Scales and inferences
Scalar inferences (SIs) are upper-bounding inferences associated with the use of semantically lower-bounded scalar expressions. One of the current debates regarding these inferences concerns their inferential pattern, specifically whether SIs are uniform or diverse across scales. This study follows...
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Cambridge University Press
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Language and Cognition |
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| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S186698082400036X/type/journal_article |
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| author | Shirly Orr Mira Ariel Einat Shetreet |
| author_facet | Shirly Orr Mira Ariel Einat Shetreet |
| author_sort | Shirly Orr |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Scalar inferences (SIs) are upper-bounding inferences associated with the use of semantically lower-bounded scalar expressions. One of the current debates regarding these inferences concerns their inferential pattern, specifically whether SIs are uniform or diverse across scales. This study follows the work on scalar diversity yet introduces two changes: First, we reexamine, from a different perspective, two structural properties of scales identified as accounting for SI diversity (boundedness and distance). Second, we analyze our data using both traditional regression analysis and complementary cluster analysis. The regression analysis demonstrates that our reexamination of the structural properties provides a more effective model, which also emphasizes the relationship between boundedness and distance. Specifically, we propose that boundedness fixes distance. The cluster analysis demonstrates two scale types: given-scales, which have an entrenched scalar construal, trigger SIs robustly; and volatile-scales, which have a fluctuant scalar construal, trigger SIs inconsistently. Building on these two scale types, we propose a necessary distinction between the conceptualization of a scale, which is diverse across different scales, and the actual derivation of the SI, which is uniform for all scales, once a scale has been construed. This distinction, we propose, explains how diversity can coexist alongside uniformity. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-581b809c3fb94e7898d32eec1b08c05e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1866-9808 1866-9859 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Language and Cognition |
| spelling | doaj-art-581b809c3fb94e7898d32eec1b08c05e2024-12-06T03:02:50ZengCambridge University PressLanguage and Cognition1866-98081866-98592024-12-01161899192410.1017/langcog.2024.36Scales and inferencesShirly Orr0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7627-7696Mira Ariel1Einat Shetreet2Department of Linguistics, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, IsraelDepartment of Linguistics, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, IsraelDepartment of Linguistics, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, IsraelScalar inferences (SIs) are upper-bounding inferences associated with the use of semantically lower-bounded scalar expressions. One of the current debates regarding these inferences concerns their inferential pattern, specifically whether SIs are uniform or diverse across scales. This study follows the work on scalar diversity yet introduces two changes: First, we reexamine, from a different perspective, two structural properties of scales identified as accounting for SI diversity (boundedness and distance). Second, we analyze our data using both traditional regression analysis and complementary cluster analysis. The regression analysis demonstrates that our reexamination of the structural properties provides a more effective model, which also emphasizes the relationship between boundedness and distance. Specifically, we propose that boundedness fixes distance. The cluster analysis demonstrates two scale types: given-scales, which have an entrenched scalar construal, trigger SIs robustly; and volatile-scales, which have a fluctuant scalar construal, trigger SIs inconsistently. Building on these two scale types, we propose a necessary distinction between the conceptualization of a scale, which is diverse across different scales, and the actual derivation of the SI, which is uniform for all scales, once a scale has been construed. This distinction, we propose, explains how diversity can coexist alongside uniformity.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S186698082400036X/type/journal_articleboundednessdistancescalesscalar diversityscalar inferences |
| spellingShingle | Shirly Orr Mira Ariel Einat Shetreet Scales and inferences Language and Cognition boundedness distance scales scalar diversity scalar inferences |
| title | Scales and inferences |
| title_full | Scales and inferences |
| title_fullStr | Scales and inferences |
| title_full_unstemmed | Scales and inferences |
| title_short | Scales and inferences |
| title_sort | scales and inferences |
| topic | boundedness distance scales scalar diversity scalar inferences |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S186698082400036X/type/journal_article |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT shirlyorr scalesandinferences AT miraariel scalesandinferences AT einatshetreet scalesandinferences |