Philosophy Pragmatics Questions Medium
Implicature is a concept in pragmatics that refers to the meaning that is conveyed indirectly or implicitly in a conversation, beyond the literal or explicit meaning of the words used. It involves understanding the speaker's intended meaning based on the context, shared knowledge, and the speaker's communicative intentions.
Relevance implicature comprehension, on the other hand, focuses on how implicatures contribute to the overall relevance of a conversation. It involves understanding the implicatures in relation to the context and the speaker's intended message, and how they contribute to the overall meaning and relevance of the conversation.
In relevance implicature comprehension, the listener not only understands the explicit meaning of the words but also infers the implicit meaning or implicatures that are relevant to the conversation. These implicatures can be derived from various sources, such as conversational maxims, cultural norms, or the speaker's intentions.
For example, if someone says, "It's getting late, and I have an early morning meeting tomorrow," the explicit meaning is that the person has a meeting early in the morning. However, the implicature could be that the person wants to end the conversation and go to bed soon. The listener comprehends this implicature by considering the context, the time of the conversation, and the speaker's intention to convey their desire to end the conversation.
In summary, implicature in relation to relevance implicature comprehension involves understanding the implicit meaning conveyed in a conversation and how it contributes to the overall relevance and understanding of the message being communicated. It requires considering the context, shared knowledge, and the speaker's communicative intentions to infer the intended meaning beyond the explicit words used.