Rooth (1992): A theory of focus interpretation #
Rooth unifies the effects of intonational focus. Alternative semantics gives a phrase a focus
semantic value beside its ordinary one, the set of substitution instances at the focused position,
computed here by mapping a predicate over an F-marked constituent whose alternatives are the whole
domain (WithAlternatives.focused). Association with only, contrasting phrases, scalar
implicature and question-answer congruence each require some object to be a subset or an element
of a focus semantic value, and the focus interpretation principle keeps only that requirement: the
operator ~ presupposes Focus.SquiggleSet or Focus.SquiggleInd of a free variable whose
antecedent is a Focus.Antecedent.
Main results #
three_a,three_b,only_rows: only over a domain constrained by focus gives (3a) and (3b) their truth values.recognitions_fixed,recognitions_constrained: the domain is constrained rather than fixed, since the full focus semantic value of a focused verb contains the trivial relation.verbFocus_scale,ace_notMem_subjectFocus,roommate_implicature: focus on the verb licenses the acing scale that focus on the subject does not, and the group scale yields the roommate implicature.question_resolves_subjectFocus,question_rejects_objectFocus,qa_rows: a question admits the answer whose focus semantic value contains it.ellipsis_filter: in bare remnant ellipsis focus filters a compositional ambiguity, each correlate finding an antecedent for ~ under exactly one focus placement.
Implementation notes #
- Worlds of the relational models are sets of atomic facts, so that distinct facts denote distinct propositions; the quiz model assigns each person a grade, acing entailing passing, with groups as finite sets of people.
- The rows carry the paper's examples with the truth values of the introduction scenario and
the question-answer judgments, which the theorems derive. A row's focus position marks the
arguments of its predication, and its focus semantic value is their composition
(
WithAlternatives.map₂). - Only is the substrate's exclusive assertion on the identity scale,
Focus.Particles.atMost (· = ·), which is (4b) with the equation reversed. Footnote 2 leaves open whether the prejacent belongs in the presupposition or the assertion, and suggests that the property may only need to be the strongest in the domain, the entailment scale.
References #
Focus semantic values (2) #
A domain containing the trivial proposition makes only unsatisfiable for any other prejacent.
Relational models #
A world is a set of atomic facts and a fact denotes the proposition that it holds.
Focusing adverbs (§2.1) #
Only quantifies over a domain C of properties: if Mary has a property in C, it is the one
the VP expresses ((4b), (30b)). Focus constrains C to lie inside the focus semantic value of
the VP ((9c)). At the propositional level the assertion is the exclusive's assertion on the
identity scale, Focus.Particles.atMost (· = ·), which is the entailment-scale exclusion where
the prejacent entails no other member of the domain
(Focus.Particles.atMost_eq_eq_atMost_subset).
The fact that x introduced y to z.
Equations
- Rooth1992.intro x y z = Rooth1992.atom (x, y, z)
Instances For
In the introduction scenario Mary introduced Bill and Tom to Sue, and there were no other introductions.
Equations
- Rooth1992.scenario m b t s = {(m, b, s), (m, t, s)}
Instances For
The focus semantic value of introduced [Bill]F to Sue with Mary as subject (5a) is the set of propositions of the form 'Mary introduced y to Sue'.
(3a) is false in the scenario, since 'Mary introduced Tom to Sue' is a true member of the domain distinct from the prejacent.
(3b) is true in the scenario, since the only true proposition of the form 'Mary introduced Bill to z' is the prejacent.
The relations a focused transitive verb ranges over.
Instances For
Equations
- Rooth1992.instDecidableEqVerb x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯
The fact that x stands in relation v to y.
Equations
- Rooth1992.rel v x y = Rooth1992.atom (v, x, y)
Instances For
The focus semantic value of [read]F The Recognitions with Mary as subject (8) ranges over every relation, so it contains the trivial proposition.
(7) with the domain fixed to the full focus semantic value, as in [Roo85], is unsatisfiable.
With the domain constrained to reading and understanding (37c), (7) is true where Mary read without understanding.
Contrasting phrases (§2.2) #
(14): construe α as contrasting with β if the ordinary value of β is a member of the focus
semantic value of α; the paper derives it from the individual case of the focus
interpretation principle, where the ordinary value of any phrase can be the antecedent.
'Canadian farmer' is a property of the form 'P farmer', so it can be the antecedent for the focus on [American]F farmer (15).
