The Interface Hypothesis proposes that second language (L2) learners, even at highly proficient levels, often fail to integrate information at the external interfaces where grammar interacts with other cognitive systems. While much early L2 work has focused on the syntax–discourse interface or scalar implicatures at the semantics–pragmatics interface, the present article adds to this line of research by exploring another understudied phenomenon at the semantics–pragmatics interface, namely, presuppositions. Furthermore, this study explores both inference computation and suspension via a covered-box picture-selection task. Specifically, this study investigates the interpretation of a presupposition trigger stop and stop under negation. The results from 38 native English speakers and 41 first language (L1) Mandarin Chinese learners of English indicated similar response patterns between native and L2 groups in computing presuppositions but not in suspending presuppositions. That is, L2 learners were less likely to suspend presuppositions than native speakers. This study contributes to a more precise understanding of L2 acquisition at the external interface level, as well as computation and suspension of pragmatic inferences.

界面假说提出，即使语言水平很高，第二语言学习者也经常无法在语法与其他认知系统相互作用的外部界面上整合信息。虽然早期的L2研究主要集中在语义-语用学接口上的语法-话语界面或标量隐含，但本文通过探索语义-语用学接口上的另一个未被充分研究的现象（即预设）来增加了这一研究领域。此外，本研究还通过有盖框图片选择任务探索了推理计算和暂停。具体来说，本研究调查预设触发停止和停止的解释在否定之下。来自38位以英语为母语的母语者和41位以中文为母语的汉语学习者的结果表明，在计算预设时，母语和L2组之间的响应模式相似，但在悬浮预设中却没有。也就是说，二语学习者比以母语为母语的人不太可能暂停预设。这项研究有助于在外部接口级别更精确地了解L2的获取，以及务实推断的计算和中止。