[lit-ideas] Re: Pleonetetic Implicatures
- From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 7 Jun 2012 20:19:27 -0400 (EDT)
Geary and Palma are commenting on the alleged implicature of the Prince
(of Wales)'s words:
http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/05/12062377-diamond-jubilee-cel
ebrations-queen-touched-by-happy-atmosphere?lite
""a time when I know how many of our fellow countrymen are suffering such
hardship and difficulties," he said."
In a message dated 6/7/2012 5:58:34 P.M. UTC-02,
jejunejesuit.geary2@xxxxxxxxx writes:
let the children believe in a myth of grandeur.
Geary's point is a valid one. Note that the Prince's words are:
>our fellow countrymen.
Surely, acknowledging the Prince's conservatism (as exemplified in his
distaste for modern architecture), it would be pedantic to point that what the
Prince means is:
>our fellow countrypersons.
>>let the children believe in a myth of grandeur.
Geary points. Incidentally, 'children', unlike 'fellow countrymen' (which
is masculine), is neutral in German.
The Germans regard the child as a neutral thing:
"Das Kind".
By pointing out that it's "fellow countrymen" (rather than children, which
are not _men_, or, pedantically, women -- which again are not men) the
Prince is perhaps expressing a dogma.
And so on.
Note that what he said:
"As a nation this is our opportunity to thank you and my father for always
being there for us, for inspiring us with your selfless duty and service
and for making us proud to be British, proud at a time when I know how many
of our fellow countrymen are suffering such hardship and difficulties."
he could have used a that-clause alla:
at a time when I know THAT many of our fellow countrymen are suffering
difficulties.
Instead, he preferred the choice of expression:
"a time when I know how many of our fellow countrymen are suffering ...
difficulties" -- thus avoiding the unwanted implicature of
"many".
Regall that for Geach, in his Treatise of Pleonetetic Logic, vol. 2, "many"
requires a threshold.
"Many French films are boring"
thus lacks a specific sense. Unlike
"Most French films are boring"
which indicates a threshold and further _implicates_ that the quantity of
French films which are boring is above average.
The pleonetetic implicature on the part of Prince Charles can be further
expanded. It concerns 'pride'.
In logical terms, what he is saying is:
"I know x --" where 'x' is the number of 'fellow countrymen' who are
suffering difficulties.
_http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/05/12062377-diamond-jubilee-ce
l_
(http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/05/12062377-diamond-jubilee-cel)
ebrations-queen-touched-by-happy-atmosphere?lite
"As a nation this is our opportunity to thank you and my father for always
being there for us, for inspiring us with your selfless duty and service
and for making us proud to be British, proud at a time when I know how many
of our fellow countrymen are suffering such hardship and difficulties."
In fact, the logical form of the utterance is complex. Note that the
subject is "a nation" (England). Yet, 'you and my father' is more of a narrower
scope phrase. Note that he could have said,
"As your son, this is my opportunity to thank you for being there".
Instead, he prefers to reciprocate the universal quantifier in
substitutional terms:
"As a NATION, this is our opportunity to thank you and my father".
----
Again, the "us" must apply to the "me":
"making us proud to be British"
ENTAILS
"making ME proud to be British"
--- The pleonetetic expression applies strictly to this final phrase,
"at a time when I know how many of our fellow countrymen are suffering
such hardship and difficulties," he said."
Note that a further implicature seems to be that he is NOT suffering
difficulties. For if he were, he could have stuck with the singular:
"This is my opportunity to thank you, mother, for making me proud to be
British now that I'm suffering difficulties".
---- Granted, that would have rung too personal, and I'm happy the Prince
chose a more convoluted, yet implicature-loaded pleonetetic indirect-int
errogative clause.
Cheers,
Speranza
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