalar modifiers. Through a detailed analysis of the semantics and pragmatics of comparatives with indeterminate pronouns, positive polarity minimizers, intensifiers, and expectation-reversal adverbs in Japanese and other languages, the book shows that scalarity is utilized not just for measuring a thing/event in the semantic level, but also for expressing various kinds of pragmatic information, including politeness, priority of utterance, the speaker’s attitude, and unexpectedness, at the level of conventional implicature (CI). The similarities and differences between at-issue and CI scalar meanings are analyzed using a multidimensional composition system (Potts 2005; McCready 2010). Two types of pragmatic scalar modifiers are proposed: a higher-level pragmatic scalar modifier, which utilizes an implicit pragmatic scale, and a lower-level pragmatic scalar modifier, which recycles the scale of an at-issue gradable predicate. The book also investigates the interpretations of pragmatic scalar modifiers that are embedded in the complement of an attitude predicate, and claims that there is a semantic shift from a CI to a secondary at-issue entailment in the case of non-speaker-oriented readings. It will also show that there is a phenomenon of “projection of not-at-issue meaning via modal support” in lower-level pragmatic scalar modifiers. Finally, the historical development of pragmatic scalar modifiers is also discussed. This book claims that although semantic scalar meanings and pragmatic (CI) scalar meanings are compositionally different, there is a relationship between the two, and it is important to look at both kinds of meaning in a uniform/flexible fashion.

Introduction

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Osamu Sawada
Keyword(s):  
Historical Development ◽  
Dual Use ◽  
The Core ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
Conventional Implicatures ◽  
Scalar Modifiers

Chapter 1 introduces the aim and the target phenomenon of this book, that is, the dual-use phenomenon of scalar modifiers and the meaning and use of pragmatic scalar modifiers. After a brief overview of the current views on the notion of conventional implicatures (CIs) and the semantics/pragmatics interface, and observation of data for the dual-use phenomenon of pragmatic scalar modifiers, this book raises questions concerning (i) the similarities and differences between at-issue scalar meanings and CI (not-at-issue) scalar meanings, (ii) variations in pragmatic scalar modifiers, (iii) the interpretations of embedded pragmatic scalar modifiers, and (iv) the historical development of pragmatic scalar modifiers. It then also briefly outlines the core ideas and analytical directions used for answering these questions.

Historical development of pragmatic scalar modifiers

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Osamu Sawada
Keyword(s):  
Historical Development ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Semantic Change ◽  
General Constraint ◽  
Syntactic Change ◽  
Semantic Shift ◽  
Scalar Modifiers ◽  
The Relationship

Chapter 9 considers the development of pragmatic scalar modifiers from a historical point of view. The main point is that although the directionality of the semantic change of scalar modifiers can be captured under a general path of semantic change or grammaticalization (i.e. propositional $>$ (textual) $>$ expressive; Traugott 1982), the semantic shift of scalar modifiers is not lexically at random. The chapter argues that semantic change in scalar modifiers is constrained or regulated by their lexical and morphosyntactic properties. At the lexical level, this constraint means that semantic change does not occur if the source meaning does not fit with an expressive mode. At the morphosyntactic level, there is a general constraint that the elements used for expressing a particular CI meaning must form a constituent. Finally, the relationship between syntactic change and semantic change is also discussed.

Conclusion

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Osamu Sawada
Keyword(s):  
Historical Development ◽  
Theoretic Approach ◽  
Multidimensional Approach ◽  
Dual Use ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Alternative Approaches ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
Scalar Modifiers ◽  
Issue Content

Chapter 10 summarizes the book’s analyses and proposal regarding (i) similarities and differences between semantic scalar modifiers and pragmatic scalar modifiers, (ii) variations in pragmatic scalar modifiers, (iii) interpretations of embedded pragmatic scalar modifiers, and (iv) the historical development of pragmatic scalar modifiers, and considers theoretical implications. The dual-use phenomenon of scalar modifiers and the interpretations of pragmatic scalar modifiers suggest that although there is a difference between at-issue and not-at-issue meanings, they have a flexible relationship. The chapter argues that both types of meanings must be captured in a unified or flexible fashion. This multidimensional approach is compared to other alternative approaches: the relevance-theoretic approach and Bach’s approach, which does not assume the notion of a CI. Finally, possible future directions for studies of pragmatic scalar modifiers and not-at-issue content are briefly considered.

