Presuppositions and pedigrees for discourse markers
Résumé
In this paper I defend the claim that certain discourse markers (DMs) are presupposition triggers. In
itself, this claim is not new but its exact content and consequences are rarely analyzed in detail.
However, such an analysis is required for at least three reasons, which correspond to the three main
contributions of the paper.
(1) The claim that DMs are presuppositional contrasts with two other approaches in the literature.
According to Bach (1999) and Potts (2003), DMs like but contribute information on the
same level as what is asserted and do not trigger any implicature or presupposition. According to
Grice (1989), DMs trigger conventional implicatures. In section 2, I show that certain DMs trigger
presuppositions (2.1), that Bachs and Potts view must be rejected (2.2) and that presuppositions
are a special kind of conventional implicature, characterized by their epistemic dynamic behavior
(2.3., 2.4, 2.5).
(2) In section 3, I offer a DRT representation of the presuppositional pattern described in
section 2.
(3) DMs express relations between discourse segments (discourse relations) and the interplay
between their presuppositional behavior and their connective import raises substantial problems for
a presuppositional analysis. It turns out that certain consequence DMs are sensitive to the semantic
information or pedigree carried by the presupposed proposition. In section 4, I explore the modal/
attitudinal status of pedigrees and show how they can integrated in a DRT framework.
itself, this claim is not new but its exact content and consequences are rarely analyzed in detail.
However, such an analysis is required for at least three reasons, which correspond to the three main
contributions of the paper.
(1) The claim that DMs are presuppositional contrasts with two other approaches in the literature.
According to Bach (1999) and Potts (2003), DMs like but contribute information on the
same level as what is asserted and do not trigger any implicature or presupposition. According to
Grice (1989), DMs trigger conventional implicatures. In section 2, I show that certain DMs trigger
presuppositions (2.1), that Bachs and Potts view must be rejected (2.2) and that presuppositions
are a special kind of conventional implicature, characterized by their epistemic dynamic behavior
(2.3., 2.4, 2.5).
(2) In section 3, I offer a DRT representation of the presuppositional pattern described in
section 2.
(3) DMs express relations between discourse segments (discourse relations) and the interplay
between their presuppositional behavior and their connective import raises substantial problems for
a presuppositional analysis. It turns out that certain consequence DMs are sensitive to the semantic
information or pedigree carried by the presupposed proposition. In section 4, I explore the modal/
attitudinal status of pedigrees and show how they can integrated in a DRT framework.
Il a été soutenu que les marqueurs discursifs abstraits (MD) tels que donc ou mais véhiculent des implicatures conventionnelles (Grice), de l'information quasi-assertive (Bach, Potts) ou des présuppositions (Berrendonner, Webber et al., Lagerwerf). Cet article défend trois thèses. (1) Présupposition et implicature conventionnnelle ne sont pas deux phénomènes distincts. Les présuppositions sont des implicatures conventionnelles qui véhiculent le fait qu'elles font partie de l'état de croyance du locuteur au moment de l'énonciation. (2) Les MD de conséquence présupposent (i) l'existence d'une proposition liée à la proposition qu'ils introduisent par une relation de conséquence, et (ii) l'existence d'une relation de conséquence appropriée. (3) Les données du français, et des données similaires de l'anglais, montrent que beaucoup de MD sont sensibles à l'hérédité de la proposition présupposée, autrement dit à son statut épistémique, ou, plus généralement, discursif. Une représentation en DRT est proposée qui s'appuie sur le cadre des théories du liage; (van der Sandt, Geurts). Des questions connexes (par exemple l'accomodation modale) sont discutées.
Domaines
Linguistique
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