Linguistic meaning has long been recognized to be highly context-dependent. Quantifiers like many and some provide a particularly clear example of context-dependence. For example, the interpretation of quantifiers requires listeners to determine the relevant domain and scale. We focus on another type of context-dependence that quantifiers share with other lexical items: talker variability. Different talkers might use quantifiers with different interpretations in mind. We used a web-based crowdsourcing paradigm to study participants' expectations about the use of many and some based on recent exposure. We first established that the mapping of some and many onto quantities (candies in a bowl) is variable both within and between participants. We then examined whether and how listeners' expectations about quantifier use adapts with exposure to talkers who use quantifiers in different ways. The results demonstrate that listeners can adapt to talker-specific biases in both how often and with what intended meaning many and some are used.

中文翻译：

---

量词解释中的说话者特异性和适应性


长期以来，语言意义一直被认为是高度依赖于语境的。像“many”和“some”这样的量词提供了上下文依赖性的一个特别清晰的例子。例如，量词的解释需要听众确定相关的领域和范围。我们关注量词与其他词汇项目共享的另一种上下文依赖性：说话者的可变性。不同的谈话者可能会使用具有不同解释的量词。我们使用基于网络的众包范式来研究参与者对基于最近曝光的许多和一些的使用的期望。我们首先确定，一些和许多到数量（碗里的糖果）的映射在参与者内部和参与者之间都是可变的。然后，我们研究了听众对量词使用的期望是否以及如何适应以不同方式使用量词的演讲者。结果表明，听众可以适应说话者特定的偏见，包括使用频率和意图。