Publications
Monograph
Gotzner, N. (2017). Alternative sets in language processing: How focus alternatives are represented in the mind. Palgrave studies in Pragmatics, Language and Cognition, Palgrave Macmillan.
Edited volumes
Gotzner, N., Harris, J., Breheny, R. & Sharvit, Y. (under contract). Alternatives: Theoretical and empirical perspectives. Palgrave studies in Pragmatics, Language and Cognition, Palgrave Macmillan.
Gotzner, N. & Sauerland, U. (2022). Measurements, numerals, and scales: Essays in honor of Stephanie Solt. Palgrave studies in Pragmatics, Language and Cognition, Palgrave Macmillan.
Papers by year
Accepted
Alexandropoulou, S.* & Gotzner, N.* (in press). Negation, polarity and scale structure: Different inferences of gradable adjectives. Journal of Semantics.
Gotzner, N. & Lacina, R. (in press). Generating and selecting alternatives for scalar implicature computation: The Alternative Activation Account and other theories. In Alternatives: Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives. Palgrave Macmillan. Preprint
Kobrock, K., Uhlemann, C. & Gotzner, N. (in press). Superordinate referring expressions in abstraction: Introducing the concept-level reference game. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, 46(46).
Lacina, R. & Gotzner, N. (in press). Exploring scalar diversity through priming: A lexical decision study with adjectives. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, 46(46).
Lacina, R., Sturt, P., & Gotzner, N. (in press). The comprehension of broad focus: Probing alternatives to verb phrases. In Topics at the Grammar-Discourse Interface. Language Science Press.
2024
Kobrock, K., Ohmer, X., Bruni, E. & Gotzner, N. (2024). Context shapes emergent communication about concepts at different levels of abstraction. In Proceedings of the 2024 Joint International Conference on Computational Linguistics, Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC-COLING 2024), pages 3831–3848, Torino, Italia. ELRA and ICCL. https://aclanthology.org/2024.lrec-main.339.pdf
Alexandropoulou, S. & Gotzner, N. (2024). Gradable adjective interpretation under negation: The role of competition. Glossa, 9(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.16995/glossa.9919.
Gotzner, N. & Mazzarella, D. (2024). Negative strengthening: Interplay of evaluative polarity and scale structure. Journal of Semantics, Article ffae004. https://doi.org/10.1093/jos/ffae004
Gotzner, N. & Scontras, G. (2024). On the role of loopholes in polite communication: Linking subjectivity and pragmatic inference. Open Mind, 8, 500–510. https://doi.org/10.1162/opmi_a_00133
2023
Korsheed, A. & Gotzner, N. (2023). A closer look at variability in scalar implicature processing: a review. Frontiers in Communication, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1187970
Lacina, R., Šimík, R., & Gotzner, N. (2023). 'Czech' the alternatives: A probe recognition study of focus and word order. Proceedings of Sinn und Bedeutung, 27, 365–380. https://doi.org/10.18148/sub/2023.v27.1075
2022
Alexandropoulou, S.* & Gotzner, N.* (2022). Negation, polarity and scale structure: Different inferences of gradable adjectives. Proceedings of Sinn und Bedeutung, 26, 35–54. https://doi.org/10.18148/sub/2022.v26i0.986
Alexandropoulou, S., Herb, M, Discher, H. & Gotzner, N. (2022). Incremental pragmatic interpretation of gradable adjectives: The role of standards of comparison. Proceedings of Semantics and Linguistic Theory (SALT), 32, 481–497. https://doi.org/10.3765/salt.v1i0.5399
Bleotu, C., Benz, A. & Gotzner, N. (2022). Romanian 5-year-olds derive global but not local implicatures with quantifiers embedded under epistemic adverbs: Evidence from a shadow-playing paradigm. Proceedings of Sinn und Bedeutung, 26, 149–164. https://doi.org/10.18148/sub/2022.v26i0.993
Gotzner, N. (2022). Voll Krifka! Intensification, modification and commitment. In S. Repp & T. Trinh (Eds.), For Manfred from his students (pp. 27-36). Universitäts- und Stadtbibliothek Köln.
Gotzner, N. & Benz, A. (2022). Implicatures in (non-) monotonic environments. Proceedings of Sinn und Bedeutung, 26, 340–358. https://doi.org/10.18148/sub/2022.v26i0.100
Gotzner, N. & Kiziltan, S. (2022). She is brilliant! Distinguishing different readings of relative gradable adjectives. In N. Gotzner & U. Sauerland (Eds.), Measurements, numerals and scales: Essays in honour of Stephanie Solt (pp. 117-134). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73323-0_7
Gotzner, N. & Romoli, J. (2022). Meaning and alternatives. Annual Reviews in Linguistics, 8, 213-234. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-linguistics-031220-012013
Gotzner, N. & Sauerland, U. (2022). Measurement, numerals and scales. Palgrave Macmillan.
