Scalar implicature

Definition

In pragmatics, scalar implicature, or quantity implicature, is an implicature that attributes an implicit meaning beyond the explicit or literal meaning of an utterance, and which suggests that the utterer had a reason for not using a more informative or stronger term on the same scale. The choice of the weaker characterization suggests that, as far as the speaker knows, none of the stronger characterizations in the scale holds. This is commonly seen in the use of 'some' to suggest the meaning 'not all', even though 'some' does not necessarily preclude 'all'. If Bill says 'I have some of my money in cash', this utterance suggests to a hearer that Bill does not have all his money in cash.

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Alternative semantics Ambiguity Anaphora (linguistics)Antecedent-contained deletion Aspectual verb Autonomy of syntax Binding (linguistics)Cataphora Categorial grammar Coercion (linguistics)Cognitive semantics Combinatory categorial grammar Computational semantics Conditional sentence Conservativity Context set Continuation Conversational scoreboard Cooperative principle Counterfactuals Crossover effects Cumulativity (linguistics)De dicto and de re De se Defeasibility (linguistics)Definiteness Denotation Deontic modality Discourse relation Discourse representation theory Disjunction Distributional semantics Donkey anaphora Downward entailing Dynamic semantics Entailment Entailment (pragmatics)Epistemic modality Evidentiality Exhaustivity Existential closure Extension (semantics)Faultless disagreement Focus (linguistics)Formal grammar Formal semantics (natural language)Free choice inference Function application Generalized quantifier Generative grammar Givenness Glue semantics Homogeneity (linguistics)Hurford disjunction Implicature Inalienable possession Indexicality Inferentialism Inquisitive semantics Intension Intensional logic Intersective modifier Jeffrey Lidz Lambda calculus Laurence Horn Lexical semantics Linguistic entailment Linguistics (journal)Linguistics wars Logic translation Logical consequence Logical form (linguistics)Logophoricity Maxim of Quantity Meaning postulate Mereology Mirativity Modal subordination Modality (semantics)Monad (functional programming)Montague grammar Natural Language Semantics Negation Opaque context Paul Grice Performative utterance Philosophy of language Plural quantification Polarity item Possible world Pragmatics Presupposition Principle of compositionality Privative adjective Proposition Propositional attitudes Quantificational variability effect Quantifier (logic)Quantifier raising Quantization (linguistics)Question under discussion Reference Responsive predicate Rising declarative Robyn Carston Scope (formal semantics)Segmented discourse representation theory Semantic parsing Semantics (logic)Situation semantics Sloppy identity Speech act Squiggle operator Stephen Levinson Strawson entailment Strict conditional Subsective modifier Subtrigging Supervaluationism Syntax–semantics interface Telicity Temperature paradox Tense–aspect–mood Truth-conditional semantics Type shifter Type theory Type theory with records Universal grinder Utterance Vagueness Veridicality Walter de Gruyter

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