Scalar Implicatures with Alternative Semantics

Abstract

This paper explores interactions between the alternative semantics of Kratzer and Shimoyama (2002) and the embeddable exhaustive operator Exh proposed to handle embedded implicatures (Chierchia 2004; Fox 2004, 2007). The proposal is that when Exh applies to single alternative propositions (instead of complete, matrix-level sets of alternatives), it can generate correct scalar implicatures while avoiding several problems proposed in prior literature. The problems solved include implicature generation when a quantifier appears in a disjunction (Chierchia 2004) and when a sentence includes complex quantifiers like “more than two” (Krifka 1999).