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Complete lists of publications and talks are available on the personal website of Prof. Dr. Nicole Gotzner. Please also check the personal websites of our group members.

 

Monograph

Gotzner, N. (2017). Alternative sets in language processing: How focus alternatives are represented in the mind. Palgrave studies in Pragmatics, Language and Cognition, Palgrave Macmillan. 

 

Edited volumes

Gotzner, N., Harris, J., Breheny, R. & Sharvit, Y. (2025). Alternatives in Grammar and Cognition. Palgrave Macmillan.

Gotzner, N. & Sauerland, U. (2022). Measurements, numerals, and scales. Palgrave studies in Pragmatics, Language and Cognition, Palgrave Macmillan.

 

Papers by year

(* indicates equal contribution)

 

Submitted and forthcoming

Gotzner, N. (2025). The measurement mechanism: A new theory of the lower- and upper-bounded meaning of gradable adjectives. Preprint: 10.13140/RG.2.2.33509.92645/1

Gotzner, N. (2025). Does it matter what is said and who said it? The interpretation of Trump’s and Harris’ statements in Republican and Democrat voters. Preprint at PsyArXiv: https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/a4u52_v1

Uhlemann, C. & Gotzner, N. (in revision). Absolute before relative: How scale structure predicts children’s adjective acquisition.

 

2025 

Kobrock, K., Ohmer, X., Bruni, E., & Gotzner, N. (2025). Agents can generalize to novel levels of abstraction with the help of language. ACL 2025. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/km28h

Gotzner, N. & Lacina, R. (2025). Generating and selecting alternatives for scalar implicature computation: The Alternative Activation Account and other theories. In Alternatives in Grammar and Cognition. Palgrave Macmillan. Preprint version

Bleotu, C., Benz, A. & Gotzner, N. (2025). Reasoning with Epistemic Adverbs in Child Romanian: Insights from the Shadow Play Paradigm. Language acquisition, 1-32. https://doi.org/10.1080/10489223.2025.2470770

 

2024 

Gotzner, N. & Mazzarella, D. (2024). Negative strengthening: Interplay of evaluative polarity and scale structure. Journal of Semantics, Articleffae004. https://doi.org/10.1093/jos/ffae004

Gotzner, N. & Scontras, G. (2024). On the role of loopholes in polite communication: Linking subjectivity and pragmatic inference. Open Mind, 8,500–510. https://doi.org/10.1162/opmi_a_00133

Kobrock, K., Solzbacher, J., Gotzner, N. & König, P. (2024). Feeling good, approaching the positive. Frontiers in Psychology, 15. doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1491612.

Kobrock, K., Uhlemann, C. & Gotzner, N.(2024). Superordinate referring expressions in abstraction: Introducing the concept-level reference game. Proceedings of  the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, 46. 

Kobrock, K., Ohmer, X., Bruni, E. & Gotzner, N. (2024). Context shapes emergent communication about concepts at different levels of abstraction. In Proceedings of the 2024 Joint International Conference on Computational Linguistics, Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC-COLING 2024), pages 3831–3848, Torino, Italia. ELRA and ICCL. https://aclanthology.org/2024.lrec-main.339.pdf

Lacina, R. & Gotzner, N. (2024). Exploring scalar diversity through priming: A lexical decision study with adjectives. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, 46.

Lacina, R.,  Šimík, R., & Gotzner, N. (2024). “Czech” the Alternatives: A Probe Recognition Study of Focus and Word Order.  Proceedings of Sinn und Bedeutung (SuB). Preprint: https://psyarxiv.com/gqrnb/

Lacina, R., Sturt, P. & Gotzner, N. (2024). The comprehension of broad focus: Probing alternatives to verb phrases. In Robin Lemke, Lisa Schäfer & Ingo Reich (eds.), Information structure and information theory, 23–53. Berlin: Language Science Press. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.13383785

Alexandropoulou, S.* & Gotzner, N.* (2024). Negation, polarity and scale structure: Different inferences of gradable adjectives. Journal of Semantics. 41, 373–399, https://doi.org/10.1093/jos/ffae012.

