Measure semantics and qualitative semantics for epistemic modals

Authors

  • Wesley H. Holliday University of California, Berkeley
  • Thomas F. Icard, III Stanford University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3765/salt.v23i0.2670

Keywords:

epistemic modality, measure semantics, finite additivity, qualitative additivity, relative likelihood, qualitative probability, ordering semantics, completeness theorems

Abstract

In this paper, we explore semantics for comparative epistemic modals that avoid the entailment problems shown by Yalcin (2006, 2009, 2010) to result from Kratzer's (1991) semantics. In contrast to the alternative semantics presented by Yalcin and Lassiter (2010, 2011) based on finitely additive measures, we introduce semantics based on qualitatively additive measures, as well as semantics based on purely qualitative orderings, including orderings on propositions derived from orderings on worlds in the tradition of Kratzer (1991, 2012). All of these semantics avoid the entailment problems that result from Kratzer's semantics. Our discussion focuses on methodological issues concerning the choice between different semantics.

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Published

2013-08-24

Issue

Proceedings of SALT 23

Section

Articles

License

Articles appearing in SALT are published under an author agreement with the Linguistic Society of America and are made available to readers under a Creative Commons Attribution License.