[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/lee-2008-scalar-implicatures-pragmatic-inferences-or/)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [docs](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/) / [papers](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/) / [English](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/en/) / Scalar Implicatures: Pragmatic Inferences or Grammar?

# Scalar Implicatures: Pragmatic Inferences or Grammar?

**Authors:** Chungmin Lee · **Year:** 2008 · **Venue:** Proceedings of the 22nd Pacific Asia Conference on Language, Information and Computation (PACLIC 22) **Link:** [aclanthology.org/Y08-1003](https://aclanthology.org/Y08-1003/) · **Licence:** [CC BY-NC-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/) (ACL Anthology, before 2016) — summary only

[Proceedings of the 22nd Pacific Asia Conference on Language, Information and Computation](https://aclanthology.org/volumes/Y08-1/)[licence](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/)

- [Publisher's page](https://aclanthology.org/Y08-1003/)
- [PDF](https://aclanthology.org/Y08-1003.pdf)

**Authors (1)**

1. Lee, Chungmin

Citations and author metrics from OpenAlex (); authors with the same name are not always told apart.

## What it is about

This is a theoretical paper with no new data or measurements. It reviews the debate on scalar implicatures: the Gricean pragmatic account against the grammatical account, which uses an exhaustivity operator (Exh) in the LF syntax. The paper looks at two problems: the disjunction problem and the global versus local problem. The author argues that scalar implicatures come from Gricean reasoning, but are rooted in grammar through contrastive topic (CT). CT requires a concessive "but" conjunction (pero/aber), which is why scalar implicatures begin with "but" across languages. The paper also links contrastive focus (CF) with the "sino/sondern" conjunction, a metalinguistic negation. Its concluding claim is that CT with pero/aber suppresses R-implicatures, and CF with sino/sondern suppresses Q-implicatures.

## Ideas

- I1. The paper gives no data, so there is no measure to copy. Its one testable claim is that a concessive "but" is the trigger for a scalar implicature. Write it as a rule in `prag`: a "but" clause after a scalar term is marked as contrastive, and the implicature is recorded with the rule that fired.
- I2. Build a small English test list: "some X but not all", "not X but Y" (the metalinguistic reading), and "X, but Y" (the concessive reading). Label each item by hand and measure how often the rule separates the three.
- I3. Use the paper's split between the two suppressions as two separate flags on the implicature, so that each can be switched off in a negative-control run.

## For Mova

The chapters are [33. Implicature and presupposition](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/languages/en/33-implicature-and-presupposition/) and [38. Dialogue, discourse markers and reported speech](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/languages/en/38-dialogue-and-discourse-markers/). The code is `prag/src/infer.rs`. The measure is the accuracy of the contrast rule on a hand-labelled English set, run twice for determinism, with a shuffled-label negative control.

Topics: [Implicature](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/topics/implicature/)

## Cite

The paper itself, not this card. BibTeX from the library's record of the work.

```
@inproceedings{lee2008scalar,
  title = {{Scalar Implicatures: Pragmatic Inferences or Grammar?}},
  author = {Lee, Chungmin},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of the 22nd Pacific Asia Conference on Language, Information and Computation},
  year = {2008},
  url = {https://aclanthology.org/Y08-1003/}
}
```

- [← previous Referring Expressions with Rational Speech Act Framework: A Probabilistic Approach](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/le-2022-referring-expressions-rational-speech-act/)
- [next → Stanford's Multi-Pass Sieve Coreference Resolution System at the CoNLL-2011 Shared Task](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/lee-2011-stanford-s-multi-pass-sieve/)
- [↑ back to English](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/en/)

## References

16 references, 0 of them with a card of ours. ↗ leads to the work, «find» searches for one we have no id for yet.

