A note on relevance

Abstract In this paper, I present novel data that challenge the dominant approach to modelling linguistic relevance, according to which a sentence is relevant if and only if it is informative to the Question Under Discussion (QUD). In particular, I show that a sentence can fail to be informative to the QUD and, despite this, still be perceived as relevant. In the final section, I outline the theoretical implications of this finding.

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Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Semantics
Published
2025-10-31
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1093/jos/ffaf013
Primary Topic
Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

A note on relevance

Diego Feinmann
Journal of Semantics
Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation
article

A note on relevance

Diego Feinmann
article en

Abstract

Abstract In this paper, I present novel data that challenge the dominant approach to modelling linguistic relevance, according to which a sentence is relevant if and only if it is informative to the Question Under Discussion (QUD). In particular, I show that a sentence can fail to be informative to the QUD and, despite this, still be perceived as relevant. In the final section, I outline the theoretical implications of this finding.

Journal of Semantics
Polish Academy of Sciences (PL)
Quality Education
Openalex Percentile: Top 9%
Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation
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A note on relevance — Diego Feinmann · Journal of Semantics (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS