An ‘alternative’ core for or

Abstract

Abstract Natural language or has long been analyzed as the logical connective ˅, where it is measured by its contribution to the truth-conditional content of the proposition it participates in. Its core meaning is then inclusive . We here argue that inclusivity is neither an actual discourse reading of or nor its core linguistic meaning. We offer a subjectivist analysis instead, whereby or s core is not truth-conditional. Or comes with a procedural, rather than conceptual core, instructing the addressee to construe the listed options as alternatives to each other. We define alternativity as an unresolved competition between multiple options over a single slot, i.e., a single context-specific role. This means that the options are mutually exclusive. Crucially, however, on our account mutual exclusivity is not restricted to the objective world level. It can apply to non-propositional levels too. We can thus offer a unified account for or uses, most non-disjunctive ones included.