SILGLOBALGlossary of
Linguistic Terms

Glossary term P

Particularized Implicature

Definition

A particularized implicature is a conversational implicature that is derivable only in a specific context.

Examples

A: What on earth has happened to the roast beef?

B: The dog is looking very happy.

  • In the above exchange, A will likely derive the implicature "the dog ate the roast beef" from B’s statement. This is due to A’s belief that B is observing the conversational maxim of relation or relevance in the specific context of A’s question

    • See also

    Conversational Maxim

    Sources 2

    1. Levinson 1983, 126
    2. Grice 1975, 56
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