Kramer has expanded on what he means by 'context' in "Grice's polytheism". He notes that Grice lacks, as it were, an analysis of insults, 'comme il faut'. I replied to the effect that Grice distrusted the word 'context'.
Pretext seems to fare better.
Grice on context. Unfortunately, S. R. Chapman, who spent hours with the Grice Collection -- BANC 90/135c -- at Bancroft, does not care to quote much from
"The general theory of context"
that Grice wrote in _fun_.
Grice writes of the otiosity of the philosophical dictum -- but can't place the p. of Chapman right now -- and have to go to the cinema, soon! -- (words:)
context is very important
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It's not! I mean, it _is_, but is sometimes UNimportant to stress how important context always is. But I see if I can find the notes, and report them back. I seem to remember I posted the things elsewhere (I can't recall which of them) entitled perhaps, "Out of context" which was a phrase that pleased me and that Grice (and Balderston) use(s) it. Grice, bad: "out of context" -- what does it mean? Balderston, good, in his book "Borges out of context", or "Out of context: Borges on historical i-rreferences", or something.
Etc.
-- "context" is always brought up by London linguists, notably Firth, etc.
Etc.
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I refuse to be tyranized by words, expecially nouns, which, as you know are derivatives of naturally occurring verbs and adjectives and not to be trusted.
ReplyDeleteI am not suggesting that Grice lacks an analysis of insults. I am saying that "be polite" is a physical device that fills the logical niche occupied by "speak appropriately to the states of mind that will bear on how A interprets what you say."
Three middle-aged men are sitting in the steam room. One of them heaves a huge sigh. The second man groans softly. The third says, "Hey, I thought we weren't going to talk about the children."
SOMETHING about the relationship of these men and their knowledge of each others' lives and concerns informs their "conversation." Reify it with a name (context, pretext, gestalt, weltanshaung, mise-en-scene, whatever) or don't, it determines what default rules will apply to delivering and receiving non-literal messages among them. Are you saying that Grice the philosopher had no use for that fact of life?
(I think of a pretext as a subterfuge? How are you using the word?)
Hello Larry (Kramer),
ReplyDeleteSeeing your reference to the "default context" (in your Polytheism comments) made me think of Katz's "anonymous letter" idea, which he describes as a "null context".
The idea is that the default interpretation of a statement is the one you would choose if you received it by mail in the form of an anonymous letter. This, claims Katz, represents the semantic side of interpretation, with more robust contextual factors on the prgamatic side.
(Propositional Structure and Illocutionary Force, p. 14)
But an anonymous letter *is* after all a context, albeit a thin and cryptic one. So it's not easy for me to see what the difference would be between 'null' and 'default'.
(I can't resist adding that a few years ago, when I Googled "Katz anonymous letter" to see what would turn up, the first hit was a dentist in New Jersey named Katz who offered to send anonymous letters to your friends who had bad breath.)
Another Larry
Thanks, Larrys.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, yes,
The Katz is On the Mat.
Now that you mention.
I'll try and retrieve a note I posted elsewhere on the death of Katz. Kitz Katz, I think I titled it. It's fun because it shows how little of Grice (and cats for that matter) Katz knew.
----
But yes, this dentist was a crook. halitosis, is the correct Greek word -- or Grecian if you must.
Imagine getting an anonymous letter, from Katz,
Halitosis.
-- I would trash it regardless.
I cannot see what anonymous lettering has to do with anything.
But Kramer is right that 'default' fares no better.
I never understood 'de-fault'. It seems that there's something rottening in Denmark when, for all the richness of the English language (I write that to annoy Kramer, friendily) they have to _import_ from the French.
Later.
I think of Tolstoy's claim that all happy families are alike and all unhappy ones unhappy in their own way. While there may be no "null context," I suspect that there is a certain level of mutual intimacy between A and U below which a univerally applicable "default" set of conversational rules applies and above which a set of rules unique to the parties governs.
ReplyDeleteJL - We've been importing from the French since 1066. So "default" is ok by me. Why isn't it Bayeux?
The telephone rang when I was writing above, "import" from the French -- and I cannot stand people leaving things in my ansa-machine so I picked up.
ReplyDeleteBut yes, I never speak of 'import' and 'export' when it comes to words. Instead, I use this hateful cliche:
'default' was borrowed from the French.
Never given back, alas.
Or something. Borrow-words and loan-words, I think I titled my post elsewhere (in HOTEL, a list devoted to the History of the English Language).
Later