Abstract：Scalar implicature has been intensely investigated in semantics-pragmatics interface studies. There has been a long debate among various theories about the essence and properties of scalar implicature, leading scalar implicature studies to an “experimental turn” with many novel per¬spectives, methods, and research questions in the field of experimental pragmatics. Using CiteSpace, this study systematically reviews the findings of experimental research on scalar implicature to identify the key issues and emergent research trends. Based on the results, this paper offers a critical assessment of the previous research focusing on the inadequacies and discusses directions in future research.
Key words: scalar implicature; experimental pragmatics; linguistic essence; processing proper¬ties; CiteSpace
