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What is pragmatic presupposition?
An implicit assumption that depends on context, shared knowledge, and the speaker-hearer relationship.
Identify the presupposition in the sentence Emma’s car is very expensive.”
✅ Emma has a car. (Existential presupposition)
Which type of presupposition is in: “She managed to solve the problem”?
Factive presupposition (She solved the problem).
What does the sentence “He stopped visiting his grandmother” presuppose?
He used to visit his grandmother. (Lexical presupposition)
Which type of presupposition is triggered by question structures like “Where did you put my book?”
Structural presupposition (You put my book somewhere).
What is the presupposition in: “If I were taller, I could play basketball”?
I am not taller. (Counterfactual presupposition)
What is the presupposition in: “If I were taller, I could play basketball”?
I am not taller.
Find the presupposition: “Her brother won the chess tournament again.”
Her brother won a chess tournament before. (Lexical presupposition)
Which type of presupposition is in: “She realized that the train was late”?
Factive presupposition (The train was late)
What presupposition is in: “My teacher’s office is next to the library”?
My teacher has an office. (Existential presupposition)
Give an example of presupposition failure
Tom’s sister is a doctor” → presupposition fails if Tom doesn’t have a sister.
Why is pragmatic presupposition important in intercultural communication?
Because assumptions may differ across cultures, leading to misunderstandings if not shared.
In politics, why might a speaker ask: “When will corruption finally end in this country?”
It presupposes that corruption exists and has not ended.
How do advertisers use presuppositions?
They suggest needs/benefits implicitly, e.g., “Have you tried our new app?” → presupposes a new app exists.
