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Pragmatic derivations

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Conclusion

In this paper I have tried to give the SAS some descriptive content with respect to English. I have suggested that correlations of form, function and fit play a central role in accounting for understanding literal and direct communication, and I have tried to take some initial steps towards constructing a plausible theory of such communication incorporating these notions.

As with any developing theory, the SAS has a long way to grow. Among the problem areas that need further work are the following: (1) The nature of the semantic representation in line L2; (2) An account of the notion ‘knowledge of language’ appealed to in line L1(a); (3) Psychological evidence for the various levels of processing and mediating procedures; (4) An account of the nature of pragmatic rules and their relationsip to grammars. Fortunately, these are matters for other times and other places.

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Harnish, R.M. Pragmatic derivations. Synthese 54, 325–373 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00877685

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