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Correct Answer: cancel an implication
the correct term illustrated in the sentence provided is "cancel an implication."
to understand why, let's break down the sentence and analyze the concept of implicature and how it is canceled in this scenario.
the sentence in question states:
"i wonder if any of the girls went to the dance. oh yes, some of the girls went to the dance, in fact all of them."
here's an expanded explanation:
1. **initial implication**: the speaker initially expresses uncertainty about whether any of the girls attended the dance. following this, the speaker confirms that some of the girls did, in fact, go to the dance. the use of the word "some" generally implies not all but at least a portion. this sets up an expectation or implicature that while some girls attended, not all of them did.
2. **cancellation of the implication**: the statement is then extended with "in fact all of them," which explicitly cancels the previous implication (that not all girls went to the dance). this is a clear case of canceling an implication. the speaker clarifies and corrects the initial partial information, stating that all the girls attended, not just some.
**understanding implicature**: implicature refers to what is suggested in an utterance, even though neither explicitly expressed nor strictly implied by the utterance. it is a type of inference derived from an expression based on context, shared knowledge, or conversational implicature principles.
**how implications are canceled**: in conversational discourse, a speaker can cancel an implicature by providing further information that contradicts or refines the initial inference. this does not typically invalidate the truth of the initial utterance but adjusts the listener's understanding to more closely align with the speaker's intended meaning.
in summary, the term "cancel an implication" is illustrated by the sentence provided, where the initial implicature set up by saying "some of the girls" is explicitly canceled by the follow-up "in fact all of them." this adjustment ensures that there is no misunderstanding about the participation of the girls at the dance.
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