Towards naturalness scales of pragmatic complexity

• Autorzy: Marianne Kilani-Schoch , Fernando Sánchez Miret , Wolfgang U. Dressler
• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

This paper is an attempt to handle pragmatic complexity within the framework of Natural Linguistics. Specifically it aims at building two naturalness scales of the complexity of pragmatic inferences based on the naturalness parameters of trans-parency–opacity and of biuniqueness–ambiguity, illustrated mainly with French examples. The scales are complementary: transparency–opacity deals with hierarchized meanings, biuniqueness–ambiguity with exclusive alternative meanings. Pragmatic complexity is intended here as a function of the number and types of inferences or inferential steps included in the description of an utterance meaning. It is defined quantitatively and qualitatively and converges with cognitive complexity. The scales distinguish phenomena that are to varying degrees opaque or ambiguous (indirect, elliptic or non-literal) according to whether there is flouting or violation of a Gricean maxim and how this takes place. The number of cotextual and/or contextual dimensions as well as variable cog-nitive operations, modes of reasoning and meaning relations are taken as measures of pragmatic complexity. The paper also discusses the relation between complexity and markedness. This issue reveals a conflict between the perspectives of speaker and hearer.

Słowa kluczowe

EN

complexity; inferences; markedness; opacity; ambiguity

• Wydawca: De Gruyter
• Czasopismo: Poznań Studies in Contemporary Linguistics
• Rocznik: 2011
• Tom: 47
• Strony: 237

Daty

wydano

2011

otrzymano

2010-12-15

poprawiono

2011-03-15

zaakceptowano

2011-03-16

online

2011-06-14

Twórcy

autor

Marianne Kilani-Schoch

• University of Lausanne, Switzerland,

autor

Fernando Sánchez Miret

• University of Salamanca, Spain,

autor

Wolfgang U. Dressler

• Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria,

Identyfikatory

DOI

10.2478/psicl-2011-0016