Scale structure: Processing minimum standard and maximum standard scalar adjectives
Scale structure: Processing minimum standard and maximum standard scalar adjectives
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DOI：
10.1016/j.cognition.2007.02.004
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发表时间：
2008-01-01
期刊：
影响因子：
3.4
通讯作者：
Stolterfoht, Britta
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Frazier, Lyn;Clifton, Charles, Jr.;Stolterfoht, Britta
可分级形容词表示接受对象并返回该对象具有某种可分级性质的程度的函数[Kennedy，C.(1999)]。投射形容词：分级和比较的句法和语义。纽约：加兰德]。等级，程度的有序集合，已经开始在语义学中被系统地研究[肯尼迪，C.(出现)。模糊性与语法：相对和绝对可分级谓词的语义。《语言学与哲学》，肯尼迪，C.和麦克纳利，L.(2005)。等级结构、程度修饰和可分级谓词的语义。语言，81,345-381；罗斯坦，C.和温特，Y.(2004)。完全形容词与部分形容词：等级结构和高阶修饰语。自然语言语义学，12,259-288.]我们报道了四个实验，旨在调查具有最高标准(例如，干净)的绝对形容词及其最低标准反义词(脏)的加工。中心假设是，绝对形容词的外延在一个标度上引入了一个‘标准值’，作为对包含该形容词的句子的正常理解的一部分(“强制性标度”假设)。根据Kennedy和McNally(2005)和Rotstein和温特(2004)的预测，当最大标准形容词和最小标准形容词与最小限度修饰语SIGHTY组合时，它们之间存在系统性差异，如快速可接受性判断所表明的那样。一项眼动记录研究表明，正如强制性尺度假说所预测的那样，在句子的加工过程中，可以观察到由于与最高标准形容词组合而产生的惩罚，这种惩罚不是某种事后推理机制的结果。此外，当数量副词(主要)与最小标准形容词组合在类似的句子中时，可以观察到一种类型的数量变化效应，该句子可以接受程度解释(例如，80%脏)或数量解释(例如，80%的盘子是脏的)。数量可变性的结果表明，一个数量形容词的标准会影响对句子中其他成分的偏好解释，从而为强制性标度假说提供了支持。(C)2007 Elsevier B.V.保留所有权利。
Gradable adjectives denote a function that takes an object and returns a measure of the degree to which the object possesses some gradable property [Kennedy, C. (1999). Projecting the adjective: The syntax and semantics of gradability and comparison. New York: Garland]. Scales, ordered sets of degrees, have begun to be studied systematically in semantics [Kennedy, C. (to appear). Vagueness and grammar: the semantics of relative and absolute gradable predicates. Linguistics and Philosophy; Kennedy, C. & McNally, L. (2005). Scale structure, degree modification, and the semantics of gradable predicates. Language, 81, 345-381; Rotstein, C., & Winter, Y. (2004). Total adjectives vs. partial adjectives: scale structure and higher order modifiers. Natural Language Semantics, 12, 259-288.]. We report four experiments designed to investigate the processing of absolute adjectives with a maximum standard (e.g., clean) and their minimum standard antonyms (dirty). The central hypothesis is that the denotation of an absolute adjective introduces a 'standard value' on a scale as part of the normal comprehension of a sentence containing the adjective (the "Obligatory Scale" hypothesis). In line with the predictions of Kennedy and McNally (2005) and Rotstein and Winter (2004), maximum standard adjectives and minimum standard adjectives systematically differ from each other when they are combined with minimizing modifiers like slightly, as indicated by speeded acceptability judgments. An eye movement recording study shows that, as predicted by the Obligatory Scale hypothesis, the penalty due to combining slightly with a maximum standard adjective can be observed during the processing of the sentence; the penalty is not the result of some after-the-fact inferencing mechanism. Further, a type of 'quantificational variability effect' may be observed when a quantificational adverb (mostly) is combined with a minimum standard adjective in sentences like "The dishes are mostly dirty", which may receive either a degree interpretation (e.g., 80% dirty) or a quantity interpretation (e.g., 80% of the dishes are dirty). The quantificational variability results provide suggestive support for the Obligatory Scale hypothesis by showing that the standard of a scalar adjective influences the preferred interpretation of other constituents in the sentence. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.