Description:
This volume examines the meaning of scalar modifiers - expressions such as more than, a bit, and much - from the standpoint of the semantics-pragmatics interface. It draws on data from Japanese and a range of other languages to explore the information expressed by these modifiers at both the semantic and the pragmatic level.
Review Quotes: "Sawada's book is a solid contribution to the literature. Researchers working on (not-)at-issueness will find much to engage with. The book will be useful for further work on Japanese scalar modifiers. Importantly, this investigation of scalar modifiers provides a case study of the pitfalls that characterize attempts to test for not-at-issue content." -- Brady Clark, Linguist List
"[a] compact, densely conceived but eminently readable treatise" -- Jacob L. Mey, Pragmatics and Society