The Pragmatic Validation of Utterances

The semantic validation of utterances as true or false is known in logic and linguistics. However, linguistic messages are validated not only on the semantic but also on the pragmatic level. In most linguistic studies, pragmatics is defined mostly as the interrelation between speakers and is considered as a mere supplement to semantics. In our approach (we call MIC : meta-informative centering theory), we give much more importance to pragmatics because we claim that it concerns the necessary metainformative linear ordering and Old/New validation of any semantic information. 1. Information and Meta-Information The semantic validation of utterances as true or false is known in logic and linguistics. But as a matter of fact, linguistic messages are always also characterised by another type of validation because they have to be introduced into discourse either as old O or new N information. This need to introduce information as old or new gives rise to what we call the meta-informative status of utterances. We consider it a necessity that the concept of information in our contemporary information society should cover similar semantic fields both in information science and in linguistics. The nature of what is usually called information in linguistics and how it relates to meaning and cognition has to be elaborated in accordance with other cognitive sciences. For this reason, we define information as knowledge about semantic situations, their participants (agents and/or figures) and spatio-temporal anchors. On the other hand what has been called “information” 3 in linguistics until now, we propose to rename “meta-information”. Signs which are validated not only (a) truth-propositionally (information) but also (b) communicatively (meta-information) are defined as utterances. Although the structure of utterances can be modelled using the same formalism as the structure of all other signs, O/N ) The present paper has been read as an invited conference at Nicolas Copernicus University (Toruń), in April, 24 2007. 1 The MIC theory is outlined in Włodarczyk A. & H. 2006a, 2006b. 2 Cf. Włodarczyk A. “Roles and Anchors of Semantic Situations”, p. X, this volume. 3 See the concept of information structure in the Prague School tradition and its followers (Mathesius, Firbas, Lambrecht).