Ling 140: Discourse and Pragmatics Friday, January 19 Grice: Logic and Conversation

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1 Ling 140: Discurse and Pragmatics Sphia Malamud Friday, January 19 Grice: Lgic and Cnversatin Ellen Prince s 1982 Grice and Universality: a Reappraisal, respnding t Keenan, E.O The universality f cnversatinal pstulates, a criticism f Grice Gricean pragmatics State-f-the-art (1970 r s) Cmpsitinal semantics: meaning f the whle depends (nly) n the meaning f the parts and the way these parts are put tgether. Prblem: this apprach fails t capture (by any available lgical framewrk) the meaning f utterances in natural language. Example 1: Nirit has fur prtable chairs. a. A: What camping equipment d yu guys have? B: I have tw tents, Rsa has a burner and Nirit has fur prtable chairs. b. A: Oh, n! Fur mre guests are cming and I dn t have enugh chairs. B: Why dn t yu ask Nirit? She has lts f camping equipment. I m sure she has fur prtable chairs. S: cmpsitinal-lgical framewrks are either ttally inapplicable t language, r they re nt enugh! Grice s prpsal: Suppse they re nt enugh; what else d we need t get the whle meaning? Cperative principle: Make yur cntributin such as is required, at the stage at which it ccurs, by the accepted purpse r directin f the talk exchange in which yu are engaged. Maxims: Quantity: 1. Make yur cntributin as infrmative as is required fr the current purpses f the exchange 2. D nt make yur cntributin mre infrmative than is required Quality: try t make yur cntributin ne that is true 1. D nt say what yu believe t be false 2. D nt say that fr which yu lack adequate evidence Relatin: be relevant Manner: be perspicuus 1. Avid bscurity f expressin 2. Avid ambiguity 3. Be brief (avid unnecessary prlixity) 4. Be rderly Grice then prpses a divisin f labur: cmpsitinal semantics accunts fr lgical implicatins (entailments);

2 pragmatics (parts f the Cperative Principle) accunts fr implicatures. T understand Grice better: what are these principle and maxims? - nt prescriptins! - nt descriptins f what peple always d! - YES descriptins f what peple expect frm each ther in cnversatin. 2. Des Malagasy culture lack the Maxim f Quantity? Keenan s claim: Malagasy speakers dn t have Maxim f Quantity. They regularly vilate Maxim f Quantity; prviding enugh infrmatin is nt the cultural nrm. What cnsequences des Grice predict fr maxim vilatin? Example 2 (re-wrded frm Grice a bit). a. A is writing a recmmendatin abut an advisee wh is a candidate fr a philsphy jb, and his letler reads as fllws: T whm it may cncern: Mr. X's cmmand f English is excellent, and his attendance at seminars has been regular. Yurs, Prfessr A, University f Out There b. Glss: A cannt be pting ut, since if he wished t be uncperative, why write at all? He cannt be unable, thrugh ignrance, t say mre, since the man is his advisee; mrever, he knws that mre infrmatin than this is wanted. He must, therefre be wishing t impart infrmatin that he is reluctant t write dwn. This suppsitin is tenable nly if he thinks Mr. X is n gd at philsphy. c. Cnclusin: A is implicating that Mr. X is n gd at philsphy Example 3 a. Bys will be bys b. War is war Questin: are Malagasy speakers lacking the maxim d they really have n expectatins that a persn will cntribute an apprpriate amunt f inf? - r are they pting ut r fluting it in rder t prduce implicatures? Example 4 (frm Keenan 1976) A: Hw des ne pen this dr? B: If ne desn't pen it frm the inside, the dr wn't pen. Reasning: Step 1. 'B knws that, if a persn desn't try t pen it frm the inside, the dr wn't pen.' Step 2. 'B knws that the dr wn't pen r a persn desn't nt try t pen it frm the inside.' (by lgical equivalence) Step 3. 'B knws that the dr wn't pen r a persn tries t pen it frm the inside.' (by lgical equivalence) Step 4. 'B knws that a persn tries t pen it frm the inside r it wn't pen.' (by lgical equivalence) Step 5. 'Fr all B knws, it is nt the case that a persn tries t pen it frm

