Philosophy Pragmatics Questions Long
In Blakemore's pragmatics, implicature plays a crucial role in understanding the meaning conveyed in communication. Implicature refers to the additional meaning that is inferred or implied by a speaker beyond the literal meaning of their words. It involves the recognition of implicit information that is not explicitly stated but is still intended to be understood by the listener.
Blakemore's approach to pragmatics emphasizes the importance of implicature in bridging the gap between what is said and what is meant. According to her, implicatures are generated through a process of reasoning based on the cooperative principle and the maxims of conversation proposed by Paul Grice.
The cooperative principle suggests that in communication, participants generally aim to be cooperative and contribute relevant and truthful information. The maxims of conversation, which include the maxims of quantity, quality, relevance, and manner, provide guidelines for effective communication. However, these maxims can be violated or flouted in order to convey implicatures.
For example, if someone asks, "Do you have any plans for the weekend?" and the listener responds, "I have a lot of work to do," the implicature is that the listener does not have any plans for the weekend. The listener's response violates the maxim of relevance by not directly answering the question but still conveys the intended meaning.
Blakemore argues that implicatures are not arbitrary or random but are governed by certain principles. She proposes the Principle of Relevance, which states that implicatures are generated when the speaker's utterance is relevant enough to be worth the listener's effort to process it. In other words, implicatures are generated when the additional meaning contributes to the overall relevance of the conversation.
Furthermore, Blakemore distinguishes between two types of implicatures: generalized and particularized implicatures. Generalized implicatures are based on general knowledge and shared assumptions, while particularized implicatures are context-specific and depend on the specific circumstances of the conversation.
Blakemore's pragmatics highlights the importance of implicature in understanding the intended meaning behind utterances. It recognizes that communication involves more than just the literal meaning of words and that implicatures play a crucial role in conveying additional information. By analyzing implicatures, we can gain a deeper understanding of the speaker's intentions and the context in which the communication takes place.