ABSTRACT
A key question for language research, and in particular conceptual combination, is the dependence of in-context understanding on out-of-context meanings. The interdependence view states that out-of-context meanings influence the in-context comprehension of novel combinations while the independence view maintains that context is the prevailing factor and prevents the activation of interpretations that might normally be available out of context. The chapter explores whether the out-of-context interpretations have a bearing on in-context processing. The Supportive Context is defined as the condition where the paraphrase judgement question at the end of the story supports the interpretation suggested by the story. The Alternative Context is the condition where the paraphrase judgement question supports an alternative question to the story i.e. if the story supports a High-frequency interpretation then the question that follows will refer to the low frequency interpretation.
