Sobel Sequences– Relevancy or Imprecision?

Abstract

Sobel sequences were recently split into two independent phenomena by Klecha [5, 6]: Reversible True Sobel sequences and irreversible Lewis sequences. In this paper we show that Klecha’s prediction of unidirectionality for Lewis sequences is too strong. To this effect, we propose an alternate analysis, using Lewis’ [13, 14] contextualist relevancy-based framework for conditionals, from which a weaker version of Klecha’s analysis follows naturally, if we accept Bennett [2] and Arregui’s [1] view on how causality affects world similarity. In doing so, we automatically provide an explanation for infelicitous reverse True Sobel sequences, which is, as we also show, a problem for Klecha’s current account. Finally, we reunify the analysis of both sequence types under a single overarching linguistic phenomenon by treating the individual sequence types as proper subsets of Sobel sequences.