Relevance Theory, Lexical Insertion and the Syntax-Pragmatics Interface

In this talk, Biu Rainey will be giving an overview of their thesis, which draws on elements of Relevance Theory, Dynamic Syntax and Cognitive Grammar to construct an new account of word class: the phenomena associated with class are ostensive cues, with which a speaker can guide inferential reasoning on the part of a listener. Pragmatic and syntactic capacity work in tandem, each constraining the other and providing context to a parse. These processes are then subject to interacting processes of entrenchment (in the mind) and conventionalization (across a community). Biu will be presenting theoretical work outlining core ideas, as well as some proposed experimental work looking at how young children understand novel and familiar words when used verbally and then nominally.