Focus Alternatives in Spoken Language Processing

Focus marks information as new or important - at least, this is often claimed. Recent theories assume that focus indicates the relevance of alternatives, thereby affecting interpretation in ways that are never explicitly taught. Focus alternatives need not be mentioned - they can be inferred. This is a prime example of understanding more than what has been literally said. This Element presents a summary of our current knowledge about focus alternatives in spoken language comprehension and production. It also asks whether focus alternatives are a universal phenomenon by comparing studies from different languages. Research on focus alternatives is methodologically challenging - how can the activation of alternatives in someone's mind be traced if these alternatives are not part of what has been heard? The final section lets the reader glance at a psycholinguist's toolkit, critically reviewing exemplary experimental designs. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.