Focus and negation in Italian why-questions

In the present study, we investigate whether negation interacts with the set of alternatives that are elicited by why-questions. More precisely, we examine whether negation modifies the so-called contrast-class (set of alternatives) in the same way as negation interacts with other constructions, such as focal elements in declarative sentences. To this end, we conducted a multiple forced-choice experiment on Italian and German why-questions in which we examined this interaction in broad and narrow focus conditions in the presence and absence of negation. The results indicate that in both languages, the presence of a narrow focus changes the set of alternatives of a why-question in comparison to a broad focus interpretation, even in the presence of negation. These findings show that focus guides the creation of alternatives. They further imply that the effect of negation on the set of alternatives is pragmatic because negation does not modify the truth-conditional value of the alternatives and it remains the same in the presence or absence of the narrow focus. The addition of negation turns a set of false contrasting propositions into a set of true contrasting propositions.