A constraint on presupposition accommodation

Abstract

We discuss a constraint on global accommodation proposed by Heim stating that an accommodated presupposition must not settle the QUD [Hei15]. We argue that this constraint follows from the asymmetry between the pragmatic status of presuppositions and assertions assumed by the satisfaction theory [Sta70, Kar74]. We provide evidence that local accommodation is sensitive to this constraint, thus arguing that local accommodation maintains the asymmetry. This poses a challenge to theories of local accommodation.