Epistemic Reasoning in Pragmatic Inferencing by Non-Native Speakers: The Case of Scalar Implicatures

Autor/inn/en	Zhang, Jun; Wu, Yan
Titel	Epistemic Reasoning in Pragmatic Inferencing by Non-Native Speakers: The Case of Scalar Implicatures
Quelle	In: Second Language Research, 39 (2023) 3, S.697-729 (33 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Zhang, Jun)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0267-6583
DOI	10.1177/02676583211069735
Schlagwörter	Pragmatics; Inferences; Second Language Learning; Second Language Instruction; English (Second Language); Sentences; Language Processing; Reading Processes; Psycholinguistics; Linguistic Theory; Semantics; Language Usage; Form Classes (Languages); Context Effect; Undergraduate Students; Language Tests; Mandarin Chinese; Native Language; Vignettes; Task Analysis; Computer Software; International English Language Testing System + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Pragmalinguistik; Inference; Inferenz; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Fremdsprachenunterricht; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Sentence analysis; Satzanalyse; Sprachverarbeitung; Leseprozess; Psycholinguistik; Linguistische Theorie; Semantik; Sprachgebrauch; Analytischer Sprachbau; Language test; Sprachtest; Aufgabenanalyse; Language tests; Englisch
Abstract	Scalar implicatures involve inferring the use of a less informative term (e.g. some) to mean the negation of a more informative term (e.g. not all). A growing body of recent research on the derivation of scalar implicatures by adult second language (L2) learners shows that while they are successful in acquiring the knowledge of scalar implicatures, a property at the semantics--pragmatics interface, it remains controversial as to which mechanism, default or non-default, could account for L2 learners' derivation of scalar implicatures. The present study used an online self-paced reading task to address this issue by examining the role of the speaker's knowledge state in the interpretation of the existential quantifier some by Chinese-speaking learners of English in incremental sentence processing. Results showed that both L2 and native participants demonstrated comparable online sensitivity to the speaker's knowledge state. Critically, when the scalar implicature was computed in situations where the speaker was more likely to know whether the statement with the stronger alternative was true, it gave rise to measurable reading latency, indicative of increased processing costs. We conclude by arguing that our findings are compatible with the context-driven models within the Gricean tradition. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01