Understanding Implicatures in Linguistics

Study Notes

Implicatures are inferences that are made beyond the literal meaning of an utterance.

Conventional Implicatures: These are implicatures that are associated with specific words or phrases.
- Example: "I'll meet you at 5 o'clock" implies that the meeting will take place at 5 o'clock sharp.
Conversational Implicatures: These are implicatures that arise from the cooperative principle in conversation.
- Example: "Can you pass the salt?" implies that the speaker wants the salt to be passed, even though it's not explicitly stated.
Scalar Implicatures: These are implicatures that involve a scale or hierarchy of values.
- Example: "I got an A-" implies that the speaker got a high grade, but not the highest possible grade.

Cancelability: Implicatures can be cancelled by adding more information.
- Example: "I'll meet you at 5 o'clock, but I might be late" cancels the implicature that the meeting will take place at 5 o'clock sharp.
Calculability: Implicatures can be calculated based on the context and the cooperative principle.
- Example: The implicature "I want the salt to be passed" can be calculated based on the context of the conversation and the speaker's intention.
Non-detachability: Implicatures are not detachable from the utterance.
- Example: The implicature "I want the salt to be passed" cannot be separated from the utterance "Can you pass the salt?"

Grice's Cooperative Principle: Paul Grice's theory states that speakers and listeners cooperate to convey meaning, and implicatures arise from this cooperation.
Relevance Theory: This theory states that implicatures arise from the listener's attempt to find the most relevant interpretation of the utterance.

Implicatures play a crucial role in effective communication, as they allow speakers to convey meaning beyond the literal words.
Implicatures can also lead to misunderstandings if the listener misinterprets the speaker's intention.
Implicatures are an important aspect of pragmatics, which studies the relationship between language and context.

Conventional Implicatures: Associated with specific words or phrases, e.g., "I'll meet you at 5 o'clock" implies meeting at 5 o'clock sharp.
Conversational Implicatures: Arise from the cooperative principle in conversation, e.g., "Can you pass the salt?" implies wanting the salt to be passed.
Scalar Implicatures: Involve a scale or hierarchy of values, e.g., "I got an A-" implies a high grade, but not the highest possible grade.

Cancelability: Implicatures can be cancelled by adding more information, e.g., "I'll meet you at 5 o'clock, but I might be late" cancels the implicature of meeting at 5 o'clock sharp.
Calculability: Implicatures can be calculated based on context and the cooperative principle, e.g., implicature "I want the salt to be passed" can be calculated from context and speaker's intention.
Non-detachability: Implicatures are not detachable from the utterance, e.g., implicature "I want the salt to be passed" cannot be separated from "Can you pass the salt?"

Grice's Cooperative Principle: Speakers and listeners cooperate to convey meaning, and implicatures arise from this cooperation.
Relevance Theory: Implicatures arise from the listener's attempt to find the most relevant interpretation of the utterance.

Implicatures play a crucial role in effective communication, allowing speakers to convey meaning beyond literal words.
Implicatures can lead to misunderstandings if the listener misinterprets the speaker's intention.
Implicatures are an important aspect of pragmatics, studying the relationship between language and context.