The actual and the potential and the Griceian

Dale notes in commentary to "Collocations"

"Schiffer was deeply interested in using the notion of an "actual language relation" in his work after "Remnants of Meaning" (1987). I discussed these matters with Schiffer in the early 1990's quite a bit. See his paper "Actual Language Relations" (1993) which was published in Philosophical Perspectives."

Good to learn.

I think, on the other hand, Grice was ever interested in potential language relations!

I mean:

"Suppose I were to lie in my tube, and device what I may call Grice's New High-way Code".

I mean, he is using the 'conditional' or subjunctive a lot. He is arguing for 'having a willingness' in one's repertoire, etc., as drawing from totally hypothetical scenarios!

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Also when he speaks of "Deutero-Esperanto"

"I could well invent a language, call it Deutero-Esperanto, that nobody speaks", etc. He uses that to note that

it's optimality

that defines expression-meaning, and so on.

So it would be good to draw back from Lewis (genial Lewis) as to what _he_ meant, or re-read, of course, the relevant sections in Dale's great work at russelldale.com

Cheers.