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 the understanding of what is meant or intended by a speaker, even if it is not explicitly stated.
Relevance implicature interpretation, on the other hand, focuses on the idea that implicatures arise from the principle of relevance in communication. According to relevance theory, speakers aim to communicate information that is relevant to the listener's cognitive context, and listeners make inferences to derive the intended meaning.
In relevance implicature interpretation, implicatures are seen as a result of the listener's effort to maximize relevance in understanding the speaker's intended meaning. This means that listeners actively engage in a process of inference, drawing conclusions based on the context, background knowledge, and the principle of relevance.
For example, if someone says, "I have a lot of work to do," the implicature could be that they are busy and may not have time for other activities. This implicature is derived from the context and the listener's inference that having a lot of work implies being busy.
Overall, the concept of implicature in relation to relevance implicature interpretation highlights the importance of context, inference, and the principle of relevance in understanding the intended meaning beyond the literal words used in communication.