Philosophy Pragmatics Questions Long
In Recanati's pragmatics, implicature plays a crucial role in understanding the meaning of utterances beyond their literal interpretation. Implicature refers to the additional meaning that is conveyed indirectly or implicitly through the use of language. It involves the inferences made by the listener based on the context, speaker's intentions, and shared knowledge.
Recanati argues that implicatures are not derived from the conventional meaning of words or sentences but are generated through pragmatic processes. According to him, the meaning of an utterance is not solely determined by the words used, but also by the speaker's communicative intentions and the context in which the utterance is made.
One of the key concepts in Recanati's theory is the distinction between what he calls "semantic content" and "communicative content." Semantic content refers to the literal meaning of an utterance, which can be determined by analyzing the words and sentence structure. On the other hand, communicative content includes both the semantic content and the additional meaning conveyed through implicatures.
Recanati argues that implicatures are generated through a process of pragmatic enrichment. This process involves the listener's ability to recognize and interpret various pragmatic cues, such as implicatures, presuppositions, and conversational implicatures. These cues help the listener to go beyond the literal meaning of the words and understand the speaker's intended meaning.
Implicatures can be categorized into two types: conventional implicatures and conversational implicatures. Conventional implicatures are derived from specific linguistic conventions or rules, such as the use of irony or metaphor. Conversational implicatures, on the other hand, are generated through the cooperative principle and the maxims of conversation proposed by Grice.
The cooperative principle suggests that in a conversation, participants are expected to be cooperative and contribute relevant and truthful information. The maxims of conversation, which include the maxims of quantity, quality, relation, and manner, provide guidelines for effective communication. Violations or flouting of these maxims can lead to the generation of conversational implicatures.
Overall, implicature plays a crucial role in Recanati's pragmatics by allowing for a more nuanced and contextually sensitive interpretation of utterances. It helps bridge the gap between the literal meaning of words and the intended meaning of the speaker, taking into account the context, speaker's intentions, and shared knowledge. By recognizing and interpreting implicatures, listeners can better understand the speaker's intended meaning and engage in effective communication.