Salient signals: Quantifier semantics and multimodal cues as predictors of discourse relations

Merel CJ Scholman, Ted J.M. Sanders

Keywords: discourse relations, quantifiers, offline processing, online processing

TL;DR: This work examines quantifiers such as \textit{several} or \textit{multiple} as potential cues to an upcoming list or additive relation, testing whether they influence how readers anticipate discourse continuation.

Abstract: Discourse coherence is structured not only by explicit connectives and cue phrases such as \textit{because} or \textit{as a result}, but also by subtler lexical and structural cues. While cue phrases have been widely studied as signals of coherence relations, less is known about whether other linguistic elements guide expectations about discourse structure. This work examines quantifiers such as \textit{several} or \textit{multiple} as potential cues to an upcoming list or additive relation, testing whether they influence how readers anticipate discourse continuation. We combine behavioral and computational evidence to assess the extent to which such cues influence coherence processing.

Submission Number: 21