Documentation

Linglib.Phenomena.ScalarImplicatures.Studies.MeyerFeiman2021

@cite{meyer-feiman-2021} — Composing Alternatives #

@cite{bar-lev-fox-2017} @cite{chierchia-2004} @cite{fox-2007}

Structural priming evidence that scalar and free choice implicatures decompose into independently parameterizable sub-computations.

Citation #

Meyer, M.-C. & Feiman, R. (2021). Composing alternatives: The structural source of scalar and free choice implicatures. Journal of Memory and Language, 121, 104279.

Core Contribution #

Implicature computation factors into two sub-operations:

  1. ALT-GEN (alternative generation): Computing what the speaker could have said
  2. ALT-NEG (alternative negation): Strengthening by negating the un-uttered alternatives

Each sub-operation can independently be online (computed during processing) or offline (pre-stored with the lexical entry). This gives a spectrum of processing architectures:

ItemALT-GENALT-NEGCategory
someonlineonlineQuantifier
threeofflineonlineNumeral
FC ordifferent mechFC disjunction

Experimental Evidence (6 experiments) #

Structural priming paradigm: if two expressions share a sub-computation, processing one facilitates processing the other.

The pattern falsifies any uniform account: shared ALT-NEG between some and numerals, but FC uses an entirely different mechanism (assertion-based per @cite{bar-lev-fox-2017}, not negation-based).

Processing Architecture Types #

How alternatives are made available during processing.

Meyer & Feiman's key theoretical distinction (§1.2, §5):

  • online: alternatives computed from the Horn scale at processing time (e.g., some → {most, all} derived from ⟨some, most, all⟩)
  • offline: alternatives stored with the lexical entry (e.g., three → {one, two, four,...} stored in the numeral system)
Instances For
    Equations
    • One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
    Instances For

      What is done with alternatives once generated.

      The mechanism by which un-uttered alternatives contribute to meaning:

      Instances For
        Equations
        • One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
        Instances For

          A scalar item's implicature processing profile.

          Combines ALT-GEN source and ALT-NEG mechanism to classify how a given scalar item's implicature is computed. Meyer & Feiman argue that these two dimensions are independently parameterizable (§5).

          Instances For
            Equations
            • One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
            Instances For
              Equations
              • One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
              Instances For
                Equations
                • One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.

                Scalar Item Classification #

                The three classes of scalar item distinguished by Meyer & Feiman.

                The paper argues these are not merely taxonomic labels but reflect genuine processing differences, as demonstrated by the priming pattern.

                • quantifier : ScalarItemClass

                  Quantifiers: ALT-GEN online, ALT-NEG online (§2.1)

                • numeral : ScalarItemClass

                  Numerals: ALT-GEN offline, ALT-NEG online (§2.2)

                • freeChoiceDisjunction : ScalarItemClass

                  Free choice disjunction: different mechanism entirely (§2.3)

                Instances For
                  Equations
                  • One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
                  Instances For

                    The process profile for each scalar item class.

                    This is the paper's central theoretical claim (Table 1, §5).

                    Equations
                    • One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
                    Instances For

                      Concrete scalar items used in the experiments.

                      Instances For
                        Equations
                        • One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
                        Instances For

                          Classify a concrete item into its class.

                          Equations
                          • One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
                          Instances For

                            Get the process profile for a concrete item.

                            Equations
                            • One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
                            Instances For

                              Priming Predictions #

                              Meyer & Feiman's reasoning (§2.3, §5):

                              Whether two scalar item classes share ALT-NEG.

                              Equations
                              • One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
                              Instances For

                                Whether two scalar item classes share ALT-GEN.

                                Equations
                                • One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
                                Instances For

                                  Experimental Data #

                                  Result of a structural priming experiment.

                                  Each experiment tests whether processing a scalar implicature with one item type facilitates processing with another.

                                  • experiment : String

                                    Experiment identifier

                                  • primeClass : ScalarItemClass

                                    Prime scalar item class

                                  • targetClass : ScalarItemClass

                                    Target scalar item class

                                  • primingObserved : Bool

                                    Was significant priming observed?

                                  • nParticipants : Nat

                                    Number of participants

                                  • effectDescription : String

                                    Effect description

                                  Instances For
                                    Equations
                                    • One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
                                    Instances For

                                      Experiments 1–2: some primes numerals.

                                      Equations
                                      • One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
                                      Instances For

                                        Experiments 3–4: numerals prime some.

                                        Equations
                                        • One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
                                        Instances For

                                          Experiment 5: FC or does NOT prime some.

                                          Equations
                                          • One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
                                          Instances For

                                            Experiment 6: FC or does NOT prime numerals.

                                            Equations
                                            • One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
                                            Instances For

                                              All experiments from @cite{meyer-feiman-2021}.

                                              Equations
                                              • One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
                                              Instances For

                                                Key Empirical Findings #

                                                The three main findings of the paper (§5).

                                                • someNumeralPriming : Bool

                                                  Finding 1: Bidirectional priming between some and numerals

                                                • noFCSomePriming : Bool

                                                  Finding 2: No priming between FC or and some

                                                • noFCNumeralPriming : Bool

                                                  Finding 3: No priming between FC or and numerals

                                                Instances For
                                                  Equations
                                                  • One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
                                                  Instances For

                                                    Connections to Other Phenomena #

                                                    The process profile classification connects to several existing phenomena in linglib.

                                                    For each scale in the library's basic data, which process profile applies.

                                                    This connects Meyer & Feiman's classification to the Horn scale data in Phenomena.ScalarImplicatures.Basic.

                                                    Equations
                                                    • One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
                                                    Instances For

                                                      Numeral Hurford rescue (e.g., "three or all") involves the offline/online profile — alternatives are stored, so exhaustification ("exactly three") is immediately available for Hurford rescue.

                                                      Equations
                                                      • One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
                                                      Instances For

                                                        FC phenomena use a fundamentally different mechanism from standard SI.

                                                        This connects to Phenomena.Modality.FreeChoice, where the FC inference ◇(A ∨ B) → ◇A ∧ ◇B is derived via Innocent Inclusion rather than Innocent Exclusion.

                                                        Equations
                                                        • One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
                                                        Instances For

                                                          The asymmetry between SI and FC is a processing architecture difference, not just a semantic difference. Both involve alternatives, but:

                                                          • SI: negate alternatives (IE)
                                                          • FC: assert alternatives (II)
                                                          Instances For
                                                            Equations
                                                            • One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
                                                            Instances For
                                                              Equations
                                                              • One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
                                                              Instances For

                                                                Falsified Accounts #

                                                                Meyer & Feiman's data rules out several theoretical positions (§5).

                                                                Theoretical positions about scalar inference processing.

                                                                Instances For
                                                                  Equations
                                                                  • One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
                                                                  Instances For

                                                                    Numeral Hurford rescue: "three or all" is rescued because exh(three) = "exactly three" is available via offline alternatives.

                                                                    Both rescued-numeral and rescued-quantifier Hurford cases use the same strengthening mechanism (exhaustification).

                                                                    FC cancellability (from FreeChoice.lean) is consistent with the FC profile using innocentInclusion.