| Abstract: | In this paper we examine the use of almost (and barely) in Rhetoric. We will see that especially in those cases where a proposition p leads to conclusion q and proposition p is not (entirely) true in the real world, a speaker can use a formulation with almost to try and convince the hearer still that conclusion q is the case, without having to tell a lie. We will see that from a speaker's perspective, there are several constraints that work together in determining which formulation helps the speaker best in achieving his goal of convincing the hearer of a certain conclusion. Formulations with almost surface as the optimal output for achieving the speaker's goal. |
