18 Questions
What is the relationship between propositions p and q in the context of presupposition?
p implies q
When a negated statement is made, what property of presupposition is maintained?
Constancy under negation
If p presupposes q, what can be inferred about the truth value of q given NOT p?
q is still true
In the context of presupposition, what does constancy under negation refer to?
The presupposed proposition remains true when the original statement is negated
In the context of presupposition, what happens to the presupposed proposition when the original statement is contradicted?
The presupposed proposition remains unaffected
What term describes the property where the presupposition of a statement remains constant when the statement is negated?
Constancy under negation
What is presupposed by both p and NOT p, remaining constant under negation?
Existential presupposition
Which linguistic form has been associated with presuppositions in the analysis of speakers' assumptions?
Possessive constructions
What type of presupposition is assumed in any definite noun phrase?
Existential presupposition
Which verb is mentioned in a structure that presents a factive presupposition in the text?
'Know'
What is described as a factive presupposition?
'Everybody believes q'
What is implied about presuppositions when they are said to remain constant under negation?
They are not affected by negation
What does the factive presupposition in lexical presupposition entail?
The stated information is necessarily true.
What is the main difference between lexical presupposition and structural presuppositions?
Lexical presuppositions involve unstated concepts, while structural presuppositions involve conventionally assumed truths within sentence structures.
In what way does the w^-question construction in English demonstrate presupposition?
It suggests that the listener has prior knowledge of the information after 'When' or 'Where'.
What is a key characteristic of presuppositions in pragmatics?
Presuppositions can influence how information is interpreted and accepted.
How do structural presuppositions influence listeners' perception of information?
They prompt listeners to accept part of the sentence as already true.
How does a factive presupposition differ from a lexical presupposition?
A factive presupposition always involves questioning the truth of the statement, while a lexical presupposition assumes it to be true.
Study Notes
Presupposition and Its Types
- Presupposition is a relationship between two propositions, where one proposition assumes the truth of another.
- Examples of presupposition can be seen in possessive constructions (e.g. "your car" implies "you have a car") and definite noun phrases (e.g. "the King of Sweden" implies the existence of the King of Sweden).
Existential Presupposition
- Existential presupposition assumes the existence of an entity.
- It can be seen in possessive constructions and definite noun phrases.
Factive Presupposition
- Factive presupposition assumes the truth of the information stated after a verb like "know".
- Example: "Everybody knows that q" implies that q is a fact.
Lexical Presupposition
- Lexical presupposition assumes another concept when using a particular expression.
- Example: Using the verb "know" implies that the information being referred to is true.
Structural Presupposition
- Structural presupposition occurs when certain sentence structures conventionally presuppose that part of the structure is already true.
- Example: Wh-question construction in English (e.g. "When did he leave?") implies that the information after the wh-word is already known to be true.
Properties of Presupposition
- Presuppositions are constant under negation, meaning that they remain true even when the original statement is negated.
- Example: "Mary's dog is cute" and "Mary's dog isn't cute" both presuppose that Mary has a dog.
Representation of Presupposition
- The relationship of presupposition can be represented using the symbol >> to mean "presupposes".
- Example: p >> q, where p is the sentence and q is the presupposition.
Test your understanding of presupposition and entailment in pragmatics with this quiz. Explore the relationship between propositions and symbols used to represent these concepts.
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