Lesson plan
Squiggle operator
In formal semantics, the squiggle operator \sim is an operator that constrains the occurrence of focus. In one common definition, the squiggle operator takes a syntactic argument \alpha and a discourse salient argument C and introduces a presupposition that the ordinary semantic value of C is either a subset or an element of the focus semantic value of \alpha . The squiggle was first introduced by Mats Rooth in 1992 as part of his treatment of focus within the framework of alternative semantics. It has become one of the standard tools in formal work on focus, playing a key role in accounts of contrastive focus, ellipsis, deaccenting, and question-answer congruence.
Article summary
In formal semantics, the squiggle operator \sim is an operator that constrains the occurrence of focus. In one common definition, the squiggle operator takes a syntactic argument \alpha and a discourse salient argument C and introduces a presupposition that the ordinary semantic value of C is either a subset or an element of the focus semantic value of \alpha . The squiggle was first introduced by Mats Rooth in 1992 as part of his treatment of focus within the framework of alternative semantics. It has become one of the standard tools in formal work on focus, playing a key role in accounts of contrastive focus, ellipsis, deaccenting, and question-answer congruence.
Key claims
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.