The Missing Text Phenomenon and Commonsense

Abstract

his study examines instances of the “missing text phenomenon” in which speakers assume their listeners have certain knowledge relevant to the conversation and do not provide all details or background information. Listeners then use contextual clues to infer the intended meaning of the message, even if some information is missing. Previous research has attempted to explain these instances through type-theoretic formal semantics and by incorporating ontological types in the process of type unification over predicates. However, this approach faces challenges in determining the ontological structure underlying everyday discourse. This paper argues that commonsense knowledge/reasoning plays a direct role in understanding the missing text phenomenon. Specifically, commonsense knowledge/reasoning is a cognitive ability that allows us to infer the intended meaning of language by considering context, background knowledge, and the relationship between words, phrases, and sentences. It is a fundamental ability that enables us to understand and make inferences about the world around us and is vital in how we process and understand language.