Bruce Fretts's Implicature

Speranza

There was an interesting implicature by Steve Martin reported by Bruce Fretts at

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/18/arts/television/steve-martin-martin-short-netflix-comedy.html

In fact, the implicature is a triad and involves not just Fretts and Martin, but Short. Here is the passage.

First the reference,

Fretts, Bruce, "Steve Martin and Martin Short on friendship and what's truly funny."

Steve Martin and Martin Short on Friendship and What’s Truly Funny

Now the relevant passage:

Marty, you were just called one of the greatest late-night guests of all time.

SHORT Not to correct you, and it doesn’t matter, but it wasn’t “one of the greatest late-night guests of all time,” it was “the greatest.”

MARTIN I’d like to read that article again and see if it said “among the greatest.”

"you were just called" is hyperlinked. To what?

To:

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/rabbit-holes/is-martin-short-the-greatest-talk-show-guest-of-all-time

A piece by Ian Grouch. 

Is Martin Short the Greatest Talk-Show Guest of All Time?

Reference:

Crouch, Ian. Is Martin Short the greatest talk-show guest of all time?

So Fretts is taking some Griceian liberties, because Crouch poses the question, er, in the erotetic mode, as Grice calls it.

So let's revise the NYT wording:

FRETTS: Marty, you were just called one of the greatest late-night guests of all time.

SHORT Not to correct you, and it doesn’t matter, but it wasn’t “one of the greatest late-night guests of all time,” it was “the greatest.”

MARTIN I’d like to read that article again and see if it said “among the greatest.”

Let's formalise that alla Frege:

FRETT's proposition:

(i) Short is one of the greatest late-night guests of all time. 

Short's 'correction' -- Short's proposition

(ii) Short is the greatest late-night guest of all time.

Martin's rebuke -- Martin's proposition:

(iii) Short is among the greatest late-time guests of all time.

Fretts:

"Marty, you were just called one of the greatest late-night guests of all time."

-- by Ian Crouch. Although Crouch poses this as a question. The article seems to IMPLICATE an affirmative answer to the question in the title. Which leads to Fretts's proposition (i) above.

SHORT 

"Not to correct you, and it doesn’t matter, but it wasn’t “one of the greatest late-night guests of all time,” it was “the greatest.”"

Leading to Short's proposition (ii)

(ii) Short is the greatest late-night guests of all time.

Note Short's emphasis on "not to correct you," since, alla Grice, he isn't -- at the level of what is said (if not implicated or disimplicated).

MARTIN 

"I’d like to read that article again and see if it said “among the greatest.”"

Martin is right. He SHOULD read that article again (i.e. 'reread' it) and check Crouch's lingo.

In any case, consider again the logical form of (i), (ii), and (iii). Grice would say that they are all true at the level of what is said, if not implicated or disimplicated.

There's implicature for you!

Nobody is correcting nobody -- and No body is correcting Any body if you mustn't!