The big fish in a small pond: Accommodation and the processing of novel definites

Definite phrases are often used to introduce new entities into discourse but the conditions under which this is possible are not well understood. Evans (2005) argued that the definite article may be used to introduce an entity if it is the most relevant of its type in its local frame of reference, dubbing this the “Small world hypothesis.” Additional arguments will be given in support of the Small world hypothesis, and the hypothesis will be developed in an attempt to understand the role of the small frame in processing novel definites. It will be argued that the definite article does not carry a familiarity presupposition, but only an existential and maximality presupposition. Maximize presupposition is also important and plays a critical role in regulating the impact of the Small world hypothesis: a definite will be favored under circumstances where it may be used unless it brings along unwanted implicatures, typically implicatures concerning number. Other types of presupposition accommodation are also considered with an eye to evaluating the claim that distinct classes of presuppositions exist.