Grice and Linkletter

by J. L. Speranza
-- for the Grice Club.

KRAMER aptly recalls this dead comedian, and refers to (quoting):

"what he called “how to Linkletterize a joke.” So that no living being of whatever dimness could be left behind in getting it."

In a way, it's like Pears. I don't mean D. F. Pears, the philosopher. But his ancestror, who funded The Pears's Encyclopaedia. I recall reading in my copy of Pears's Encyclopaedia good entries for things like 'innuendo', understatement, implicature (almost), 'a English habit'.

So I would say that Grice represents this English tradition. To say less, mean more. On the other hand, we have other nations -- including Italians! "To Linkletterise" a joke, or a message, in general, may be a cultural thing. Why is it that we don't NEED 'explicature'?