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Default meanings: language's logical connectives between comprehension and reasoning

  • Identification data

    Identifier: imarina:9267691
    Authors:
    Lobina, David J.Demestre, JosepGarcia-Albea, Jose E.Guasch, Marc
    Abstract:
    Language employs various coordinators to connect propositions, a subset of which are "logical" in nature and thus analogous to the truth operators of formal logic. We here focus on two linguistic connectives and their negations: conjunction and and (inclusive) disjunction or. Linguistic connectives exhibit a truth-conditional component as part of their meaning (their semantics), but their use in context can give rise to various implicatures and presuppositions (the domain of pragmatics) as well as to inferences that go beyond semantic/pragmatic properties (the result of reasoning processes). We provide a comprehensive review of the role of the logical connectives in language and argue that three sets of factors-semantic, pragmatic, and those related to reasoning-are separate and separable, though some details may differ cross-linguistically. As a way to showcase the argument, we present two experiments in language comprehension in Spanish wherein pragmatic content was minimised and reasoning processes neutered, thus potentially highlighting what might be the default meanings of the connectives under study. In Experiment 1 we show that the conjunctive reading of inclusive disjunction is available in positive contexts other than in syntactically intricate cases such as downward entailing and free choice contexts, contrary to what has been claimed in the literature. In Experiment 2 we show that negated conjunctions and disjunctions in Spanish can easily receive the same interpretation when contrasted against the same context and, moreover, that these interpretations match those available in English, despite claims from the literature that linguistic connectives and local negation interact differently in English and Romance languages.
  • Others:

    Author, as appears in the article.: Lobina, David J.; Demestre, Josep; Garcia-Albea, Jose E.; Guasch, Marc;
    Department: Psicologia
    URV's Author/s: Demestre Viladevall, Josep / GARCÍA-ALBEA RISTOL, JOSÉ EUGENIO / Guasch Moix, Marc / LOBINA BONA, DAVID JAMES
    Keywords: Semantics Reasoning Negation Logical connectives Implicatures Disjunctions Disjunction Conjunction Comprehension Children Acquisition
    Abstract: Language employs various coordinators to connect propositions, a subset of which are "logical" in nature and thus analogous to the truth operators of formal logic. We here focus on two linguistic connectives and their negations: conjunction and and (inclusive) disjunction or. Linguistic connectives exhibit a truth-conditional component as part of their meaning (their semantics), but their use in context can give rise to various implicatures and presuppositions (the domain of pragmatics) as well as to inferences that go beyond semantic/pragmatic properties (the result of reasoning processes). We provide a comprehensive review of the role of the logical connectives in language and argue that three sets of factors-semantic, pragmatic, and those related to reasoning-are separate and separable, though some details may differ cross-linguistically. As a way to showcase the argument, we present two experiments in language comprehension in Spanish wherein pragmatic content was minimised and reasoning processes neutered, thus potentially highlighting what might be the default meanings of the connectives under study. In Experiment 1 we show that the conjunctive reading of inclusive disjunction is available in positive contexts other than in syntactically intricate cases such as downward entailing and free choice contexts, contrary to what has been claimed in the literature. In Experiment 2 we show that negated conjunctions and disjunctions in Spanish can easily receive the same interpretation when contrasted against the same context and, moreover, that these interpretations match those available in English, despite claims from the literature that linguistic connectives and local negation interact differently in English and Romance languages.
    Thematic Areas: Philosophy Linguistics and language Linguistics Language and linguistics Language & linguistics Filosofía Filologia, lingüística i sociolingüística Ciencias sociales Ciencias humanas
    licence for use: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/
    Author's mail: josep.demestre@urv.cat marc.guasch@urv.cat
    Author identifier: 0000-0001-9221-066X 0000-0002-6898-120X
    Record's date: 2024-08-03
    Papper version: info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
    Link to the original source: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10988-022-09359-w
    Licence document URL: https://repositori.urv.cat/ca/proteccio-de-dades/
    Papper original source: Linguistics And Philosophy. 46 (1): 135-168
    APA: Lobina, David J.; Demestre, Josep; Garcia-Albea, Jose E.; Guasch, Marc; (2023). Default meanings: language's logical connectives between comprehension and reasoning. Linguistics And Philosophy, 46(1), 135-168. DOI: 10.1007/s10988-022-09359-w
    Article's DOI: 10.1007/s10988-022-09359-w
    Entity: Universitat Rovira i Virgili
    Journal publication year: 2023
    Publication Type: Journal Publications
  • Keywords:

    Language & Linguistics,Language and Linguistics,Linguistics,Linguistics and Language,Philosophy
    Semantics
    Reasoning
    Negation
    Logical connectives
    Implicatures
    Disjunctions
    Disjunction
    Conjunction
    Comprehension
    Children
    Acquisition
    Philosophy
    Linguistics and language
    Linguistics
    Language and linguistics
    Language & linguistics
    Filosofía
    Filologia, lingüística i sociolingüística
    Ciencias sociales
    Ciencias humanas
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