3 the inside and it wn't pen.' (by Maxim f Quantity implicature) Step 6. 'Fr all B knws, if ne tries t pen it frm the inside, it will pen.' (by lgical equivalence) Cnclusin: Malagasy speakers make the same srts f inferences in this case as English speakers and Maxim f Quantity can explain them. Example 5 (frm Keenan 1976) A. Where is yur mther? B. She is either in the huse r at the market Keenan, page 70: B's utterance is nt usually taken t imply that B is unable t prvide mre specific infrmatin...the implicature is nt made, because the expectatin that speakers will satisfy infrmatinal needs is nt a basic nrm BUT: Infrmatin that is nt already available t the public is highly sught after. If ne manages t gain access t 'new' infrmatin, ne is reluctant t reveal it. As lng as it is knwn that ne has that infrmatin and the thers d nt, ne has sme prestige ver them. S: A believes B culd have made a strnger statement, and chse nt t. Thus A cncludes that (by thus being uncperative) B has prestige ver A. Cnclusin: A must have Maxim f Quantity since if A culd nt recgnise that B is withlding inf, A wuldn t be able (ever) t recgnise B s superirity! S, Malagasy speakers seem t be cnstantly using the maxim, in rder t prduce implicatures f having prestige ver thers. 3. Suppse there was a culture lacking ne f the maxims what wuld it be like? Maxim f Quantity Example 6. Scalar implicatures (ne vs. mre than ne, sme vs everyne, may vs must) a. Jhn has ne leg => k Jhn has at least ne leg > nt Jhn has nt mre than ne leg b. Sme peple left early => k At least tw peple left early > nt Nt everyne left early c. Jhn may die tmrrw => k It s pssible/permitted that Jhn will die tmrrw > nt It is nt the case that Jhn must die tmrrw Example 7. Cnditinals I ll give yu $5 if yu mw the lawn > nt I wn t give yu $5 if yu dn t mw the lawn > nt I ll give yu $5 if and nly if yu mw the lawn

4 Example 8. Exclusive disjunctin a. Yu ll shvel the snw r I ll hit yu > nt Yu ll shvel the snw r I ll hit yu but nt bth b. This is Chpen s pian cncert r I m mnkey s uncle > nt This is Chpen s pian cncert r I m mnkey s uncle but nt bth Maxim f Quality N assumed relatinship between speaker s utterances and beliefs like a parrt! S, n exchange f infrmatin and n learning thrugh language N lying (since n expectatin f truth) N use fr questin-answer sequences (answers nt expected t be true) N implicatures based n the maxim: metaphr r sarcasm Example 9. Metaphr She s ur little flwer > nt Speaker believes that she is gentle and beautiful as a little flwer Example 10. Sarcasm (at a bus stp, in puring rain) Excellent weather! > nt Speaker is being sarcastic abut the hrrible weather cnditins Maxim f Relatin N anaphra Example 11. a. Jhn called yesterday. He said that he was getting sick. b. I went t a neighbr's huse and kncked at the dr. c. That was sme party! Mst peple stayed until dawn! N use f questin-answer sequences (replies cannt be expected t relate t preceding questin) Example 12 a. A: Hw can I get t Brandeis? B: There's a bus that stps in frnt f the stre, number 553. > nt The bus number 553 that stps in frnt f the stre ges t Brandeis. b. A: Yu want t g t the mvies tnight? B: I have t study. > nt B has t study tnight & can't bth study and g t the mvies, s B des nt want t g t the mvies tnight. c. A: What d yu like abut that car? B: It gets great mileage. > nt What B likes abut that car is that it gets great mileage. Maxim f Manner Very hard t understand, since there d be n effrt t be clear etc. Might speak inaudibly (silently?)

5 Use the wrng language Speak turning t the wrng place N ways f being plite r rude N bscenity r euphemism N punning r ther verbal humr N judgements abut speaking ability (well-said r prly-said) Patterns f reference wuld nt reflect their hyptheses abut hearers beliefs and needs s n cnstraints n the use f prnuns, prper names, definite vs. indefinite NPs, etc. Example 13. (Smene kncks at a stranger s dr) a. Smene has just had an accident. May I use yur phne t call an ambulance? b. Sam just had ne. May smene use it t d s? a just as apprpriate (felicitus) as b 4. Cnclusin and a lk ahead In the early prtin f her paper, Prince mentins anther bjectin t Grice - Krch 1972: fllwing frm the vagueness f Grice s terms, it can be shwn that just abut any prpsitin can be derived as an implicature frm any ther prpsitin. That desn t happen! Cnclusin: Grice s lecture ntes (prtin published as Grice 1975 included) d nt cnstitute a thery, but merely the basis fr ne. Mst wrk in linguistic pragmatics: cnstructing a frmal pragmatic thery based n Grice (ne which can make nn-trivial, testable predictins). This will be reflected in the rest f this class. Ellen Prince s paper is n WebCT, in case yu want t lk at it.