Alexandropoulou, S. & Gotzner, N. (2024). Gradable adjective interpretation under negation: The role of competition. Glossa, 9. https://doi.org/10.16995/glossa.9919.

 

2023

Korsheed, A. & Gotzner, N. (2023). A closer look at variability in scalar implicature processing: a review. Frontiers in Communication, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1187970

Lacina, R., Šimík, R., & Gotzner, N. (2023). 'Czech' the alternatives: A probe recognition study of focus and word order. Proceedings of Sinn und Bedeutung, 27, 365–380. https://doi.org/10.18148/sub/2023.v27.1075

 

2022

Alexandropoulou, S.* &  Gotzner, N.* (2022). Negation, polarity and scale structure: Different inferences of gradable adjectives. Proceedings of Sinn und Bedeutung, 26, 35–54. https://doi.org/10.18148/sub/2022.v26i0.986

Alexandropoulou, S., Herb, M, Discher, H. & Gotzner, N. (2022). Incremental pragmatic interpretation of gradable adjectives: The role of standards of comparison. Proceedings of Semantics and Linguistic Theory (SALT), 32, 481–497. https://doi.org/10.3765/salt.v1i0.5399

Bleotu, C., Benz, A. & Gotzner, N. (2022) Romanian 5-year-olds derive global but not local implicatures with quantifiers embedded under epistemic adverbs: Evidence from a shadow-playing paradigm. Proceedings of Sinn und Bedeutung, 26, 149-164 https://doi.org/10.18148/sub/2022.v26i0.993

Gotzner, N. (2022). Voll Krifka! Intensification, modification and commitment. In S. Repp & T. Trinh (Eds.), For Manfred from his students (pp. 27-36). Universitäts- und Stadtbibliothek Köln.

Gotzner, N. & Benz, A. (2022) Implicatures in (non-) monotonic environments. Proceedings of Sinn und Bedeutung, 26, 340-358 https://doi.org/10.18148/sub/2022.v26i0.1005 

Gotzner, N. & Kiziltan, S. (2022). She is brilliant! Distinguishing different readings of relative gradable adjectives. In N. Gotzner & U. Sauerland (Eds.), Measurements, numerals and scales: Essays in honour of Stephanie Solt (pp. 117-134). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73323-0_7

Gotzner, N. & Romoli, J. (2022). Meaning and alternatives. Annual Reviews in Linguistics, 8, 213-234. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-linguistics-031220-012013

Gotzner, N. & Sauerland, U. (2022). Measurement, numerals and scales. Palgrave Macmillan. 

Gotzner, N. & Spalek, K. (2022). Expectations about upcoming discourse referents: Effects of pitch accents and focus particles in German language production. International Review of Pragmatics, 14(1), 77-94. https://doi.org/10.1163/18773109-01401003

 

2021

Benz, A.* & Gotzner, N.* (2021). Embedded implicature: What can be left unsaid? Linguistics and Philosophy, 44(5), 1099-1130. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10988-020-09310-x

Bleotu, C., Benz, A. & Gotzner, N. (2021). Shadow Playing with Romanian 5-Year-Olds. Epistemic Adverbs Are a Kind of Magic!. Proceedings of Empirical investigations in linguistic meaning (ELM), 1, 59-70. https://doi.org/10.3765/elm.1.4866

Gotzner, N. (2021). Experimentelle Pragmatik. 25 Jahre Geisteswissenschaftliche Zentren Berlin, 44-47.

Gotzner, N. & Mazzarella, D. (2021). Face management and negative strengthening: The role of power relations, social distance and gender. Frontiers in psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.602977

Mazzarella, D. & Gotzner, N. (2021). The polarity asymmetry of negative strengthening: Dissociating adjectival polarity from face-threatening potential. Glossa: a journal of general linguistics, 6(1). http://doi.org/10.5334/gjgl.1342

 

2020

Gotzner, N., Barner, D., & Crain, S. (2020). Disjunction triggers exhaustivity implicatures in 4-to 5-year-olds: Investigating the role of access to alternatives. Journal of Semantics, 37(2), 219-245. https://doi.org/10.1093/jos/ffz021

Gotzner, N., Romoli, J. & Santorio, P. (2020). Choices, prohibition, and non-monotonic environments. Natural Language Semantics, 28, 141-174. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11050-019-09160-9

Jördens, K., Gotzner, N. & Spalek, K. (2020). The role of non-categorical relations in establishing focus alternative sets. Language and Cognition, 12(4), 729-754. https://doi.org/10.1017/langcog.2020.21.

