Some and or in second language acquisition: Exploring linguistic and cognitive factors

Abstract

This study investigates how Mandarin-speaking learners of English (L2) generate scalar implicatures (SIs) involving the quantifier some and the disjunctive or, compared to native English speakers (L1). It further explores the influence of linguistic (L2 proficiency) and cognitive (working memory, inhibitory control) factors on interpreting SIs in L2. Using the covered-box paradigm—a modified picture selection task with reduced meta-linguistic demands—we tested Chinese-speaking L2 learners and native English speakers on their interpretations of sentences containing some and or. Results showed no significant differences between L1 and L2 participants in the overall rate of rejecting under-informative statements for either scalar expression, although both groups rejected significantly more under-informative statements containing or than those containing some. Importantly, the L2 learners displayed less tolerance to the violation of ignorance inference with the disjunctive or. Cognitive and linguistic factors showed limited effects on SI performance: neither working memory nor L2 proficiency predicted SI performance, and inhibitory control only showed marginal effect in certain conditions. These findings support the view that SIs can be achieved in a native-like manner by L2 learners. They further underscore the importance of considering both scale type and individual cognitive capacities in models of pragmatic acquisition in L2.