A Comparative Analysis of Two Qualitative Methods: Deciding Between Grounded Theory and Phenomenology for Your Research

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-40
Author(s):  
Masoodi Marjan
Keyword(s):  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Historical Development ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Qualitative Approaches ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Applied Approach ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
Research Students

Abstract The purpose of this article is to compare two qualitative approaches that can be used in different researches: phenomenology and grounded theory. This overview is done to (1) summarize similarities and differences between these two approaches, with attention to their historical development, goals, methods, audience, and products (2) familiarize the researchers with the origins and details of these approaches in the way that they can make better matches between their research question(s) and the goals and products of the study (3) discuss a brief outline of each methodology along with their origin, essence and procedural steps undertaken (4) illustrate how the procedures of data analysis (coding), theoretical memoing and sampling are applied to systematically generate a grounded theory (5) briefly examine the major challenges for utilizing two approaches in grounded theory, the Glaserian and Straussian. As a conclusion, this overview reveals that it is essential to ensure that the method matches the research question being asked, helps the researchers determine the suitability of their applied approach and provides a continues training for the novice researchers, especially PhD or research students who lack solid knowledge and background experience in multiple research methods.

scholarly journals 23 Science and the International Regulation of Marine Pollution

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirk Elizabeth A
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Historical Development ◽  
Final Section ◽  
Marine Pollution ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
International Regulation ◽  
Sources Of Pollution ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
Different Sources

This chapter considers the approaches taken by international regimes to address marine pollution. It identifies similarities and differences in approaches across time and different sources of pollution, the degree to which they follow an adaptive management approach, and the role of science in decision-making. It begins with an overview of the historical development of the law. It then discusses the current regime, covering general obligations and certain source-specific obligations. The final section contains conclusions and a discussion of current and future issues.

Introduction: Current perspectives on positive polarity

Linguistics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 283-300
Author(s):  
Mingya Liu ◽  
Gianina Iordăchioaia
Keyword(s):  
Internal Structure ◽  
Negative Polarity ◽  
Positive Polarity ◽  
Negative Polarity Items ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
Polarity Items ◽  
The Past ◽  
Linguistic Research ◽  
Semantics And Pragmatics ◽  
Different Sources

Abstract Polarity sensitivity has been an established key topic of linguistic research for more than half a century. The study of polarity phenomena can be extremely revealing about the internal structure of a language, as they usually involve an interaction at the interface between syntax, semantics and pragmatics. In the past, most attention was paid to negative polarity items. However, recent years have witnessed a growing interest in positive polarity items. As a continuation of this trend, this issue collects four papers dedicated to positive polarity items, which enrich the empirical domain with novel observations from different languages and appeal to diverse theoretical concepts such as scalarity and presupposition in their modeling of positive polarity. The results show that positive polarity is a distributional phenomenon that has different sources and most likely cannot be modeled in a unifying way, although there may be subsets of positive polarity items that allow unifying accounts.

scholarly journals Positive polarity predicates

Linguistics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 361-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack Hoeksema
Keyword(s):  
Binary Classification ◽  
Complex Interaction ◽  
Positive Polarity ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Recent Proposal ◽  
Polarity Items ◽  
Semantics And Pragmatics ◽  
Negative Quantifiers ◽  
High Degree