Scalar implicature (§2.3) #
Asserting a member of a scale implicates the negation of the members that entail it. The constraint on scales (22) requires the underlying set to lie inside the focus semantic value of the assertion, so the two placements of focus in (16) and (17) license different scales.
In the quiz world everyone has a grade, failed, passed or aced.
Equations
- Rooth1992.Grades E = (E → Fin 3)
Instances For
The group g passed.
Equations
- Rooth1992.pass g = {w : Rooth1992.Grades E | ∀ x ∈ g, 1 ≤ w x}
Instances For
Acing entails passing and not conversely (18).
The scale of acing and passing lies inside the focus semantic value of I [passed]F, and asserting the weaker member implicates the negation of the stronger (16).
The scale of group propositions of the form 'x passed' lies inside the focus semantic value of [I]F passed (21).
The acing scale does not lie inside the focus semantic value of [I]F passed, since no group's passing is Mats's acing, which is why (17) suggests nothing about acing.
In the roommate implicature, asserting that Mats passed implicates the negation of the group proposition that Mats and Paul passed, which with Mats passing is Paul not passing.
Questions and answers (§2.4) #
The ordinary semantic value of a question is its set of potential answers ([Ham73]), which the question-answer constraint (26d) requires to lie inside the focus semantic value of the answer.
The question Who cut Bill down to size? (25a) over the persons P.
Equations
- Rooth1992.whoCut P b = (fun (x : E) => Rooth1992.cut x b) '' P
Instances For
The focus semantic value of [Mary]F cut Bill down to size is the set of propositions of the form 'x cut Bill down to size', over every individual.
(23Aa) answers (23Qa), since the question fully resolves the focus on the subject, with any other person supplying the contrasting alternative.
(23Ab) does not answer (23Qa), since another person's cutting Bill down to size is not of the form 'Mary cut y down to size'.
Bare remnant ellipsis (§7–§8) #
She beats [me]F more often than Sue has two logical forms, with the object or the subject as the correlate of the remnant; focus does not enter the grammar of ellipsis but filters the two, since the ~ operator at the main clause needs the than-clause as an antecedent of the right form (64)–(66).
Which phrase of the main clause the remnant Sue corresponds to.
Instances For
Equations
- Rooth1992.instDecidableEqCorrelate x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
- Rooth1992.instReprCorrelate.repr Rooth1992.Correlate.object prec✝ = Repr.addAppParen (Std.Format.nest (if prec✝ ≥ 1024 then 1 else 2) (Std.Format.text "Rooth1992.Correlate.object")).group prec✝
Instances For
Equations
- Rooth1992.instReprCorrelate = { reprPrec := Rooth1992.instReprCorrelate.repr }
The than-clause under each correlate is 'she beats Sue' or 'Sue beats me'.
Equations
- Rooth1992.thanClause she me sue Rooth1992.Correlate.object = Rooth1992.beats she sue
- Rooth1992.thanClause she me sue Rooth1992.Correlate.subject = Rooth1992.beats sue me
Instances For
Where the focus falls in the main clause.
Instances For
Equations
- Rooth1992.instDecidableEqFocusSite x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯
Equations
- Rooth1992.instReprFocusSite = { reprPrec := Rooth1992.instReprFocusSite.repr }
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Instances For
The marks a placement of focus puts on the subject and the object.
Equations
Instances For
The focus semantic value of the main clause under a placement of focus.
Equations
- Rooth1992.mainClause she me f = (WithAlternatives.map₂ Rooth1992.beats ((WithAlternatives.unfeatured she).mark f.marks.1) ((WithAlternatives.unfeatured me).mark f.marks.2)).alternatives
Instances For
The than-clause is an antecedent for the focus in the main clause exactly when the correlate is the focused phrase, so each reading survives under one placement of focus (66).
