Explaining "Refer" In Terms of "Mean" -- The Long Gricean Way

By J. L. Speranza
for the Grice Club, etc.

I once corresponded with Schiffer on the complexities of reference. He told me, "You should read my _Synthese_ and refer back". I did, "Ain't that redundant, to 'refer back'?" The problem is Gricean.

I love you and I mean it.

-- nonsense.

I mean Tim.

-- nonsense

We can only mean-that.

But mice usually disgree with ducks over this (and that, for that matter):



"I proceed. 'Edwin and Morcar, the earls
of Mercia and Northumbria, declared for
him; and even Stigand, the patriotic
archbishop of Canterbury found it avisable -'"

"Found _what_?" said the Duck.

"Found _it_," the Mouse replied rather crossly:

"Of course you know that 'it' means"

"I know what 'it' means well enough,
when _I_ find a thing," said the Duck:

"It's generally a frog
or a worm. The question is, what the the
archbishop find?"


L. Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Ch. iii: 'A caucus race & a long tale'

But she is confusing the denotatum with the connotatum, and that was Mill's big mistake.

Etc.