1. Anscrombre, J.-C. and O. Ducrot. 1977. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Anscrombre%2C+J%2E%2DC%2E+and+O%2E+Ducrot%2E+1977%2E)
2. Breheny, R., N. Katsos, J. Williams. 2006. Are Generalized Scalar Implicatures Generated by Default? Cognition 100, pp. 434 - 463. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Breheny%2C+R%2E%2C+N%2E+Katsos%2C+J%2E+Williams%2E+2006%2E+Are+Generalized+Scalar+Implicatures+Generated+by+Default%3F+Cognition+100%2C+pp%2E+434+%2D+463%2E)
3. Carston, R. 1996. Metalinguistic negation and echoic use. Journal of Pragmatics 25, 309-30. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Carston%2C+R%2E+1996%2E+Metalinguistic+negation+and+echoic+use%2E+Journal+of+Pragmatics+25%2C+309%2D30%2E)
4. Chierchia, G. 2004. Scalar Implicatures, Polarity Phenomena, and the Syntax/Pragmatics Interface. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Chierchia%2C+G%2E+2004%2E+Scalar+Implicatures%2C+Polarity+Phenomena%2C+and+the+Syntax%2FPragmatics+Interface%2E)
5. Fox, Danny 2006. Free Choice and the Theory of Scalar Implicatures. Ms, MIT. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Fox%2C+Danny+2006%2E+Free+Choice+and+the+Theory+of+Scalar+Implicatures%2E+Ms%2C+MIT%2E)
6. Horn, Laurence. 1989. A Natural History of Negation. Chicago University Press. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Horn%2C+Laurence%2E+1989%2E+A+Natural+History+of+Negation%2E+Chicago+University+Press%2E)
7. Horn, Laurence. 2002. Assertoric Inertia and NPI Licensing. CLS 38, II. 55-82. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Horn%2C+Laurence%2E+2002%2E+Assertoric+Inertia+and+NPI+Licensing%2E+CLS+38%2C+II%2E+55%2D82%2E)
8. Keshet, Ezra. 2006. Scalar Implicatures with Alternative Semantics, SALT, Tokyo. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Keshet%2C+Ezra%2E+2006%2E+Scalar+Implicatures+with+Alternative+Semantics%2C+SALT%2C+Tokyo%2E)
9. Koenig, J.-P. and B. Benndorf 1998 ‘Meaning and Context: German aber and sondern,’ in J.-P. Koenig (ed) Discourse and Cognition, CSLI, Stanford. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Koenig%2C+J%2E%2DP%2E+and+B%2E+Benndorf+1998+%E2%80%98Meaning+and+Context%3A+German+aber+and+sondern%2C%E2%80%99+in+J%2E%2DP%2E+Koenig+%28ed%29+Discourse+and+Cognition%2C+CSLI%2C+Stanford%2E)
10. Lee, Chungmin. 2001. Acquisition of Topic and Subject Markers in Korean. In Issues in East Asian Language Acquisition 41-66, M. Nakayama(ed.) KLW Series Vol. 7, Kurosio Publishers, Tokyo, Japan. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Lee%2C+Chungmin%2E+2001%2E+Acquisition+of+Topic+and+Subject+Markers+in+Korean%2E+In+Issues+in+East+Asian+Language+Acquisition+41%2D66%2C+M%2E+Nakayama%28ed%2E%29+KLW+Series+Vol%2E+7%2C+Kurosio+Publishers%2C+Tokyo%2C+Japan%2E)
11. Lee, Chungmin 2003 ‘Contrastive Topic and/or Contrastive Focus,’ in Bill McClure (ed.) Japanese/Korean Linguistics 12. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Lee%2C+Chungmin+2003+%E2%80%98Contrastive+Topic+and%2For+Contrastive+Focus%2C%E2%80%99+in+Bill+McClure+%28ed%2E%29+Japanese%2FKorean+Linguistics+12%2E)
12. CSLI, Stanford Lee, Chungmin 2006 ‘Contrastive (Predicate) Topic/Focus and Polarity in Discourse,’ in von Heusinger and K. Turner (eds) Where Semantics Meets Pragmatics CRiSPI, Elsevier. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=CSLI%2C+Stanford+Lee%2C+Chungmin+2006+%E2%80%98Contrastive+%28Predicate%29+Topic%2FFocus+and+Polarity+in+Discourse%2C%E2%80%99+in+von+Heusinger+and+K%2E+Turner+%28eds%29+Where+Semantics+Meets+Pragmatics+CRiSPI%2C+Elsevier%2E)
13. Potts, C. 2005. The Logic of Conventional Implicatures. Oxford Studies in Theoretical Linguistics. OUP. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Potts%2C+C%2E+2005%2E+The+Logic+of+Conventional+Implicatures%2E+Oxford+Studies+in+Theoretical+Linguistics%2E+OUP%2E)
14. Russell, B. 2006. Against Grammatical Computation of Scalr Implicatures, Journal of Semantics 23. 361-381. , Sauerland, Uli 2004 ‘On Embedded Implicatures,’ Journal of Cognitive Science 5 (1). [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Russell%2C+B%2E+2006%2E+Against+Grammatical+Computation+of+Scalr+Implicatures%2C+Journal+of+Semantics+23%2E+361%2D381%2E+%2C+Sauerland%2C+Uli+2004+%E2%80%98On+Embedded+Implicatures%2C%E2%80%99+Journal+of+Cognitive+Science+5+%281%29%2E)
15. Sevi, Aldo 2005 Exhaustivity, Tel Aviv University Dissertation. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Sevi%2C+Aldo+2005+Exhaustivity%2C+Tel+Aviv+University+Dissertation%2E)
16. Zeevat, H. 1994 ‘Applying an Exhaustifying Operator in Update Semantics.’ In H. Kamp (ed.). Deux mais en francais? Lingua 43. 23-40. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Zeevat%2C+H%2E+1994+%E2%80%98Applying+an+Exhaustifying+Operator+in+Update+Semantics%2E%E2%80%99+In+H%2E+Kamp+%28ed%2E%29%2E+Deux+mais+en+francais%3F+Lingua+43%2E+23%2D40%2E)