Truth-Conditional Pragmatics

Francois Recanati argues against the traditional understanding of the semantics/pragmatics divide and puts forward a radical alternative. Through half a dozen case studies, he shows that what an utterance says cannot be neatly separated from what the speaker means. In particular, the speaker's meaning endows words with senses that are tailored to the situation of utterance and depart from the conventional meanings carried by the words in isolation. This phenomenon of 'pragmatic modulation' must be taken into account in theorizing about semantic content, for it interacts with the grammar-driven process of semantic composition. Because of that interaction, Recanati argues, the content of a sentence always depends upon the context in which it is used. This claim defines Contextualism, a view which has attracted considerable attention in recent years, and of which Recanati is one of the main proponents. Frantois Recanati Argues Against The Traditional Understanding Of The Semantics/pragmatics Divide And Puts Forward A Radical Alternative. Through Half A Dozen Case Studies, He Shows That What An Utterance Says Cannot Be Neatly Separated From What The Speaker Means. In Particular, The Speaker's Meaning Endows Words With Senses That Are Tailored To The Situation Of Utterance And Depart From The Conventional Meanings Carried By The Words In Isolation. This Phenomenon Of 'pragmatic Modulation' Must Be Taken Into Account In Theorizing About Semantic Content, For It Interacts With The Grammar-driven Process Of Semantic Composition. Because Of That Interaction, Recanati Argues, The Content Of A Sentence Always Depends Upon The Context In Which It Is Used. This Claim Defines Contextualism, A View Which Has Attracted Considerable Attention In Recent Years, And Of Which Recanati Is One Of The Main Proponents. --book Jacket. Machine Generated Contents Note: 1. The Old Picture And The New -- 2. Free Pragmatic Processes -- 3. Alleged Arguments Against Tcp: (1) Communication -- 4. Alleged Arguments Against Tcp: (2) Systematicity -- 5. Tcp Vs Minimalism -- 6. Pre-propositional Pragmatics -- 7. Tcp As A Form Of Contextualism -- 8. Defining 'radical Contextualism' -- 9. Unarticulated Constituents -- 10. Overview And Acknowledgments -- 1. Two Types Of Rule -- 2. Semantic Flexibility -- 3. Standing Meaning Vs Occasion Meaning -- 4. Counterexamples -- 5. Context-dependence -- 6. Saturation And Modulation -- 7. Compositionality And Modulation -- 8. Is Contextualism A Threat To Compositionality? -- 1. Two Dogmas -- 2. The Intersectivity Of Relative Adjectives -- 3. The Relativity Of Intersective Adjectives -- 4. Colour Adjectives: Saturation Or Modulation? 1. Preliminaries -- 2. (alleged) Context-shifts In Complex Sentences -- 3. Pretending That The Context Is Different From What It Is -- 4. Two Types Of Context And Two Types Of Context-shifting Pretence -- 5. Perspective Point Vs Utterance Point -- 6. Shiftable Indexicals -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Quotations As Pictures -- 3. Quotations As Singular Terms -- 4. Mixed Quotation -- 5. Interpreting Quotations: The Pragmatic View -- 6. In Defence Of The Pragmatic View -- 7. Conclusion -- 1. The Pragmatic View -- 2. Sub-clausal Open Quotation: A Multi-level Analysis -- 3. Interaction With Semantic Content: (1) Free Enrichment -- 4. Interaction With Semantic Content: (2) Context-shift -- 5. Building The Context-shift Into The Semantics -- 6. Echoicity -- 7. Mixed Quotation: The Cancellability Issue -- 8. Cancellation Or Disambiguation? François Recanati. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [303]-315) And Indexes.