Abstract
This paper examines how intonation affects the interpretation of disjunctive questions. The semantic effect of a question is taken to be three-fold. First, it raises an issue. In the tradition of inquisitive semantics, we model this by assuming that a question proposes several possible updates of the common ground (several possibilities for short) and invites other participants to help establish at least one of these updates. But apart from raising an issue, a question may also highlight and/or suggest certain possibilities, and intonation determines to a large extent which possibilities are highlighted/suggested.
This paper has benefited enormously from discussions with Maria Aloni, Ivano Ciardelli, Jeroen Groenendijk, and Kathryn Pruitt. Due to space limitations, the mode of presentation here is rather dense. For a slightly more slow-paced and elaborate version of the paper, see [1].
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Roelofsen, F., van Gool, S.: Disjunctive questions, intonation, and highlighting. Technical report, ILLC, Univ. of Amsterdam (2009)
Pruitt, K.: Perceptual relevance of prosodic features in non-wh-questions with disjuction. University of Massachusetts Amherst (2007) (manuscript)
Aloni, M., van Rooij, R.: The dynamics of questions and focus. In: Jackson, B. (ed.) Proceedings of SALT 12, Cornell University. CLC Publications (2002)
Han, C., Romero, M.: The syntax of whether/Q... or questions: Ellipsis combined with movement. Natural Language & Linguistic Theory 22(3), 527–564 (2004)
Beck, S., Kim, S.: Intervention effects in alternative questions. The Journal of Comparative Germanic Linguistics 9, 165–208 (2006)
Biezma, M.: Alternative vs polar questions: the cornering effect. In: Ito, S., Cormany, E. (eds.) Proceedings of Semantics and Linguistic Theory, SALT XIX (2009)
Bartels, C.: The intonation of English statements and questions: a compositional interpretation. Routledge, New York (1999)
Groenendijk, J.: Inquisitive semantics: Two possibilities for disjunction. In: Bosch, P., Gabelaia, D., Lang, J. (eds.) Seventh International Tbilisi Symposium on Language, Logic, and Computation. Springer, Heidelberg (2009)
Mascarenhas, S.: Inquisitive semantics and logic. MSc Thesis, Univ. of Amsterdam (2009)
Groenendijk, J., Roelofsen, F.: Inquisitive semantics and pragmatics. Presented at the Workshop on Language, Communication, and Rational Agency at Stanford (2009), www.illc.uva.nl/inquisitive-semantics
Ciardelli, I., Roelofsen, F.: Inquisitive logic. To appear in the Journal of Philosophical Logic (2009), www.illc.uva.nl/inquisitive-semantics
Ciardelli, I.: Inquisitive semantics and intermediate logics. MSc Thesis, Univ. of Amsterdam (2009)
Balogh, K.: Theme with variations: a context-based analysis of focus. PhD thesis, University of Amsterdam (2009)
Hamblin, C.L.: Questions in Montague English. Foundations of Language 10, 41–53 (1973)
Kratzer, A., Shimoyama, J.: Indeterminate pronouns: The view from Japanese. In: Otsu, Y. (ed.) The Proceedings of the Third Tokyo Conference on Psycholinguistics, pp. 1–25 (2002)
Alonso-Ovalle, L.: Disjunction in Alternative Semantics. PhD thesis, University of Massachusetts, Amherst (2006)
Karttunen, L.: Syntax and semantics of questions. Linguistics and Philosophy 1, 3–44 (1977)
Groenendijk, J., Stokhof, M.: Studies on the Semantics of Questions and the Pragmatics of Answers. PhD thesis, University of Amsterdam (1984)
Krifka, M.: For a structured meaning account of questions and answers. Audiatur Vox Sapientia. A Festschrift for Arnim von Stechow, 287–319 (2001)
Blutner, R.: Questions and answers in an orthoalgebraic approach. University of Amsterdam (2009) (manuscript), http://www.blutner.de
Partee, B.H., Rooth, M.: Generalized conjunction and type ambiguity. In: von Stechow, A. (ed.) Meaning, Use, and Interpretation. de Gruyter, Berlin (1982)
Zimmermann, E.: Free choice disjunction and epistemic possibility. Natural Language Semantics 8, 255–290 (2000)
Groenendijk, J.: Inquisitive semantics and dialogue pragmatics. Rutgers lecture notes (2008), www.illc.uva.nl/inquisitive-semantics
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Roelofsen, F., van Gool, S. (2010). Disjunctive Questions, Intonation, and Highlighting. In: Aloni, M., Bastiaanse, H., de Jager, T., Schulz, K. (eds) Logic, Language and Meaning. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 6042. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-14287-1_39
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-14287-1_39
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-14286-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-14287-1
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)