What is an implicational scale?

Definition
	An implicational scale is a set of lexical items that are
	of the same constituent category, and ordered in terms of their informativeness.
	Any sentence including one item of the set entails all of the propositions expressed by similar sentences containing less informative items. In addition, in keeping with the quantity maxim, the use of an item in the scale creates scalar implicatures that disallow the propositions expressed by similar sentences that contain more informative items.

Examples (English)
	{all, most, many, some} {always, often, sometimes} {succeed in, try to, want to} {certain, probable, possible}

Source
	Horn 1972, cited by Levinson 1983 133–134

Context for this page:

Concept module: implicational scale
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): I
In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004

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