Gotzner, N. & Spalek, K. (2022). Expectations about upcoming discourse referents: Effects of pitch accents and focus particles in German language production. International Review of Pragmatics, 14(1), 77-94. https://doi.org/10.1163/18773109-01401003
2021
Benz, A.* & Gotzner, N.* (2021). Embedded implicature: What can be left unsaid? Linguistics and Philosophy, 44(5), 1099-1130. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10988-020-09310-x
Bleotu, C., Benz, A. & Gotzner, N. (2021). Shadow Playing with Romanian 5-Year-Olds. Epistemic Adverbs Are a Kind of Magic!. Proceedings of Empirical investigations in linguistic meaning (ELM), 1, 59-70. https://doi.org/10.3765/elm.1.4866
Gotzner, N. (2021). Experimentelle Pragmatik. 25 Jahre Geisteswissenschaftliche Zentren Berlin, 44-47.
Gotzner, N. & Mazzarella, D. (2021). Face management and negative strengthening: The role of power relations, social distance and gender. Frontiers in psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.602977
Mazzarella, D. & Gotzner, N. (2021). The polarity asymmetry of negative strengthening: Dissociating adjectival polarity from face-threatening potential. Glossa: a journal of general linguistics, 6(1).http://doi.org/10.5334/gjgl.1342
2020
Gotzner, N., Barner, D., & Crain, S. (2020). Disjunction triggers exhaustivity implicatures in 4-to 5-year-olds: Investigating the role of access to alternatives. Journal of Semantics, 37(2), 219-245. https://doi.org/10.1093/jos/ffz021
Gotzner, N., Romoli, J. & Santorio, P. (2020). Choices, prohibition, and non-monotonic environments. Natural Language Semantics, 28, 141-174. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11050-019-09160-9
Jördens, K., Gotzner, N. & Spalek, K. (2020). The role of non-categorical relations in establishing focus alternative sets. Language and Cognition, 12(4), 729-754. https://doi.org/10.1017/langcog.2020.21.
2019
Benz, A.* & Gotzner, N.* (2019) Irgendein quantifier and local implicature. Snippets, (37), 10-13. http://dx.doi.org/10.7358/snip-2019-037-bego
Gotzner, N. (2019). Disjunction, conjunction and exhaustivity. Snippets, (37), 35-37. http://dx.doi.org/10.7358/snip-2019-037-gotz
Gotzner, N. (2019). The role of focus intonation in implicature computation: A comparison with only and also. Natural Language Semantics, 27(3), 189-226. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11050-019-09154-7
Gotzner, N. & Spalek, K. (2019). The life and times of focus alternatives: Tracing the activation of alternatives to a focused constituent in language comprehension. Language and Linguistics Compass, 13(2), Article e12310. https://doi.org/10.1111/lnc3.12310
Leffel, T., Cremers, A., Gotzner, N., & Romoli, J. (2019). Vagueness in implicature: The case of modified adjectives. Journal of Semantics, 36(2), 317-348. https://doi.org/10.1093/jos/ffy020
2018
Benz, A., Bombi, C., & Gotzner, N. (2018). Scalar diversity and negative strengthening. ZAS Papers in Linguistics, 60, 191–203. https://doi.org/10.21248/zaspil.60.2018.462
Benz, A., Gotzner, N., & Raithel, L. (2018). Embedded implicature in a new interactive paradigm. ZAS Papers in Linguistics, 60, 205–221. https://doi.org/10.21248/zaspil.60.2018.463
Gotzner, N. & Benz, A. (2018). The best response paradigm and a comparison of different models of implicatures of complex sentences. Frontiers in Communication, 2(21). https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2017.00021
Gotzner, N. & Romoli, J. (2018). The scalar inferences of strong scalar terms under negative quantifiers and constraints on the theory of alternatives. Journal of Semantics, 35(1), 95-126. https://doi.org/10.1093/jos/ffx016
Gotzner, N., Romoli, J. & Santorio, P. (2018). More free choice and more inclusion: An experimental investigation of free choice in non-monotonic environments. Proceedings of SALT 28, 690–710. https://doi.org/10.3765/salt.v28i0.4430
Gotzner, N., Solt, S. & Benz, A. (2018). Adjectival scales and three types of implicature. Proceedings of SALT 28, 409-423. https://doi.org/10.3765/salt.v28i0.4445
Gotzner, N., Solt, S., & Benz, A. (2018). Scalar diversity, negative strengthening, and adjectival semantics. Frontiers in psychology, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01659
2017
Benz, A. & Gotzner, N. (2017). Embedded disjunctions and the best response paradigm. Proceedings of Sinn und Bedeutung, 21(1), 163–178. Retrieved from https://ojs.ub.uni-konstanz.de/sub/index.php/sub/article/view/130
