An Experimental Investigation of Presupposition Projection in Conditional Sentences

Authors

  • Jacopo Romoli Harvard
  • Yasutada Sudo MIT
  • Jesse Snedeker Harvard

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3765/salt.v21i0.2588

Keywords:

presuppositions, proviso problem, conditionals

Abstract

Conditional sentences with a presupposition trigger in the consequent — if φ, then ψp — show peculiar projection properties. That is, the entire sentence suggests that p in some cases and that φ → p in other cases. We report on the results of two sentence-picture matching experiments that indicate that the perceived dependence of the presupposition p on the antecedent φ affects which inference is made. The results are also used to compare two major theories of presupposition projection, and we argue that the theory that postulates φ → p as the presupposition of all conditional sentences explains the results more straightforwardly than its competitor.

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Published

2011-09-03

Issue

Section

Articles