Work

Counterfactuals and quantificational force: Experimental evidence for selectional semantics

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Theories of counterfactuals agree on the use of a comparative similarity relation, but disagree about the quantificational force of counterfactual modals. This study reports findings from two experiments designed to evaluate the predictions of three prominent approaches: universal theories, homogeneity theories, and single-world selection theories (supplemented with supervaluations over selection functions). To differentiate the predictions of these theories, we examined counterfactual sentences embedded under various quantifiers and elicited graded truth-value judgments from speakers. The results provide empirical support for selection-based theories, while posing challenges to universal and homogeneity approaches. Additionally, we argue that a more recent implicature-based theory also fails to align with our findings. We discuss the broader implications of these results, including the similarities and differences between counterfactuals and plural definites. EARLY ACCESS

Source: Semantics and Pragmatics

DOI: 10.3765/sp.18.6

Authors: Sonia Ramotowska, Paul Marty, Jacopo Romoli, Paolo Santorio

Institutions: Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, University of Malta, University of Maryland, College Park

Language: English

Topic: Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation

Subfield: Language and Linguistics

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: diamond

Funders: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek

Awards: G5866100518, Nothing is Logical (NihiL): Neglect-zero effects in reasoning and interpretation