@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:
- ALT-GEN (alternative generation): Computing what the speaker could have said
- 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:
| Item | ALT-GEN | ALT-NEG | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| some | online | online | Quantifier |
| three | offline | online | Numeral |
| FC or | — | different mech | FC disjunction |
Experimental Evidence (6 experiments) #
Structural priming paradigm: if two expressions share a sub-computation, processing one facilitates processing the other.
- Exp 1–2: some → numerals (bidirectional priming)
- Exp 3–4: numerals → some (bidirectional priming)
- Exp 5: FC or → some (NO priming)
- Exp 6: FC or → numerals (NO priming)
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)
- online : AltGenSource
Computed from Horn scale at processing time
- offline : AltGenSource
Pre-stored with lexical entry
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What is done with alternatives once generated.
The mechanism by which un-uttered alternatives contribute to meaning:
exhaustification: negate alternatives (standard SI: "not all")innocentInclusion: assert alternatives (FC: "may A ∧ may B")none: no strengthening operation applies
- exhaustification : AltNegMechanism
IE: negate alternatives (standard scalar implicature)
- innocentInclusion : AltNegMechanism
II: assert alternatives (free choice inference)
- none : AltNegMechanism
No strengthening
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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).
- altGen : AltGenSource
How alternatives are generated
- altNeg : AltNegMechanism
What is done with alternatives
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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)
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The process profile for each scalar item class.
This is the paper's central theoretical claim (Table 1, §5).
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Concrete scalar items used in the experiments.
- some_ : ScalarItem
- three : ScalarItem
- four : ScalarItem
- fcOr : ScalarItem
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Classify a concrete item into its class.
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Get the process profile for a concrete item.
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Priming Predictions #
Meyer & Feiman's reasoning (§2.3, §5):
- Two items prime each other iff they share a sub-computation
- Shared ALT-NEG → cross-category priming (some ↔ numerals)
- Different ALT-NEG → no priming (FC ↮ some, FC ↮ numerals)
- Shared vs different ALT-GEN → asymmetry in priming strength
Predicted priming between two classes: occurs iff shared ALT-NEG.
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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
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Experiments 1–2: some primes numerals.
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Experiments 3–4: numerals prime some.
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Experiment 5: FC or does NOT prime some.
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Experiment 6: FC or does NOT prime numerals.
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All experiments from @cite{meyer-feiman-2021}.
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Key Empirical Findings #
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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)
- siMechanism : AltNegMechanism
Standard SI mechanism
- fcMechanism : AltNegMechanism
FC mechanism
- sameMechanism : Bool
Are they the same?
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Falsified Accounts #
Meyer & Feiman's data rules out several theoretical positions (§5).
Theoretical positions about scalar inference processing.
- uniformOnline : TheoreticalPosition
All scalar inferences use the same online computation
- uniformOffline : TheoreticalPosition
All scalar inferences use stored/default meanings
- decomposed : TheoreticalPosition
Scalar items differ in ALT-GEN but share ALT-NEG (M&F's position)
- fullyIndependent : TheoreticalPosition
Each scalar item class is fully independent
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Whether a theoretical position is compatible with the priming data.
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- Phenomena.ScalarImplicatures.Studies.MeyerFeiman2021.compatibleWithData Phenomena.ScalarImplicatures.Studies.MeyerFeiman2021.TheoreticalPosition.uniformOnline = false
- Phenomena.ScalarImplicatures.Studies.MeyerFeiman2021.compatibleWithData Phenomena.ScalarImplicatures.Studies.MeyerFeiman2021.TheoreticalPosition.uniformOffline = false
- Phenomena.ScalarImplicatures.Studies.MeyerFeiman2021.compatibleWithData Phenomena.ScalarImplicatures.Studies.MeyerFeiman2021.TheoreticalPosition.decomposed = true
- Phenomena.ScalarImplicatures.Studies.MeyerFeiman2021.compatibleWithData Phenomena.ScalarImplicatures.Studies.MeyerFeiman2021.TheoreticalPosition.fullyIndependent = false
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Quantifiers and numerals differ on ALT-GEN.
FC uses a different ALT-NEG mechanism from quantifiers.
FC uses a different ALT-NEG mechanism from numerals.
some and three share exhaustification.
some and three differ on ALT-GEN source.
FC or uses a completely different mechanism from some.
Exp 1–2: priming predicted (shared ALT-NEG) and observed.
Exp 3–4: priming predicted (shared ALT-NEG) and observed.
Exp 5: no priming predicted (different ALT-NEG) and none observed.
Exp 6: no priming predicted (different ALT-NEG) and none observed.
All experiments match the profile-based prediction.
The decomposed account is compatible with the data.
The uniform-online account is falsified.
The uniform-offline account is falsified.
The fully-independent account is falsified.
Exactly one of the four positions survives the data.
The quantifier scale ⟨some, all⟩ has an online ALT-GEN profile.
The numeral scale ⟨1, 2, 3,...⟩ has an offline ALT-GEN profile.
Both quantifier and numeral scales share ALT-NEG = exhaustification.
The connective scale ⟨or, and⟩ (standard, non-FC) also uses exhaustification.
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 uses innocent inclusion, not exhaustification.
The SI/FC contrast is a processing architecture difference.
FC data items are correctly classified as having a distinct mechanism from standard SI data items.
FC cancellability (from FreeChoice.lean) is consistent with the FC profile using innocentInclusion.
All three classes share the property of being scalar (involving alternatives), but differ in processing architecture.
No two of the three classes have identical process profiles.