Examples of implicature in conversations

1. What is implicature?

Implicature is when someone says something, but their words carry an extra or hidden meaning beyond what is directly spoken. It was introduced by philosopher H.P. Grice, who argued that speakers often imply more than they explicitly say, and listeners infer these implied meanings based on context and shared knowledge.

2. Types of implicature

Grice identified two main types of implicature: conventional implicature and conversational implicature.

2.1. Conventional implicature

Conventional implicature is a type of meaning that comes directly from specific words or phrases, rather than from how they are used in conversation. It is part of the agreed-upon meaning of those words or phrases, but it doesn’t affect whether the statement is true or false. For example, when someone uses the word "but" to connect two ideas, it suggests that there is some kind of contrast or difference between them, even though the truth of the statement doesn’t depend on this contrast. In other words, the word "but" carries this extra meaning naturally without the need for an explanation.

2.2. Conversational implicature

Conversational implicature is context-dependent and arises from the cooperative principles of conversation. Grice proposed four maxims that guide conversational implicature:

• Maxim of quantity: Be as informative as required, but not more.
• Maxim of quality: Be truthful and avoid saying things you lack evidence for.
• Maxim of relation: Be relevant.
• Maxim of manner: Be clear, brief, and orderly.

3. How does implicature work?

Implicature relies on the listener’s ability to infer meaning beyond the literal words. This inference is based on:

• Context: The situation or background information.
• Shared knowledge: Common understanding between the speaker and listener.
• Cooperative principle: The assumption that both parties are working together to communicate effectively.

4. Examples of implicature in everyday conversations

Implicature is common in everyday conversations. Here are some examples: