Contrast as denial in multi-dimensional semantics

Abstract

We argue that contrastive statements have the same underlying semantics and affect the context in the same way as denials. We substantiate this claim by giving a unified account of the two phenomena that treats contrast as a subtype of denial. We argue that earlier work on contrast–denial obscured their similarities because each was handled by widely different approaches (e.g. speech act theory vs. theories of information or discourse structure). This analysis crucially requires a dynamic semantics view of context-dependence with a multi-dimensional representation of information. We use Layered Discourse Representation Theory (LDRT) (Geurts and Maier, 2003), a framework highly suited for modeling semantic–pragmatic interface phenomena. Our unified analysis makes two major contributions. First, it adds to our understanding of various neglected aspects of contrast (and the contrast–denial interface), such as the discourse function of contrastive statements and the function of the first conjunct. We show how context plays a crucial role in the interpretation of contrastive statements and outline the conditions under which polarity reversal obtains. Second, the analysis illustrates an innovative framework for formally treating and representing different types of semantic and pragmatic information interacting in discourse in a uniform and formal way.