 

2019

Benz, A.* & Gotzner, N.* (2019) Irgendein quantifier and local implicature. Snippets, (37), 10-13. http://dx.doi.org/10.7358/snip-2019-037-bego

Gotzner, N. (2019). Disjunction, conjunction and exhaustivity. Snippets, (37), 35-37. http://dx.doi.org/10.7358/snip-2019-037-gotz

Gotzner, N. (2019). The role of focus intonation in implicature computation: A comparison with only and also. Natural Language Semantics, 27(3), 189-226.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s11050-019-09154-7

Gotzner, N. & Spalek, K. (2019). The life and times of focus alternatives: Tracing the activation of alternatives to a focused constituent in language comprehension. Language and Linguistics Compass, 13(2), Article e12310. https://doi.org/10.1111/lnc3.12310

Leffel, T., Cremers, A., Gotzner, N., & Romoli, J. (2019). Vagueness in implicature: The case of modified adjectives. Journal of Semantics, 36(2), 317-348. https://doi.org/10.1093/jos/ffy020

 

2018

Benz, A., Bombi, C., & Gotzner, N. (2018). Scalar diversity and negative strengthening. ZAS Papers in Linguistics, 60, 191–203. https://doi.org/10.21248/zaspil.60.2018.462

Benz, A., Gotzner, N., & Raithel, L. (2018). Embedded implicature in a new interactive paradigm. ZAS Papers in Linguistics, 60, 205–221. https://doi.org/10.21248/zaspil.60.2018.463

Gotzner, N. & Benz, A. (2018). The best response paradigm and a comparison of different models of implicatures of complex sentences. Frontiers in Communication, 2(21). https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2017.00021

Gotzner, N. & Romoli, J. (2018). The scalar inferences of strong scalar terms under negative quantifiers and constraints on the theory of alternatives. Journal of Semantics, 35(1), 95-126. https://doi.org/10.1093/jos/ffx016

Gotzner, N., Romoli, J. & Santorio, P. (2018). More free choice and more inclusion: An experimental investigation of free choice in non-monotonic environments. Proceedings of SALT 28, 690–710. doi.org/10.3765/salt.v28i0.4430

Gotzner, N., Solt, S. & Benz, A.  (2018). Adjectival scales and three types of implicature. Proceedings of SALT 28, 409-423. https://doi.org/10.3765/salt.v28i0.4445

Gotzner, N., Solt, S., & Benz, A. (2018). Scalar diversity, negative strengthening, and adjectival semantics. Frontiers in psychology, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01659

 

2017

Benz, A. & Gotzner, N. (2017). Embedded disjunctions and the best response paradigm. Proceedings of Sinn und Bedeutung, 21(1), 163–178. Retrieved from https://ojs.ub.uni-konstanz.de/sub/index.php/sub/article/view/130

Gotzner, N. (2017). Alternative sets in language processing: How alternatives are represented in the mind. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52761-1

Gotzner, N. & Spalek, K. (2017). The connection between focus and implicatures: Investigating alternative activation under working memory load. In F. Domaneschi & S. Pistoia-Reda (Eds.), Linguistic and Psycholinguistic Approaches on Implicatures and Presuppositions (pp. 175–198). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50696-8_7

Tomlinson, J. M., Gotzner, N. & Bott, L. (2017). Intonation and pragmatic enrichment: How intonation constrains ad-hoc scalar inferences. Language and Speech: Special Issue on Intonation and Pragmatic Inferences, 60, 200-223. https://doi.org/10.1177/0023830917716101

 

