The projection problem
There is a basic expectation that the presupposition of a simple ntence will continue to be true when that simple ntence becomes part of a more complex ntence.This is one version of the general idea that the meaning of the whole ntence is a combination of the meaning of its parts.However,the meaning of some presuppositions (as ‘parts’) doesn’t survive to become the meaning of some complex ntences (as ‘wholes’).This is known as the projection problem.In example [12],we are going to e what happens to the presupposition q (‘Kelly was ill’) which is assumed to be true in the simple structure [12c.],but which does not ‘project’into the complex structure [12h.].In order to follow this type of analysis,we have to think of a situation in which a person might say: ‘I imagined that Kelly was ill and nobody reali zed that she was i ll.’
[12]a.Nobody realized that Kelly was ill.(=p)
b.Kelly was ill.(=q)
c.p>>q
(At this point,the speaker uttering[12a.] presuppos[12b.].)
d.I imagined that Kelly was ill.(=r)
e.Kelly was not ill.(=NOT q)
f.r>>NOT q
(At this piont,the speaker uttering[12d.]presuppos[12e.],the opposite of [12b.].)
g.I imagined that Kelly was ill and nobody reali zed that she was i ll.(=r&p)
银河系漫游指南电影>复数形式h.r&p>>NOT q
(At this piont,after combining r&p,the presupposition q can no longer be assumed to be true.)
In an example like [12],the technical analysis may be straightforward,but it may be difficult to think of a context in which someone would talk like that.Perhaps example [13]will contextualize better.In an episode of a TV soap opera,two characters have the di al og i n [13].
[13]Shirley:It’s so sad.George regrets getting Mary pregnant.
Jean:But he didn’t get her pregnant.We know that now.
gotta get that
If we combine two of the utterances from [13],we have the quence, ‘George regrets getting Mary pregnant;but he didn’t get her pregnant’.Identifying the different propositions involved,as in [14],we can e that the presupposition q in [14b.] does not survive as a presupposition of the combined utterances in [14e.].
[14]a.George regrets getting Mary pregnant.(=p)
b.George got Mary pregnant.(=q)
c.p>>qbeautiful life
cheaterd.He didn’t get her her pregnant.(=r)
e.George regrets getting Mary pregnant,but he didn’t get her pregnant.(=p&r)
f.p&r >>NOT q
One way to think about the whole ntence prented in [14e.] is as an utterance by a person reporting what happened in the soap opera that day.That person will not assume the presupposition
q (i.e. that George got Mary pregnant) is true when uttering [14e.].orientated
A simple explanation for the fact that presuppositions don’t ‘project’ is that they are destroyed by entailments.Remember that an entailment is something that necessarily follows from what is asrted.In example [13],Jean’s utterance of ‘he didn’t get her pregnant’ actually entails ‘George didn’t get Mary pregnant’ as a logical conquence.Thus,when the person who watched the soap opera tells you that ‘George regrets getting Mary pregnant,but he didn’t get her pregnant’,you have a presupposition q and an entailment NOT q.The entailment (a necessary conquence of what is said) is simply more powerful than the presupposi ti on (an earl i er assumpti on).
The power of entailment can also be ud to cancel exastential presuppositions.Normally we assume that when a person us a definite description of the type ‘the X’ (for example, ‘the King of England’),he or she presuppos the existence of the entity described,as in the utterance of [15a.].Also,in any utterance of the form ‘X doesn’t exist’,as in [15b.],there is an entailment that there is no X..But does the speaker of [15b.] also still have the presupposition of the existence of the entity described?
[15]a.The King of England visired us.
b.The King of England doesn’t exist!
Instead of thinking that a speaker who utters [15b.] simultaneously believes that there is a King of England (=presupposition) and that there is not a King of England (=entailment),we recognize that the entailment is more powerful than the presupposition.We abandon the existential presupposition.悲惨世界 影音
As already emphasized,it may be best to think of all the types of presuppositions illustrated in Table 4.1 as ‘potential presuppositions’ which only become actual presuppositions when intended by speakers to be recognized as such within utterances.Speakers can indeed indicate that the potential presupposition is not being prented as a strong assumption.Posssive constructions such as ‘his car’have a potential presupposition (i.e. he has a car) which can be prented tentatively via expressions such as ‘or something’,as in [16].
[16]a.What’s that guy doing in the parking lot?
b.He’s looking for his car or something.
In [16b.],the speaker is not committed to the presupposition (he has a car) as an assumed fact.It is worth remembering that it is never the word or phra that has a presupposition.Only speakers can have presuppositions.
Ordered entailments
Generally speaking,entailment is not a pragmatic concept (i.e.having to do with speaker meaning),but instead is considered a purely logical concept,symbolized by‖-.Some examples of entailment for the ntence in [17] are prented in [18].
[17]Rover chad three squirrels.(=p)
[18]a.Something chad three squirrels.(=q)
b.Rover did something to three squittels.(=r)
c.Rover chad three of something.(=s)
d.Something happened.(=t)
In reprenting the relationship of entailment between [17] and [18a.] as p‖- q,we have simply symbolized a logical concequence.Let us say that in uttering the ntence in [17],the speaker is necessarily committed to the truth of a very large number of background entailments (only some of which are prented in [18a.-d.]).On any occasion of utterance [17],however,the spaeker will indicate how the entailments are to be ordered.That is,the speaker will communicate,typically by stress,which entailment is assumed to be in the foreground,or more important for interpreting intende
d meaning,than any others.For example,in uttering [19a.],the speaker indicates that the foreground entailment,and hence her main assumption,is that Rover chad a certain number of squirrels.
suitable[19]a.Rover chad THREE squirrels.
b.ROVER chad three squirrels.
厦门白金汉In [19b.],the focus shifts to Rover,and the main assumption is that something chad three squirrels.One function of stress in English is,in this approach,clearly tied to marking the main assumption of the speaker in producing an utterance.As such,it allows the speaker to mark for the listener what the focus of the message is,and what is being assumed.
A very similar function is exhibited by a structure called an ‘itcleft’construction in English,as shown in [20].
[20]a.It was ROVER that chad the squirrels.
super moonb.It wasn’t ME who took your money.
