Inference complexity as a novel semantic parameter

Abstract

This paper discusses implications of a novel account of epistemic modals put forward in Wurm, 2025, suggesting that epistemic must is sensitive to inference complexity. The main aim is to provide further support for the theory as such, as well as emphasize its scope.Specifically, I present additional evidence for inference complexity as a relevant parameter in the interpretation of natural language by showing that we find several types of expressions exhibiting a similar sensitivity. As a result, my account gives rise to a novel semantic class and new classifications within existing ones; not only in the domain of modality.