Conversational pragmatics

Is guilt ‘likely’ or ‘not certain’?: Contrast with previous probabilities determines choice of verbal terms
This research focuses on what determines speakers’ choice of positive and negative probability phrases (e.g., “a chance” vs. “not …
Marie Juanchich, Karl Teigen, Gaëlle Villejoubert
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When some is actually all: Scalar inferences in face-threatening contexts
Accounts of the scalar inference from ‘some X-ed’ to ‘not all X-ed’ are central to the debate between contemporary theories of …
Jean-François Bonnefon, Aidan Feeney, Gaëlle Villejoubert
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Interpreting claims in offender profiles: the role of probability phrases, base‐rates and perceived dangerousness
Offender profilers use verbal and numerical probability expressions to convey uncertainty surrounding claims made about …
Gaëlle Villejoubert, Louise Almond, Laurence Alison
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Modus Tollens, Modus Shmollens: Contrapositive reasoning and the pragmatics of negation
The utterance of a negative statement invites the pragmatic inference that some reason exists for the proposition it negates to be …
Jean-François Bonnefon, Gaëlle Villejoubert
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Tactful or doubtful?: Expectations of politeness explain the severity bias in the interpretation of probability phrases
When a statement about the occurrence of a medical condition is qualified by an expression of probability, such as the word possible, …
Jean-François Bonnefon, Gaëlle Villejoubert
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How to do things with logical expressions: Creating collective value through co-ordinated reasoning
We argue that logical expressions in human language enable speakers to perform particular acts as well as stating propositions which …
Denis Hilton, Gaëlle Villejoubert, Jean-François Bonnefon
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