When some is actually all: Scalar inferences in face-threatening contexts

Some but not all dispreferred turn markers help to interpret scalar terms in polite contexts

“…We conducted an analysis of variance in which the predictors were the valence of the target statement and the presence or absence of Well. This analysis detected a main effect of valence (consistent with Bonnefon et al, 2009) In other words, the presence of Well encouraged scalar inferences from positive statements ("some people loved your idea"), without discouraging scalar inferences from negative statements ("some people hated your idea").…”

“…It has been repeatedly demonstrated that scalar terms are less likely to generate a scalar inference when they contain a face-threatening content such as a criticism, an imposition, or a piece of bad news (Bonnefon, Feeney, & Villejoubert, 2009;Bonnefon & Villejoubert, 2006;Feeney & Bonnefon, 2013;Juanchich & Sirota, 2013;Juanchich, Sirota, & Butler, 2012;Pighin & Bonnefon, 2011;. Consider the following examples:…”

The neural computation of scalar implicature

“…There is now considerable evidence that scalar implicature machinery is deployed flexibly: Listeners are less likely to make scalar implicatures when they believe that the speaker is not motivated to be informative (Bonnefon, Feeney, & Villejoubert, 2009) or is unlikely to know whether the more informative statement is true (Bergen & Grodner, 2012). However, the machinery may be deployed flexibly but still operate over a lexical representation rather than over the proposition as a whole.…”

“…Second, despite an explosion of behavioral experiments on scalar implicature (Barner, Brooks, & Bale, 2010; Bonnefon et al, 2009; Bott & Noveck, 2004; Breheny, Ferguson, & Katsos, 2012; Chemla & Spector, 2011; Chevallier et al, 2008; Chevallier, Wilson, Happé, & Noveck, 2010; De Neys & Schaeken, 2007; Feeney, Scrafton, Duckworth, & Handley, 2004; Goodman & Stuhlmuller, 2013; Foppolo, Guasti, & Chierchia, 2012; Grodner et al, 2010; Huang & Snedeker, 2009a, 2009b, 2011; Marty, Chemla & Spector, 2013; Noveck, 2001; Papafragou & Musolino, 2003; Papafragou & Tantalou, 2004; Papafragou, 2006; Pouscoulous, Noveck, Politzer, & Bastide, 2007) relatively little is known about the neural computation of scalar implicature. Two studies have investigated the brain response produced when a scalar implicature conflicts with world knowledge.…”

“…For instance, listeners reportedly do not make scalar implicatures if they believe the speaker would be unlikely to use the more informative statement, even if it were true (Bonnefon et al, 2009). …”