The rows #
Equations
- Rooth1992.instDecidableEqPerson x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯
Equations
- Rooth1992.instReprPerson.repr Rooth1992.Person.mary prec✝ = Repr.addAppParen (Std.Format.nest (if prec✝ ≥ 1024 then 1 else 2) (Std.Format.text "Rooth1992.Person.mary")).group prec✝
- Rooth1992.instReprPerson.repr Rooth1992.Person.bill prec✝ = Repr.addAppParen (Std.Format.nest (if prec✝ ≥ 1024 then 1 else 2) (Std.Format.text "Rooth1992.Person.bill")).group prec✝
- Rooth1992.instReprPerson.repr Rooth1992.Person.tom prec✝ = Repr.addAppParen (Std.Format.nest (if prec✝ ≥ 1024 then 1 else 2) (Std.Format.text "Rooth1992.Person.tom")).group prec✝
- Rooth1992.instReprPerson.repr Rooth1992.Person.sue prec✝ = Repr.addAppParen (Std.Format.nest (if prec✝ ≥ 1024 then 1 else 2) (Std.Format.text "Rooth1992.Person.sue")).group prec✝
- Rooth1992.instReprPerson.repr Rooth1992.Person.monique prec✝ = Repr.addAppParen (Std.Format.nest (if prec✝ ≥ 1024 then 1 else 2) (Std.Format.text "Rooth1992.Person.monique")).group prec✝
- Rooth1992.instReprPerson.repr Rooth1992.Person.bjorn prec✝ = Repr.addAppParen (Std.Format.nest (if prec✝ ≥ 1024 then 1 else 2) (Std.Format.text "Rooth1992.Person.bjorn")).group prec✝
Instances For
Equations
- Rooth1992.instReprPerson = { reprPrec := Rooth1992.instReprPerson.repr }
The focus positions of the only rows.
Instances For
Equations
- Rooth1992.instDecidableEqOnlyFocus x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯
Equations
- Rooth1992.instReprOnlyFocus = { reprPrec := Rooth1992.instReprOnlyFocus.repr }
Equations
- Rooth1992.instReprOnlyFocus.repr Rooth1992.OnlyFocus.bill prec✝ = Repr.addAppParen (Std.Format.nest (if prec✝ ≥ 1024 then 1 else 2) (Std.Format.text "Rooth1992.OnlyFocus.bill")).group prec✝
- Rooth1992.instReprOnlyFocus.repr Rooth1992.OnlyFocus.sue prec✝ = Repr.addAppParen (Std.Format.nest (if prec✝ ≥ 1024 then 1 else 2) (Std.Format.text "Rooth1992.OnlyFocus.sue")).group prec✝
Instances For
The marks a focus position puts on the object and the goal of Mary introduced Bill to Sue.
Equations
Instances For
The focus position and the truth value an only row reports.
Equations
- Rooth1992.onlyRow r = do let f ← r.parse? "focus" [("Bill", Rooth1992.OnlyFocus.bill), ("Sue", Rooth1992.OnlyFocus.sue)] let v ← r.parse? "truth" [("true", true), ("false", false)] pure (f, v)
Instances For
The only rows have (3a) false and (3b) true.
Equations
- Rooth1992.onlyData = List.filterMap Rooth1992.onlyRow Rooth1992.Examples.all
Instances For
A row of (3a) and (3b) is true in the introduction scenario iff only over the domain its focus constrains holds there.
Equations
- Rooth1992.instDecidableEqQ x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯
Equations
- Rooth1992.instReprQ = { reprPrec := Rooth1992.instReprQ.repr }
Equations
- Rooth1992.instReprQ.repr Rooth1992.Q.whoCutBill prec✝ = Repr.addAppParen (Std.Format.nest (if prec✝ ≥ 1024 then 1 else 2) (Std.Format.text "Rooth1992.Q.whoCutBill")).group prec✝
- Rooth1992.instReprQ.repr Rooth1992.Q.whoDidMaryCut prec✝ = Repr.addAppParen (Std.Format.nest (if prec✝ ≥ 1024 then 1 else 2) (Std.Format.text "Rooth1992.Q.whoDidMaryCut")).group prec✝
Instances For
The denotation of a question, over all persons.
Equations
- Rooth1992.Q.whoCutBill.den = Rooth1992.whoCut Set.univ Rooth1992.Person.bill
- Rooth1992.Q.whoDidMaryCut.den = (fun (y : Rooth1992.Person) => Rooth1992.cut Rooth1992.Person.mary y) '' Set.univ
Instances For
Equations
- Rooth1992.instDecidableEqAnswerFocus x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Instances For
Equations
- Rooth1992.instReprAnswerFocus = { reprPrec := Rooth1992.instReprAnswerFocus.repr }
The marks a focus position puts on the subject and the object of Mary cut Bill down to size.
Equations
Instances For
The focus semantic value of an answer.
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Instances For
The question, the answer's focus position, and the judgment of a question-answer row.
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
Instances For
The question-answer rows of (23).
Equations
- Rooth1992.qaData = List.filterMap Rooth1992.qaRow Rooth1992.Examples.all
Instances For
An answer is appropriate iff the question denotation lies inside its focus semantic value (23).