Irony as a Test of the Presupposition-Denial Account: An ERP Study

Filik, Ruth; Ingram, Joanne; Moxey, Linda; Leuthold, Hartmut; Ingram, Joanne

Abstract

According to the Presupposition-Denial Account, complement set reference arises when focus is on the shortfall between the amount conveyed by a natural language quantifier and a larger, expected amount. Negative quantifiers imply a shortfall, through the denial of a presupposition, whereas positive quantifiers do not. An exception may be provided by irony. One function of irony is to highlight, through indirect negation, the shortfall between what is expected/desired, and what is observed. Thus, a positive quantifier used ironically should also lead to a shortfall and license complement set reference. Using ERPs, we examined whether reference to the complement set is more felicitous following a positive quantifier used ironically than one used non-ironically. ERPs during reading showed a smaller N400 for complement set reference following an ironic compared to a non-ironic context. The shortfall generated thorough irony is sufficient to allow focus on the complement set, supporting the Presupposition-Denial Account.

Citation

Filik, R., Ingram, J., Moxey, L., Leuthold, H., & Ingram, J. (2021). Irony as a Test of the Presupposition-Denial Account: An ERP Study. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 50(6), 1321-1335. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10936-021-09795-y

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 21, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Aug 20, 2021
• Publication Date: 2021-12
• Deposit Date: Aug 5, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 21, 2022
• Journal: Journal of Psycholinguistic Research
• Print ISSN: 0090-6905
• Electronic ISSN: 1573-6555
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 50
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 1321-1335
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10936-021-09795-y
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/5955331
• Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10936-021-09795-y