Introduction-to-semantics-19-Neo-Gricean-theory-of

Neo-GriceanTheoriesofMeaningGuangwuFENGBA(SISU),MA(GDUFS/Leeds),PhD(Reading)IntroductionSinceitsinception,Grice’sclassicaltheoryofmeaninghasrevolutionizedpragmatictheorizingandinspired,unexpectedly,communicationtheorizing,generatingalargenumberofreinterpretations,revisions,andreconstructions.MostnotableamongtheseattemptsaretheonestoreducetheGriceanmaxims.Harnish(1976),inwhichGrice’smaximsofqualityandquantityarecollapsedintoasinglemaxim:makethestrongestrelevantclaimjustifiablebyyourevidence.Kasher(1976)arguedthattheentireGriceanmachinerycanbeseenasfollowingsomesortof‘mosteffective,leasteffort’rationalprinciple.However,themostinfluentialreductionistmodelsarethetwo-principledHornianandthethree-principledLevinsonianneo-Griceanmodels.(RTisanotherinfluentialone)Harnish,R.(1976)Logicalformandimplicature.Kasher,A.(1976)Conversationalformsandrationality.TheHorniansystemHorn’s(1984,1989,2004)bipartitemodel,suggestingthatallGrice’smaximscanbereducedtotwofundamentalandantitheticalprinciples:TheQ[uantitiy]principleTheR[elation]principleHorn’sQ-andR-principlesTheQ-principleMakeyourcontributionsufficientSayasmuchasyoucan(giventheR-principle)TheR-principleMakeyourcontributionnecessary;Saynomorethanyoumust(giventheQ-principle)Explanation:Intermsofinformationstructure,Horn’sQ-principle,whichcollectsGrice’squantityandmannermaxims,islower-boundingprinciplewhichmaybeexploitedtoengenderupper-boundingconversationalimplicatures:aspeaker,insaying“p”,conversationallyimplicatesthat(forallheorsheknows)“atmostp”.PrototypeQ-orHorn-scalesForS,WtoformaQ-orHorn-scale,(i)A(S)entailsA(W)forsomearbitrarysentenceframeA;(ii)SandWareequallylexicalized,ofthesamewordclass,andfromthesameregister;and(iii)SandWare‘about’thesamesemanticrelation,orfromthesamesemanticfield.Sstandsfor‘semanticallystrongexpression’andWstandsfor‘semanticallyweakexpression’.ExamplesofQ-orHorn-scalesa.all,most,many,some…b.hot,lukewarm,warmc.excellent,goodd.the,ae.know,believef.beautiful,pretty,attractiveg.…4,3,2,1…Explanation:allissemanticallystrongerthansome,becauseitentailssome,butnotviceversa;allandsomearerelativelyequallylexicalized;andbotharequantifiers,thatis,botharefromthesamesemanticfield.Semantically,allmeansatleastall.IfMaxatealltheapples,italsotruetosayheatesome.examplesofQ-implicatureexcellent,gooda.Theuniversityisprovidinggoodservicesforstudents.+Theuniversityisnotprovidingexcellentservicesforstudents.b.Somestudentsareboredwithmylecture.+Notallstudentsareboredwithmylecture.c.Tombelievesthatheisgoingtogetaraise.+Tomdoesnotknowthatheisgoingtogetaraise.R-principleTheR-principleisaupper-boundingpragmaticlawwhichmaybeexploitedtoinvitelow-boundingconversationalimplicature;aspeaker,insaying“…p…”,conversationallyimplicatesthat(forallsheknows)‘…morethanp…’.a.Tomdroveacartothesupermarket.+ThecarwasoneofTom’s.b.Johnbrokeafingeryesterday.+ThefingerwasoneofJohn’s.*Utteringaandbyouhavemadeyourcontributionnecessary,andyoudidnotsaynomorethanyoumust.thenatureofQ-andR’principlesQ-principle(makeyourcontributionsufficient,sayasmuchasyoucan)isahearer-orientedeconomyforthemaximizationofinformationalcontent.R-principle(makeyoucontributionnecessary,saynomorethanyoumust)isaspeaker-orientedeconomyfortheminimizationoflinguisticform.TheLevinsoniansystemLevionsonproposedthattheoriginalGriceanprogrammebereducedtothreeneo-Griceanpragmaticprinciples:Q[uantity]-,i[nformativeness]-,andM[anner]-principles.Eachofthethreeprincipleshastwosides:aspeaker’smaxim,whichspecifieswhattheprincipleenjoinsthespeakertosay,andrecipient’scorollary,whichdictateswhatitallowstheaddresseetoinfer.Levinson’sQ-principleTheQ-principleSpeaker:Donotsaylessthanisrequired(bearingtheI-principleinmind).Addressee:Whatisnotsaidisnotthecase.Thebasicidea:theuseofanexpression(esp.asemanticallyweakerone)inasetofcontrastivesemanticalternatesQ-implicatesthenegationoftheinterpretationassociatedwiththeuseofanotherexpressioninthesameset.TypesofQ-implicatureQ-scalarimplicatureDerivedfromHorn-scales(TheuseofasemanticallyweakerexpressionQ-implicatesthenegationofastrongeralternate.)Q-scalar:x,yY+Q-scalar～xidentical,similarThetwoimpressionistpaintingsaresimilar.+Thetwoimpressionistpaintingsarenotidentical.Q-clausalimplicaturesQ-clausal:X(p),Y(p)Y(p)+Q-clausalp,～pQ-clausalimplicaturesareinferencesofepistemicuncertainty.Q-clausalimplicaturesalsorestonasetofcontrastivesemanticalternates,butitisofaconstructionalkind.WheneverthereisaconstructionY(p),wherepisnotentailedbyY(p),andthereisanalternativeconstructionX(p)semanticallysimilarandofequalbrevitytoY(p)exceptthatX(p)doesnotentailp,thentheuseofthesemanticallyweakerY(p)Q-implicatesthatthespeakerdoesnotknowwhetherpobtainsornot.examples(disjunction)(pandq),(porq)Johnisavegetarianoranenvironmentalist.+Johnisperhapsavegetarian,orperhapsnotavegetarian;perhapsanenvironmentalist,orperhapsnotanenvironmentalist.examples(conditional)(sincepthenq),(ifpthenq)IfJohnwantstoaccesstheinternet,heshouldusewi-fi.+Johnmaywanttoaccesstheinternet,orhemaynotwan