Gotzner, N. (2017). Alternative sets in language processing: How alternatives are represented in the mind. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52761-1
Gotzner, N. & Spalek, K. (2017). The connection between focus and implicatures: Investigating alternative activation under working memory load. In F. Domaneschi & S. Pistoia-Reda (Eds.), Linguistic and Psycholinguistic Approaches on Implicatures and Presuppositions (pp. 175–198). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50696-8_7
Tomlinson, J. M., Gotzner, N. & Bott, L. (2017). Intonation and pragmatic enrichment: How intonation constrains ad-hoc scalar inferences. Language and Speech: Special Issue on Intonation and Pragmatic Inferences, 60, 200-223. https://doi.org/10.1177/0023830917716101
2016
Gotzner, N. & Spalek, K. (2016). The role of contrastive and non-contrastive associates in the interpretation of focus particles. Discourse Processes, 54(8), 638–654. https://doi.org/10.1080/0163853X.2016.1148981
Gotzner, N., Wartenburger, I. & Spalek, K. (2016). The impact of focus particles on the recognition and rejection of contrastive alternatives. Language and Cognition, 8(1), 59-95. https://doi.org/10.1017/langcog.2015.25
2015-2012
Benz, A. & Gotzner, N. (2014). Embedded implicatures revisited: Issues with the truth value judgement paradigm. In J. Degen, M. Franke, and N. Goodman (Eds.), Proceedings of the Formal & Experimental Pragmatics Workshop (pp. 1-6). Universität Tübingen.
Gotzner, N. (2012). The role of language in color categorical perception. In K. Kosecki & J. Badio (Eds.), Cognitive Processes in Language (pp. 175-182). Peter Lang. https://doi.org/10.3726/978-3-653-04562-8
Gotzner, N. (2015). What’s included in the set of alternatives? Psycholinguistic evidence for a permissive view. Proceedings of Sinn Und Bedeutung, 19, 252–267. https://doi.org/10.18148/sub/2015.v19i0.232
Gotzner, N. & Spalek, K. (2014). Exhaustive inferences and additive presuppositions: Interplay of focus operators and contrastive intonation. In J. Degen, M. Franke, and N. Goodman (Eds.), Proceedings of the Formal & Experimental Pragmatics Workshop (pp. 7-13). Universität Tübingen.
Gotzner, N., Spalek, K., Wartenburger, I. (2013). How pitch accents and focus particles affect the recognition of contextual alternatives. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, 35, 2434-2440. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7pg8g2wq
Sauerland, U. & Gotzner N. (2013). Familial sinistrals avoid exact numbers. PLoS ONE, 8(3), Article e59103. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0059103
Solt, S. & Gotzner, N. (2012). Experimenting with degree. In A. Chereches (Ed.), Proceedings of Semantics and Linguistic Theory (SALT) 22 (pp.166-187). Linguistic Society of America. https://doi.org/10.3765/salt.v22i0.2636
Solt, S. & Gotzner, N. (2012). Who here is tall? Comparison classes, standards and scales. In SFB 833 (Ed.), Pre-Proceedings of the International Conference on Linguistic Evidence (pp. 79-83). Eberhard Karls Universität.
Spalek, K.,* Gotzner, N.* & Wartenburger, I. (2014). Not only the apples. Focus-sensitive particles improve memory for information-structural alternatives. Journal of Memory and Language, 70, 68-84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2013.09.001
Public outreach
Newspaper article in TAZ: "Nicht schlecht" kann alles heißen. https://taz.de/Osnabruecker-Hoeflichkeits-Forschung/!5939647/
Newspaper article in Märkische Allgemeine Zeitung: Potsdamer Sprachforscherin geht der Vieldeutigkeit auf den Grund, 5.5.2022.
Gotzner, N. & Lettieri, L. (2023, November 18). When children are more logical than adults. Cogsci Space Day, Osnabrück, Germany.
Gotzner, N. (2021, May 8). Kommunizieren mit vager Sprache. Potsdam Digital Science Days, Potsdam, Germany.
Gotzner, N. (2021, March 18). Sagen und Meinen. Book a scientist, Leibniz Association, Leibniz, Germany.
Gotzner, N. (2019, September 7). Sprache in Interaktion - Wie Erwachsene und Kinder kommunizieren. Public talk at Futurium, Berlin, Germany.
Gotzner, N. (2021) Experimentelle Pragmatik. 25 Jahre Geisteswissenschaftliche Zentren Berlin, 44-47.
Spalek, K., Gotzner, N. & Wartenburger, I. (2014, March 31). Small words, big impact: How the words 'even' and 'only' improve memory. Atomium Culture. https://blogs.elpais.com/atomium-culture/2014/03/small-words-big-impact-how-the-words-even-and-only-improve-memory.html