Recanati on the Semantics/Pragmatics Distinction

One of the hottest philosophical debates in recent years concerns the nature of the semantics/pragmatics divide. Some writers have expressed the reserve that this might be merely terminological, but in my view it ultimately concerns a substantive issue with empirical implications: the scope and lim...

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Main Author: Manuel García-Carpintero
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) 2018-12-01
Series:Crítica
Subjects:
Online Access:https://critica.filosoficas.unam.mx/index.php/critica/article/view/466
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author Manuel García-Carpintero
author_facet Manuel García-Carpintero
author_sort Manuel García-Carpintero
collection DOAJ
description One of the hottest philosophical debates in recent years concerns the nature of the semantics/pragmatics divide. Some writers have expressed the reserve that this might be merely terminological, but in my view it ultimately concerns a substantive issue with empirical implications: the scope and limits of a serious scientific undertaking, formal semantics. In this critical note I discuss two arguments by Recanati: his main methodological argument —viz. that the contents posited by what he calls ‘literalists’ (which are, on my own view, the very same ones that theoreticians in the formal semantics tradition seek to characterize) play no relevant role in communication—, and some phenomenological considerations regarding the “Availability Principle” that he appeals to in order to buttress that main argument.
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publisher Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)
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spelling doaj-art-1250d2a437e84d1db17a52c81b3325e02025-08-20T03:41:50ZengUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)Crítica0011-15031870-49052018-12-013811210.22201/iifs.18704905e.2006.466Recanati on the Semantics/Pragmatics DistinctionManuel García-Carpintero0Departament de Lògica, Història i Filosofia de la Ciència Universitat de Barcelona One of the hottest philosophical debates in recent years concerns the nature of the semantics/pragmatics divide. Some writers have expressed the reserve that this might be merely terminological, but in my view it ultimately concerns a substantive issue with empirical implications: the scope and limits of a serious scientific undertaking, formal semantics. In this critical note I discuss two arguments by Recanati: his main methodological argument —viz. that the contents posited by what he calls ‘literalists’ (which are, on my own view, the very same ones that theoreticians in the formal semantics tradition seek to characterize) play no relevant role in communication—, and some phenomenological considerations regarding the “Availability Principle” that he appeals to in order to buttress that main argument. https://critica.filosoficas.unam.mx/index.php/critica/article/view/466semantics/pragmaticstruth-conditional contentliteral meaningcommunication
spellingShingle Manuel García-Carpintero
Recanati on the Semantics/Pragmatics Distinction
Crítica
semantics/pragmatics
truth-conditional content
literal meaning
communication
title Recanati on the Semantics/Pragmatics Distinction
title_full Recanati on the Semantics/Pragmatics Distinction
title_fullStr Recanati on the Semantics/Pragmatics Distinction
title_full_unstemmed Recanati on the Semantics/Pragmatics Distinction
title_short Recanati on the Semantics/Pragmatics Distinction
title_sort recanati on the semantics pragmatics distinction
topic semantics/pragmatics
truth-conditional content
literal meaning
communication
url https://critica.filosoficas.unam.mx/index.php/critica/article/view/466
work_keys_str_mv AT manuelgarciacarpintero recanationthesemanticspragmaticsdistinction