Pragmatics and word meaning

Pragmatics and Word Meaning

In this paper, we explore the interaction between lexical semantics and pragmatics. We argue that linguistic processing is informationally encapsulated and utilises relatively simple ‘taxonomic’ lexical semantic knowledge. On this basis, defeasible lexical generalisations deliver defeasible parts of logical form. In contrast, pragmatic inference is openended and involves arbitrary real-world kn...

The Pragmatics of Word Meaning

In this paper, we explore the interaction between lexical semantics and pragmatics. Linguistic processing is informationally encapsulated and utilises relatively simple ‘taxonomic’ lexical semantic knowledge. On this basis, defeasible lexical generalisations deliver defeasible parts of logical form. In contrast, pragmatics is open-ended and involves arbitrary knowledge. Two axioms specify when ...

The Pragmatics of Intonational Meaning

Starting from Carlos Gussenhoven’s proposal Gussenhoven02 that intonational meaning be understood in terms of three biological codes, this paper suggests an augmentation of that proposal to connect human experience of these biological phenomena to the process of spoken communication. Under this scenario, the codes give rise to a set of Conversational Implicatures, similar to those defined by H....

Procedural Meaning and the Semantics/ Pragmatics Interface

The Pragmatics and Semantics of Temporal Meaning

In all languages, sentences convey information that allows people to locate situations in time. Languages vary: some have tense and tense-like forms, others do not. I will suggest general pragmatic principles to account for how temporal location works in language. The principles have different realizations according to the forms that are syntactically obligatory in a given language. I will begi...