Robert van Rooij

Exhaustive Interpretation of Complex Sentences

In terms of Groenendijk and Stokhof’s (1984) formalization of exhaustive interpretation, many conversational implicatures can be accounted for. In this paper we justify and generalize this approach. Our justification proceeds by relating their account via Halpern and Moses’ (1984) non-monotonic theory of ‘only knowing’ to the Gricean maxims of Quality and the first sub-maxim of Quantity. The approach of Groenendijk and Stokhof (1984) is generalized such that it can also account for implicatures that are triggered in subclauses not entailed by the whole complex sentence.

Tolerant, Classical, Strict

In this paper we investigate a semantics for first-order logic originally proposed by R. van Rooij to account for the idea that vague predicates are tolerant, that is, for the principle that if x is P, then y should be P whenever y is similar enough to x. The semantics, which makes use of indifference relations to model similarity, rests on the interaction of three notions of truth: the classical notion, and two dual notions simultaneously defined in terms of it, which we call tolerant truth and strict truth. We characterize the space of consequence relations definable in terms of those and discuss the kind of solution this gives to the sorites paradox. We discuss some applications of the framework to the pragmatics and psycholinguistics of vague predicates, in particular regarding judgments about borderline cases.

Vagueness and Linguistics

This chapter provides a (biased) overview of analyses of vagueness within linguistics. First, the nature of vagueness is discussed, and contrasted with notions such as ambiguity and context dependence. After that, some reasons are given that could perhaps explain why vagueness is such a pervasive phenomenon in natural language. This is followed with a review of some more or less standard linguistic analyses of gradable adjectives. The chapter is focussed on approaches that take comparison classes into account. Because comparative constructions are ideally formed in terms of gradable adjectives, comparative ordering relations are discussed as well. It is argued that one specific ordering relation is crucial for any analysis of vagueness that wants to capture the notion of ‘tolerance’: semi-orders. A lot of attention is given to contextuallist’ approaches that want to account for the Sorites paradox, because these approaches are most popular within linguistics. In the final main section, the chapter discusses what some people have called ‘loose talk’. The main issue here is whether with loose use of language we say something that is strictly speaking false, but true enough in the particular conversational setting, or true, because the conversational setting loosens the requirements for a sentence to be true.

An Introduction to Game Theory for Linguists

In a very general sense we can say that we play a game together with other people whenever we have to decide between several actions such that the decision depends on the choice of actions by others and on our preferences over the ultimate results. Obvious examples are card games, chess, or soccer. If I am to play a card to a trick, then it depends on the cards played by my playing partners whether or not I win the trick. Whether my move in chess leads to a win usually depends on the subsequent moves of my opponent. Whether I should pass the ball to this or that team member depends not in the least on my expectations about whether or not he will pass it on to a player in an even more favourable position. Whether or not my utterance is successful depends on how it is taken up by its addressee and the overall purpose of the current conversation. This provides the basis for applications of game theory in pragmatics.

Vagueness in Communication

This book constitutes the proceedings of the International Workshop on Vagueness in Communication, VIC 2009, held as part of ESSLLI 2009, in Bordeaux, France, July 20-24, 2009. The 11 contributions presented shed a light on new aspects in the area of vagueness in natural language communication. In contrast to the classical instruments of dealing with vagueness - like multi-valued logics, truth value gaps or gluts, or supervaluations - this volume presents new approaches like context-sensitivity of vagueness, the sharpening of vague predicates in context, and the modeling of precision levels.

Measurement and Interadjective Comparisons

This article demonstrates the relevance of measurement theory for the linguistic analysis of omparative statements. In particular, the article focuses on interadjective comparatives like ‘x is P-er than y is Q’ and comparatives involving multidimensional adjectives. It is argued that Bale’s (2008) recent proposal to account for such comparatives is rather limited and just one way to account for interadjective comparison. In fact, it is shown that we can account for interadjective comparatives by using recently developed measurement-theoretic techniques in political economy. This article also discusses how to construct the desired scales, if one starts with a delineation approach of comparatives.

Language structure: psychological and social constraints

In this article we discuss the notion of a linguistic universal, and possible sources of such invariant properties of natural languages. In the first part, we explore the conceptual issues that arise. In the second part of the paper, we focus on the explanatory potential of horizontal evolution. We particularly focus on two case studies, concerning Zipf’s Law and universal properties of color terms, respectively. We show how computer simulations can be employed to study the large scale, emergent, consequences of psychologically and psychologically motivated assumptions about the working of horizontal language transmission.

A Modal Analysis of Presupposition and Modal Subordination

In this paper I will give a modal two-dimensional analysis of presupposition and modal subordination. I will think of presupposition as a non-veridical propositional attitude. This allows me to evaluate what is presupposed and what is asserted at different dimensions without getting into the binding problem. What is presupposed will be represented by an accessibility relation between possible worlds. The major part of the paper consists of a proposal to account for the dependence of the interpretation of modal expressions, i.e. modal subordination, in terms of an accessibility relation as well. Moreover, I show how such an analysis can be extended from the propositional to the predicate logical level.

Free Choice Counterfactual Donkeys

We propose a straightforward analysis of counterfactual donkey sentences, by combining the Lewis/Stalnaker analysis of counterfactuals with standard dynamic semantics. The main idea is to define a similarity relation between world-assignment pairs such that two such pairs are unconnected if their assignments differ. We show that with the help of this ordering relation we can also account for a number of related problems involving disjunctions and the use of any in counterfactuals and permission sentences.

Implicit versus explicit comparatives

It is natural to assume that the explicit comparative – John is taller than Mary – can be true in cases the implicit comparative – John is tall compared to Mary – is not. This is sometimes seen as a threat to comparison-class based analyses of the comparative. In this paper it is claimed that the distinction between explicit and implicit comparatives corresponds to the difference between (strict) weak orders and semi-orders, and that both can be characterized naturally in terms of constraints on the behavior of predicates among different comparison classes.