Covert downward entailment in child English and Japanese

Utako Minai; Takuya Goro; Stephen Crain

Covert downward entailment in child English and Japanese

Utako Minai, Takuya Goro, Stephen Crain

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference proceeding contribution › peer-review

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Abstract

English and Japanese differ in the interpretation of disjunction in simple negative sentences. However, the contrast vanishes in a ‘covert’ negative entailment created by the focus operator (only/dake). Experiments with English/Japanese children reveal their sensitivity to the interpretive interaction of disjunction with the focus operator, despite their divergent linguistic input. Our results suggest that disjunction is Boolean inclusiveor in both languages, because disjunction in both languages licenses conjunctive entailments under ‘covert’ negation. The findings also empirically support a nativist approach to the acquisition of semantics, with the semantics of natural language disjunction innately specified, rather than learned from experience.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Proceedings of Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition - North America, Honolulu 2006
Editors	Kamil Ud. Deen, Jun Nomura, Barbara Schulz, Bonnie D. Schwartz
Place of Publication	USA
Publisher	University of Connecticut Occasional Papers in Linguistics
Pages	217-228
Number of pages	12
Publication status	Published - 2006
Event	Conference on Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition North America (1st : 2004) - Honolulu, United States Duration: 17 Dec 2004 → 20 Dec 2004

Conference

Conference	Conference on Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition North America (1st : 2004)
Country/Territory	United States
City	Honolulu
Period	17/12/04 → 20/12/04

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Cite this

@inproceedings{458488dcfb3a4f34a613377c2c734142,

title = "Covert downward entailment in child English and Japanese",

abstract = "English and Japanese differ in the interpretation of disjunction in simple negative sentences. However, the contrast vanishes in a {\textquoteleft}covert{\textquoteright} negative entailment created by the focus operator (only/dake). Experiments with English/Japanese children reveal their sensitivity to the interpretive interaction of disjunction with the focus operator, despite their divergent linguistic input. Our results suggest that disjunction is Boolean inclusiveor in both languages, because disjunction in both languages licenses conjunctive entailments under {\textquoteleft}covert{\textquoteright} negation. The findings also empirically support a nativist approach to the acquisition of semantics, with the semantics of natural language disjunction innately specified, rather than learned from experience.",

author = "Utako Minai and Takuya Goro and Stephen Crain",

year = "2006",

language = "English",

pages = "217--228",

editor = "Deen, \{Kamil Ud.\} and Jun Nomura and Barbara Schulz and Schwartz, \{Bonnie D.\}",

booktitle = "Proceedings of Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition - North America, Honolulu 2006",

publisher = "University of Connecticut Occasional Papers in Linguistics",

note = "Conference on Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition North America (1st : 2004) ; Conference date: 17-12-2004 Through 20-12-2004",

}

Minai, U, Goro, T & Crain, S 2006, Covert downward entailment in child English and Japanese. in KU Deen, J Nomura, B Schulz & BD Schwartz (eds), Proceedings of Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition - North America, Honolulu 2006. University of Connecticut Occasional Papers in Linguistics, USA, pp. 217-228, Conference on Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition North America (1st : 2004), Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, 17/12/04.

Covert downward entailment in child English and Japanese. / Minai, Utako; Goro, Takuya; Crain, Stephen.
Proceedings of Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition - North America, Honolulu 2006. ed. / Kamil Ud. Deen; Jun Nomura; Barbara Schulz; Bonnie D. Schwartz. USA: University of Connecticut Occasional Papers in Linguistics, 2006. p. 217-228.

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference proceeding contribution › peer-review

TY - GEN

T1 - Covert downward entailment in child English and Japanese

AU - Minai, Utako

AU - Goro, Takuya

AU - Crain, Stephen

PY - 2006

Y1 - 2006

N2 - English and Japanese differ in the interpretation of disjunction in simple negative sentences. However, the contrast vanishes in a ‘covert’ negative entailment created by the focus operator (only/dake). Experiments with English/Japanese children reveal their sensitivity to the interpretive interaction of disjunction with the focus operator, despite their divergent linguistic input. Our results suggest that disjunction is Boolean inclusiveor in both languages, because disjunction in both languages licenses conjunctive entailments under ‘covert’ negation. The findings also empirically support a nativist approach to the acquisition of semantics, with the semantics of natural language disjunction innately specified, rather than learned from experience.

AB - English and Japanese differ in the interpretation of disjunction in simple negative sentences. However, the contrast vanishes in a ‘covert’ negative entailment created by the focus operator (only/dake). Experiments with English/Japanese children reveal their sensitivity to the interpretive interaction of disjunction with the focus operator, despite their divergent linguistic input. Our results suggest that disjunction is Boolean inclusiveor in both languages, because disjunction in both languages licenses conjunctive entailments under ‘covert’ negation. The findings also empirically support a nativist approach to the acquisition of semantics, with the semantics of natural language disjunction innately specified, rather than learned from experience.

M3 - Conference proceeding contribution

SP - 217

EP - 228

BT - Proceedings of Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition - North America, Honolulu 2006

A2 - Deen, Kamil Ud.

A2 - Nomura, Jun

A2 - Schulz, Barbara

A2 - Schwartz, Bonnie D.

PB - University of Connecticut Occasional Papers in Linguistics

CY - USA

T2 - Conference on Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition North America (1st : 2004)

Y2 - 17 December 2004 through 20 December 2004

ER -

Covert downward entailment in child English and Japanese

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