Seminar: Special Topics in Philosophy (410-0-4)

Topic

Pragmatic Inferences

Instructors

Peter Dwight van Elswyk

Meeting Info

Kresge 3438 Philosophy Sem. Rm: Wed 1:00PM - 3:50PM

Overview of class

The meaning of a declarative sentence is a proposition, a representation of an object at a time. That representation is built out of the meanings of the individual words in a sentence. So when a declarative is sentence is used by a speaker, a proposition is communicated. However, in many contexts, additional propositions are communicated by a speaker's use of a sentence. These propositions go beyond the sentence's meaning, and are the result of a hearer drawing inferences based on what the speaker said in conjunction with other considerations. These are pragmatic inferences. This class is about how they are derived, what distinguishes them, and how to explain them. We will consider inferences derived with considerations about the speaker's cooperativity (implicatures), inferences derived with facts about the broader structure of the discourse (elicitures), inferences derived from world knowledge that seem to enrich a sentence's meaning (implicitures), and more. Depending on interest, we will also consider pragmatic inferences in connection with topics like deception, narrative, and testimony.

Class Materials (Required)

All class materials will be available on Canvas at NO cost to the student.

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Registration is reserved for Philosophy PhD Graduate Students