9 - Frame-Shifting and Scalar Implicature

Summary

Nearly one hundred Internet companies are preparing to entice Wall Street with initial public offerings. Numerous firms delayed their IPOs after many technology stocks that debuted during the summer slid below their initial selling price But many analysts believe the market may not be able to support so many new tech stocks. Some portfolio managers say it will be a matter of too few dollars for too many deals instead of too much cash for a few IPOs.

– Peter Jon Shuler, for National Public Radio's Morning Edition (September 14,1999)

Anyone with any doubt about the prevalence of natural language quantifiers need only open the morning paper, turn on the television, or tune in a radio broadcast such as the one excerpted above. In this short passage, we have “nearly one hundred Internet companies,” “numerous firms,” “many analysts,” “so many new tech stocks,” “some portfolio managers,” “too few dollars,” “too many deals,” “too much cash,” and “a few IPOs.” Intuitively, one might hope for a straightforward mapping between quantifiers and quantities, perhaps expressed as a percentage point. But, as luck would have it, things are not that simple.

Moxey & Sanford (1993) demonstrate that the comprehension of quantified expressions requires knowledge of the domain in question. For example, “numerous ants” presumably refers to more ants than the number of firms referredto by “numerous firms” in the preceding excerpt. Moreover, Moxey & Sanford point out how inquiries about quantity are frequently directed at eliciting advice about the advisability of pursuing a particular course of action.