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All the more reasons: Mismatches in topoi in dialogue

Abstract:
n this paper, we show how topoi warrant inferences for interpreting and producing dialogue contributions, particularly in the case of enthymemes where the conclusion does not logically follow from the premises. We situate our theory of topoi in the context of pragmatic theory by relating it to other theories of inference and coherence. Through detailed analysis of a single dialogue, we show how dialogue participants can incrementally entertain and resolve mismatching interpretations of an enthymematic utterance. We discuss how the notions of topoi and enthymemes can add to a generalisable model of coherence in dialogue.
Research areas:
Year:
2023
Type of Publication:
Article
Journal:
Journal of Pragmatics
Volume:
217
Pages:
172-184
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2023.09.006
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