John and James mishare an idiolect -- mispronouncing 'soot'

--- WoW: 366

For John mispronounces 'soot' to rhyme with 'suit'.

And James is charitable enough.

Grice is considering Peirce's invented distinction, 'type' and 'token' (X and x, in Grice's formulism).

Peirce's views

"seem to be in conflict with common sense"

and Grice adds:

"to whatever extent that is a drawback".

Why?

Well, because

"John's rendering of the word 'soot'
may be INDISTINGUISHABLE from
James's rendering of the word 'suit'"

--- and vice versa --

"Yet,"

"it does NOT follow, from this, that
when John produces 'soot' and
James produces 'suit' (or vice versa)"

"they are uttering the SAME word"

------

For one said, /su:t/ and the other, strictly, said /sju:t/.

Similarly, Grice saying

/aitha/

for what Americans undistinctively have as:

/i:tha/

The same word?

"Tomato!"