Abstract
A scalar expression like some can optionally have an enriched interpretation (approximately meaning “some, but not all”) depending on the context in which it appears. Numerous experiments using the self-paced reading method have found evidence that context has an online effect on the interpretation of a scalar term, resulting in faster or slower reading times for a later phrase whose comprehension is dependent on the interpretation of some. The present study used eye movements to isolate the time course of this process. We find evidence that the reading time facilitation observed in previous studies was driven by early reading measures, with little reading time evidence for an immediate inference-based processing cost at the scalar expression itself, consistent with previous studies. Our results suggest that comprehenders can rapidly commit to enriched interpretations online without cost and that these enriched interpretations are then used to guide the processing of upcoming sentence material.
Highlights
A substantial part of language comprehension is inferring messages that were not explicitly said
The present study used eye-tracking while reading to identify the locus of reading time facilitation effects that have commonly been observed downstream of a scalar expression
We replicated the observation of faster reading times for the rest after some appeared in an upward-entailing context that is more supporting of scalar inferences, compared to when it appeared in a downward-entailing context that is less supporting
Summary
A substantial part of language comprehension is inferring messages that were not explicitly said. “all of the cookies” is more informative (more specific) than “some of the cookies” (which, logically speaking, means any nonzero number of the cookies, up to and including all of them); the interpretation of some is often enriched, such that a person saying “I ate some of the cookies” will often be understood as meaning “I ate some, but not all, of the cookies” (Grice, 1975; for recent reviews see Chemla & Singh, 2014; Noveck & Reboul, 2008; Sauerland, 2012; Sauerland & Schumacher, 2016) This sort of scalar inference is generally believed to be context-sensitive: in certain contexts, it is less likely to arise, or the inference is made more slowly and effortfully. She added that the rest were planning to retake the class
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