Presupposition, assertion, and definite descriptions

Abstract In recent work on the semantics of definite descriptions, some theorists (Elbourne in Definite Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2013; Schoubye Noûs 47(3):496–533, 2013) have advocated broadly Fregean accounts, whereby a description ‘the F ’ introduces presupposition to effect that there is exactly one and refers it if is, while other (Abbott, in: Gundel, Hedberg (eds) Reference: Interdisciplinary perspectives, pp. 61–72, 2008; Hawthorne Manley The reference book, 2012) accounts but otherwise has ‘an ’, introducing existential quantification. It argued latter theories, since they descriptions encode assertoric content an , difficulty accounting for felicity ‘The G when already presupposed .