NMTS-Group4

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Group 4 - Implicatures

Overview

Members

• Stephanie C.
• Stephie R.
• Jenny
• Anna P.
  
  

Short Description of the Topic

An implicature is anything that is inferred from an utterance but that is not a condition for the truth of the utterance. To put it more simply, an implicature expresses more than is actually literally said.

For example, if we take the following short dialogue (Levinson, 1997, p.107):

A: Can you tell me the time?
B: Well, the milkman has come.

---

|(Levinson, 1997, p.107)

It may seem at first, that speaker B's answer has no relevance to the question. However, speaker B is in fact implying more than he or she actually says. The speakers obviously share knowledge about the time at which the milkman comes and therefore Speaker A is able infer the approximate time from speaker B's answer.

This is an example of a (particularized) conversational implicature, however there are a number of different types of implicatures. Below is a brief overview:

• Conversational implicatures
  • Generalized conversational implicatures
  • Particularized conversational implicatures
• Scalar implicatures
• Conventional implicatures
• Potential implicature: A potential implicature is an implicature that would arise from any of the components of a given utterance if that component were uttered in some linguistic or extralinguistic context.
• Actual implicature: an actual implicature is any potential implicature that is not canceled by its context.
  

However, when linguists speak of implicatures, they are in fact often only referring to conversational implicatures.

Students often have difficulties distinguishing between implicatures, presuppositions and entailments.

Would you like to know more about implicatures? If so, please click here to view our Prezi presentation on implicatures

References and Links

References

• Bieswanger, Markus & Annette Becker (2006): Introduction to English Linguistics (2nd edition). Tübingen and Basel: A. Francke Verlag.
• Grice, Paul (1975): Logic and conversation. In P. Cole and J. Morgan (eds): Syntax and Semantics 3, 41-58. New York: Academic Press.
• Levinson, Stephen C (1983): Pragmatics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Yule, George (1996): Pragmatics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Links

• Definition of implicature from the Oxford English Dictionary
• Definition and detailed explanation from the Stanford Encylopedia of Philosophy
• Definition from Universal Teacher
• Glottopedia Entry on Implicature
  

Our E-learning Objects

Our Glossary Entries

in the Basic Glossary:

• connotation
• extension
• idiom
• implicature
• meronymy
  

Our Podcast

<mediaplayer>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUtSBL3wWZ0&feature=youtu.be</mediaplayer>

Group 4 - The 5 Characteristic Properties of Implicatures

Voice-over: Jenny
Editing: Anna P., Stephanie C., Stephie R.
References: Levinson, Stephen C (1997): Pragmatics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Music: by Dan-O at DanoSongs.com

Our Prezi Presentation

Prezi - Implicatures

Our Online Excercises

Exercise I

There are four basic maxims of conversation: Quantity, Manner, Quality and Relation. Which of these maxims apply for the five dialogues below?

(Take a look at our Prezi presentation if you need help with the maxims.)

To see the solution, simply mark the line behind 'Maxim violated' under every dialogue.

a) Mom: What did you think of Junior’s childish behavior last night? Dad: Well, boys will be boys

Maxim violated: QUANTITY (though some of you might prefer MANNER)

b) Student A: Do you like Linguistics? Student B: Well, let’s just say I don’t jump for joy before class.

Maxim violated: MANNER

c) Teacher A: Do you have any rude students this semester? Teacher B: All students are rude.

Maxim violated: QUALITY

d) Student: I was absent on Monday - did I miss anything important? Teacher: Oh no, of course not, we never do anything important in class.

Maxim violated: QUALITY

e) Student A: (while waiting for class to begin) Isn’t Professor X a jerk? Student B: Uh, It really is a nice day out, isn’t it?

Maxim violated: RELATION

Exercise II

Look at the pictures below and decide which of the following figures of speech apply: Irony, Sarcasm, Hyperbole or Metaphor

To see the solution, simply mark the line behind the word 'solution' under every picture.

a)

Solution: HYPERBOLE

b)

Solution: IRONY

c)

Solution: METAPHOR

d)

Solution: SARCASM

Exercise III

This exercise deals with Scalar Implicatures. A linguistic scale consists of a set of linguistic alternates, or contrastive expressions of the same grammatical category, which can be arranged in a linear order by degree of informativeness or semantic strength. Put the following sentences in the right order. Start with the sentence which contains the strongest quantifier.

Again, to see the solution, simply mark the lines under the word 'solution'.

All of the boys went to the party.

Some of the boys went to the party.

Most of the boys went to the party.

A few of the boys went to the party.

Many of the boys went to the party

Solution:

All of the boys went to the party.
Most of the boys went to the party.
Many of the boys went to the party.
Some of the boys went to the party.
A few of the boys went to the party.

Our Pictures

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  Beautiful Frankfurt - Anna P.

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  Stephanie C

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  Owl Illustration - Stephie R.

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  Jenny

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  a

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  b

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  c

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  d