Strategic use of English quantifiers in the reporting of quantitative information

This study investigates how quantifiers are used strategically to serve different argumentative goals. We report two experiments on how English speakers describe the results of school exams when being instructed to frame their descriptions either as a good or bad outcome. Experiment 1 shows that par...

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Published inDiscourse processes Vol. 61; no. 10; pp. 498 - 523
Main Authors Macuch Silva, Vinicius, Lorson, Alexandra, Franke, Michael, Cummins, Chris, Winter, Bodo
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Philadelphia Routledge 25.11.2024
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Argumentation
English language
Experiments
Language usage
Quantifiers
Online AccessGet full text
ISSN0163-853X
1532-6950
DOI10.1080/0163853X.2024.2413311

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Abstract This study investigates how quantifiers are used strategically to serve different argumentative goals. We report two experiments on how English speakers describe the results of school exams when being instructed to frame their descriptions either as a good or bad outcome. Experiment 1 shows that participants have clear preferences for specific quantifier combinations in this task. Experiment 2 shows that, in situations where producing descriptions that meet one's argumentative goals is difficult (i.e. framing very bad outcomes positively), participants tend to use quantifiers that are informationally weaker than other salient alternatives. Experiment 2 also shows that people have a bias to frame outcomes positively, even when the task asks them to frame them negatively. Put together, these results shed light on the question of how language users strategically explore different linguistic strategies to communicate quantity in pragmatically favorable ways, including how quantifiers are used vis-`a-vis other lexical expressions of quantity.
AbstractList This study investigates how quantifiers are used strategically to serve different argumentative goals. We report two experiments on how English speakers describe the results of school exams when being instructed to frame their descriptions either as a good or bad outcome. Experiment 1 shows that participants have clear preferences for specific quantifier combinations in this task. Experiment 2 shows that, in situations where producing descriptions that meet one’s argumentative goals is difficult (i.e. framing very bad outcomes positively), participants tend to use quantifiers that are informationally weaker than other salient alternatives. Experiment 2 also shows that people have a bias to frame outcomes positively, even when the task asks them to frame them negatively. Put together, these results shed light on the question of how language users strategically explore different linguistic strategies to communicate quantity in pragmatically favorable ways, including how quantifiers are used vis-`a-vis other lexical expressions of quantity.
Author Macuch Silva, Vinicius
Cummins, Chris
Winter, Bodo
Lorson, Alexandra
Franke, Michael
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Copyright 2024 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. 2024
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SubjectTerms Argumentation
English language
Experiments
Language usage
Quantifiers
Title Strategic use of English quantifiers in the reporting of quantitative information
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