Semantic vs. Pragmatic Presupposition

Definition

Semantic presupposition refers to the assumptions that are embedded in the meaning of a statement, which must be accepted for that statement to be meaningful. Pragmatic presupposition, on the other hand, deals with context and background knowledge that influences how a statement is interpreted. Understanding these two types of presuppositions is crucial for grasping how meaning is conveyed and understood in communication.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Semantic presuppositions remain constant regardless of the context, while pragmatic presuppositions are heavily influenced by situational factors.
2. For a semantic presupposition to hold true, certain conditions must be met; for example, the presupposition of 'The king of France is bald' assumes there is a king of France.
3. Pragmatic presuppositions often require shared knowledge between speakers and listeners to be effectively communicated.
4. Presupposition projection occurs when presuppositions from one part of a sentence persist through various transformations, affecting the overall interpretation.
5. Accommodation is a process where listeners adjust their beliefs or knowledge to resolve any presuppositional conflicts in communication.

Review Questions

• How do semantic and pragmatic presuppositions differ in terms of their reliance on context?
  • Semantic presuppositions are tied to the inherent meaning of statements and do not change based on context; they rely on logical conditions being met. In contrast, pragmatic presuppositions depend heavily on the context and shared background knowledge between speakers. This means that understanding pragmatic presuppositions often requires considering the situational factors surrounding a conversation, making them more variable than semantic ones.
• Discuss how presupposition projection can affect the interpretation of complex sentences in language.
  • Presupposition projection affects how certain embedded clauses maintain their presuppositions when combined with other elements in a sentence. For instance, if a sentence has multiple layers of meaning, understanding which presuppositions are projected can be crucial for accurate interpretation. When speakers use transformations such as negation or conjunction, semantic presuppositions may still hold true even if the surface structure changes, leading listeners to infer meaning based on those underlying assumptions.
• Evaluate how accommodation plays a role in resolving conflicts caused by presuppositional differences between speakers.
  • Accommodation is essential for managing situations where speakers have differing presuppositional backgrounds that might lead to misunderstandings. When a listener encounters a statement with a presupposition that conflicts with their own knowledge, they may accommodate by adjusting their beliefs to align with what the speaker implies. This process not only helps maintain smooth communication but also reflects how dynamic and collaborative language use can be in social interactions.

Related terms

Implicature: An implicature is an implied meaning that is not directly stated but can be inferred from the context of the conversation.

Entailment: Entailment refers to a relationship between statements where the truth of one statement guarantees the truth of another.

Contextual Dependence: Contextual dependence refers to how the meaning of a statement can change based on the situational context in which it is uttered.