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Linglib.Theories.Pragmatics.Implicature.Presuppositions

Types of presupposition triggers in natural language.

Each trigger type introduces a characteristic presupposition pattern. These are used for alternative generation in SI computation.

  • definite : PresupTrigger

    Definite descriptions: "the X" presupposes X exists and is unique

  • factive : PresupTrigger

    Factive predicates: "know/regret that P" presupposes P

  • changeOfState : PresupTrigger

    Change-of-state predicates: "stop/start V-ing" presupposes prior state

  • iterative : PresupTrigger

    Iteratives: "again", "still" presuppose prior occurrence

  • cleft : PresupTrigger

    Cleft constructions: "It was X that..." presupposes existence

  • aspectual : PresupTrigger

    Aspectual predicates: "finish", "continue" presuppose event structure

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      A presupposition trigger occurrence in a sentence.

      Records the position and type of trigger, enabling compositional presupposition computation and alternative generation.

      • position :

        Word position in the sentence

      • trigger : PresupTrigger

        Type of trigger

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          A derivation extended with presupposition tracking.

          This extends the basic Implicature infrastructure to track presuppositions through the derivation, enabling:

          • Presupposition projection computation
          • Interaction between presuppositions and SIs
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            Exhaustification may strengthen presuppositions.

            When alternatives to a sentence have presuppositions, exhaustification (negating those alternatives) can introduce additional presuppositions.

            This is a structural observation; detailed computation would require integrating with the Exhaustivity module.

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              Alternative Structure for Presupposition Triggers #

              @cite{wang-2025} Table 4.1 classifies presuppositional triggers by what non-presuppositional alternative they have. This determines their behavior under the IC >> FP >> MP constraint ranking.

              Three patterns:

              1. Deletion alternatives: trigger can be deleted (ye/also → ∅, you/again → ∅)
              2. Replacement alternatives: trigger has a specific lexical alternative (zhidao/know → believe, buzai/no-longer → not)
              3. No structural alternative: no available alternative (jiu/only → ∅)

              This classification predicts obligatoriness:

              @cite{wang-2025} Table 4.1: How a presupposition trigger relates to its non-presuppositional alternative.

              • deletion : AltStructure

                Alternative is obtained by deleting the trigger (ye/also → ∅, you/again → ∅)

              • replacement : AltStructure

                Alternative is a specific lexical replacement (zhidao/know → believe)

              • none : AltStructure

                No structural alternative available (jiu/only)

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                  @cite{wang-2025} pragmatic constraint ranking: IC >> FP >> MP.

                  • IC (Internal Coherence): S_p's presupposition is consistent with its assertion. Non-violable.
                  • FP (Felicity Presupposition): S_p's presupposition is entailed by the CG. Violable but ranked above MP.
                  • MP (Maximize Presupposition): Prefer the presuppositional S_p over its non-presuppositional alternative S when context supports it. Violable.
                  • IC : PragConstraint

                    Internal Coherence: presupposition consistent with assertion (non-violable)

                  • FP : PragConstraint

                    Felicity Presupposition: CG entails presupposition (violable)

                  • MP : PragConstraint

                    Maximize Presupposition: prefer presuppositional form (violable)

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                      Obligatoriness pattern predicted by the alternative competition framework.

                      @cite{wang-2025} derives three patterns from the interaction of trigger type, alternative structure, and constraint ranking:

                      1. Obligatory: trigger must be used when CG supports presupposition
                      2. Optional: trigger may or may not be used
                      3. Blocked: trigger must NOT be used (mandatorily omitted)
                      • obligatory : Obligatoriness

                        Trigger is obligatory when presupposition is fully entailed by CG

                      • optional : Obligatoriness

                        Trigger is optional (either form is acceptable)

                      • blocked : Obligatoriness

                        Trigger is blocked (mandatorily omitted in this context)

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                          A presupposition trigger entry with @cite{wang-2025} alternative structure.

                          Extends the basic trigger type with information about what non-presuppositional alternative exists, enabling the constraint-based competition analysis.

                          • trigger : PresupTrigger

                            The trigger type (from existing classification)

                          • altStructure : AltStructure

                            Alternative structure (Wang Table 4.1)

                          • altForm : Option String

                            Lexical form of the alternative (if replacement)

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