2016

Gotzner, N. & Spalek, K. (2016). The role of contrastive and non-contrastive associates in the interpretation of focus particles. Discourse Processes, 54(8), 638–654. https://doi.org/10.1080/0163853X.2016.1148981

Gotzner, N., Wartenburger, I. & Spalek, K. (2016). The impact of focus particles on the recognition and rejection of contrastive alternatives. Language and Cognition, 8(1), 59-95. https://doi.org/10.1017/langcog.2015.25

 

2015-2012

Benz, A. & Gotzner, N. (2014). Embedded implicatures revisited: Issues with the truth value judgement paradigm. In J. Degen, M. Franke, and N. Goodman (Eds.), Proceedings of the Formal & Experimental Pragmatics Workshop (pp. 1-6). Universität Tübingen.

Gotzner, N. (2012). The role of language in color categorical perception. In K. Kosecki & J. Badio (Eds.), Cognitive Processes in Language (pp. 175-182). Peter Lang. https://doi.org/10.3726/978-3-653-04562-8

Gotzner, N. (2015). What’s included in the set of alternatives? Psycholinguistic evidence for a permissive view. Proceedings of Sinn Und Bedeutung, 19, 252–267. https://doi.org/10.18148/sub/2015.v19i0.232 

Gotzner, N. & Spalek, K. (2014). Exhaustive inferences and additive presuppositions: Interplay of focus operators and contrastive intonation. In J. Degen, M. Franke, and N. Goodman (Eds.), Proceedings of the Formal & Experimental Pragmatics Workshop (pp. 7-13). Universität Tübingen.

Gotzner, N., Spalek, K., Wartenburger, I. (2013). How pitch accents and focus particles affect the recognition of contextual alternatives. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, 35, 2434-2440. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7pg8g2wq

Sauerland, U. & Gotzner N. (2013). Familial sinistrals avoid exact numbers. PLoS ONE, 8(3), Article e59103. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0059103

Solt, S. & Gotzner, N. (2012). Experimenting with degree. In A. Chereches (Ed.), Proceedings of Semantics and Linguistic Theory (SALT) 22 (pp.166-187). Linguistic Society of America. https://doi.org/10.3765/salt.v22i0.2636

Solt, S. & Gotzner, N. (2012). Who here is tall? Comparison classes, standards and scales. In SFB 833 (Ed.), Pre-Proceedings of the International Conference on Linguistic Evidence (pp. 79-83). Eberhard Karls Universität. 

Spalek, K.,* Gotzner, N.* & Wartenburger, I. (2014). Not only the apples. Focus-sensitive particles improve memory for information-structural alternatives. Journal of Memory and Language, 70, 68-84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2013.09.001

 

Public outreach

Newspaper article in TAZ: "Nicht schlecht" kann alles heißen. https://taz.de/Osnabruecker-Hoeflichkeits-Forschung/!5939647/

Newspaper article in Märkische Allgemeine Zeitung: Potsdamer Sprachforscherin geht der Vieldeutigkeit auf den Grund, 5.5.2022.

Gotzner, N. & Lettieri, L. (2023, November 18). When children are more logical than adults. Cogsci Space Day, Osnabrück, Germany.

Gotzner, N. (2021, May 8). Kommunizieren mit vager Sprache. Potsdam Digital Science Days, Potsdam, Germany.

Gotzner, N. (2021, March 18). Sagen und Meinen. Book a scientist, Leibniz Association, Leibniz, Germany.

Gotzner, N. (2019, September 7). Sprache in Interaktion - Wie Erwachsene und Kinder kommunizieren. Public talk at Futurium, Berlin, Germany.

Gotzner, N. (2021) Experimentelle Pragmatik. 25 Jahre Geisteswissenschaftliche Zentren Berlin, 44-47.

Spalek, K., Gotzner, N. & Wartenburger, I. (2014, March 31). Small words, big impact: How the words 'even' and 'only' improve memory. Atomium Culture. https://blogs.elpais.com/atomium-culture/2014/03/small-words-big-impact-how-the-words-even-and-only-improve-memory.html