Abstract This paper presents Dutch and English predicates that behave as positive polarity items and provides a partial, semantically-grounded classification of this group of PPIs. The items are studied from the perspective of anti-licensing behavior (by negation, either locally or long-distance, in questions, and by weakly negative quantifiers such as little and few). Predicates, unlike quantifiers, do not have wide scope readings (which allow quantificational PPIs such as somebody to appear in the syntactic scope of negation). Using a mixture of corpus data and introspective judgments, we show that anti-licensing among PPIs is not uniform (mirroring earlier results on NPIs which likewise show considerable variation). Rescuing contexts are likewise shown to differ among PPIs. Some of the PPI predicates show complex interaction with illocutionary force (especially mandative force), and others with differences between presupposed and asserted propositions. High degree predicates, finally, point toward the existence of connections between the marking of degree and positive polarity. PPI status is argued to be the result of a complex interaction between the effects of negation and other nonveridical operators, and other semantic factors, which differ among subclasses of PPIs. Anti-licensing by weak negation correlates fairly well with anti-licensing by long-distance negation, a finding which is (partly) in line with a recent proposal by Spector (2014, Global positive polarity items and obligatory exhaustivity. Semantics and Pragmatics 7(11). 1–61) concerning global PPIs. However, we find there to be more variation among the PPIs studied here than the classification of Spector (2014) or any binary classification stipulates.

Józef Bremer. Elementy logiki [The Elements of Logic]

1970 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 291-292
Author(s):  
Elzbieta Jastrzębska
Keyword(s):  
Historical Development ◽  
Deductive Reasoning ◽  
Foreign Literature ◽  
Successful Attempt ◽  
Semantics And Pragmatics ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Basic Course

The Elements of Logic is conceived as an academic textbook that includes mainly material for a basic course in logic for students. Based on his own reflections as well as national and foreign literature on the subject (authors such as K. Ajdukiewicz, J. Lukasiewicz, T. Kotarbihski, G. Frege, L. Wittgenstein). Dr. Józef Bremer, S.J., presents in the following four chapters systematized knowledge of the problems embraced by the titles of each part of the book. The main aim of the author is the presentation of the problem of deductive reasoning. Another aim of this book is not only to teach how to formalize, but also to show why we generally do formalize. The Elements of Logic is a successful attempt to answer this question. Chapter I contains material related to logic and its understanding. In this chapter the author presents some texts on the historical development of the question: „what is logic about?" He also presents short texts on three related sciences: syntax, semantics and pragmatics.

Introduction: Logic and Logic Programming Languages

1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. O’Donnell
Keyword(s):  
Logic Programming ◽  
Programming Languages ◽  
Historical Development ◽  
Theoretical Computer Science ◽  
Equational Logic ◽  
Computer Scientists ◽  
General Schema ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
Logic Programming Languages ◽  
Order Predicate Calculus

Logic, according to Webster’s dictionary [Webster, 1987], is ‘a science that deals with the principles and criteria of validity of inference and demonstration: the science of the formal principles of reasoning.' Such 'principles and criteria’ are always described in terms of a language in which inference, demonstration, and reasoning may be expressed. One of the most useful accomplishments of logic for mathematics is the design of a particular formal language, the First Order Predicate Calculus (FOPC). FOPC is so successful at expressing the assertions arising in mathematical discourse that mathematicians and computer scientists often identify logic with classical logic expressed in FOPC. In order to explore a range of possible uses of logic in the design of programming languages, we discard the conventional identification of logic with FOPC, and formalize a general schema for a variety of logical systems, based on the dictionary meaning of the word. Then, we show how logic programming languages may be designed systematically for any sufficiently effective logic, and explain how to view Prolog, Datalog, λProlog, Equational Logic Programming, and similar programming languages, as instances of the general schema of logic programming. Other generalizations of logic programming have been proposed independently by Meseguer [Meseguer, 1989], Miller, Nadathur, Pfenning and Scedrov [Miller et al., 1991], Goguen and Burstall [Goguen and Burstall, 1992]. The purpose of this chapter is to introduce a set of basic concepts for understanding logic programming, not in terms of its historical development, but in a systematic way based on retrospective insights. In order to achieve a systematic treatment, we need to review a number of elementary definitions from logic and theoretical computer science and adapt them to the needs of logic programming. The result is a slightly modified logical notation, which should be recognizable to those who know the traditional notation. Conventional logical notation is also extended to new and analogous concepts, designed to make the similarities and differences between logical relations and computational relations as transparent as possible. Computational notation is revised radically to make it look similar to logical notation.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document