Abstract
Expanding on a point made by Krifka [6, p.7-8], we show that the fact that a round number has been used significantly increases the posterior probability that that number was intended as an approximation. This increase should typically be enough to make assuming that an approximation was indeed intended a rational choice, and thereby helps explain why round numbers are often seen as simply having an approximate meaning. Generalization into non-number words is also discussed, resulting in a possible origin of (some) vagueness.
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
Cuzzolin, P., Lehmann, C.: Comparison and gradation. In: Booij, G., Mugdan, J., S.S., Lehmann, C. (eds.) Morphologie. Ein internationales Handbuch zur Flexion und Wortbiltung, vol. 2, pp. 1212–1220. Mouton de Gruyter (2004)
Dehaene, S., Mehler, J.: Cross-linguistic regularities in the frequency of number words. Cognition 43(1), 1–29 (1992)
Ito, R., Tagliamonte, S.: Well weird, right dodgy, very strange, really cool: Layering and recycling in English intensifiers. Language in Society 32(02), 257–279 (2003)
Jansen, C.J.M., Pollmann, M.M.W.: On round numbers: Pragmatic aspects of numerical expressions. Journal of Quantitative Linguistics 8(3), 187–201 (2001)
Kennedy, C.: Vagueness and grammar: the semantics of relative and absolute gradable adjectives. Linguistics and Philosophy 30(1), 1–45 (2007)
Krifka, M.: Approximate interpretation of number words: A case for strategic communication. Cognitive Foundations of Interpretation, 111–126 (2007)
Lorenz, G.: Really worthwhile or not really significant? a corpus-based approach to the delexicalization and grammaticalization of intensifiers in Modern English. In: Wischer, I., Diewald, G. (eds.) New Reflections on Grammaticalization, pp. 143–161. John Benjamins, Amsterdam (2002)
Mendez-Naya, B.: On intensifiers and grammaticalization: The case of swathe. English Studies 4, 372–391 (2003)
Peters, H.: Degree adverbs in Early Modern English. In: Kastovsky, D. (ed.) Studies in Early Modern English, pp. 269–288. Mouton de Gruyter, Berlin (1994)
Potts, C.: Interpretive Economy, Schelling Points, and evolutionary stability. Draft version (March 2008), http://www.stanford.edu/~cgpotts/manuscripts/potts-interpretive-economy-mar08.pdf
Stoffel, C.: Intensives and Down-toners: A Study in English Adverbs. Carl Winter, Heidelberg (1901)
Tribushinina, E.: Cognitive Reference Points: semantics beyond the prototypes in adjectives of space and colour. PhD thesis, Leiden University (October 2008)
Wierzbicka, A.: The meaning of color terms: Semantics, culture, and cognition. Cognitive Linguistics 1(1), 99–150 (1990)
Wilson, D., Sperber, D.: Truthfulness and relevance. Mind 111(443), 583–632 (2002)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Bastiaanse, H. (2011). The Rationality of Round Interpretation. In: Nouwen, R., van Rooij, R., Sauerland, U., Schmitz, HC. (eds) Vagueness in Communication. VIC 2009. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 6517. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-18446-8_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-18446-8_3
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-18445-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-18446-8
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)