Abstract

This paper investigates the lexical distinctness of factive vs. non-factive predicates. It is shown that besides semi-factives, all factive classes have a non-factive reading which arises for pragmatic reasons when the factive reading is excluded due to a presupposition failure. A study which tested the acceptability of test samples containing presupposition failure under factives provides evidence that there is a lexical re-interpretation available for all factives which puts them close to attitude predicates. Using a satisfaction approach for the interpretation of factives as in Heim (1992), which examines the definedness conditions for presuppositions at local contexts, it is shown that this lexical re-interpretation changes the context necessary to satisfy the presupposition from a local context to the set of a holder's beliefs.