한국인 영어 학습자의 직접 등급 함축과 간접 등급함축 해석 차이에 관한 연구

A study on differences of interpretation between direct and indirect scalar implicatures by Korean English learners

This study investigates the differences in interpretation between direct scalar implicature (DSI) and indirectscalar implicature (ISI) among Korean learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Scalar implicaturerefers to the linguistic phenomenon where a speaker selects a term indicating a specific value within a scale,such as ‘some,’ ‘most,’ ‘all,’ ‘never,’ ‘sometimes,’ and ‘always.’ Sixty-eight Korean students and eightnative English speakers participated in this study, utilizing the Covered Box Paradigm proposed by Huang,Spelke, and Snedeker (2013). This paradigm presents a storytelling scenario where participants interact withcovered boxes, providing a controlled context for investigating scalar implicature interpretations. The studydistinguishes between interpretations that involve inferential reasoning (inference) and those that do notrequire such reasoning (non-inference). The findings reveal that lower-proficiency English learners facesignificant challenges in accurately interpreting scalar implicature, particularly in the context of ISIsentences. These results highlight the critical role of English proficiency in the acquisition of scalarimplicature and suggest that learners with higher English proficiency exhibit better inferential reasoningabilities. The study provides valuable insights into how English proficiency influences the understanding ofimplicature and underscores the importance of incorporating language proficiency development intoeducational strategies to enhance both linguistic and cognitive skills in EFL learners.