Abstract
A core tenet of Relevance Theory is that communication is both ostensive and inferential. This thesis proposes that such a view should be applied not just at the level of the sentence, but all the way down through the parser: a ‘pragmatic suffusion’ view of the syntax/pragmatics interface. I argue that the phenomena associated with class serve as ostensive cues, with which a speaker can guide inferential reasoning on the part of a listener. Pragmatic and syntactic interpretation work in tandem, each constraining the other and providing context to a parse; and these processes become entrenched and conventionalized with usage. If this is true, then some hefty consequences may follow for our view of acquisition: must children first acquire a certain level of competence in their pragmatic abilities before they can approach an adult-like grasp of grammatical class? And how will their previous encounters with a word impact their ability to use it in an innovative class? I’ll present both some theoretical work outlining the arguments, and some proposed experimental work investigating these potential consequences.
The presentation is part of Biu's midway evaluation.