Conversational implicature: a diachronic cognitive pragmatic approach

Ruili Su and Yanfei Zhang ()
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Ruili Su: Shandong University
Yanfei Zhang: Shandong University

Palgrave Communications, 2025, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract This study conducts a corpus-based diachronic investigation of the noun phrase hóngyǎn (红眼) and proposes the diachronic cognitive pragmatic model to demonstrate that particularized conversational implicatures develop into generalized conversational implicatures and eventually become new coded meanings. The results show that (1) different types of meanings such as generalized conversational implicatures and particularized conversational implicatures are closely correlated with each other; (2) the diachronic change from particularized conversational implicatures to new coded meanings through generalized conversational implicatures is an entrenchment-conventionalization process; (3) conventions and contexts coexist with each other, and meaning change is from highly contextualized to highly conventionalized. This study reveals that pragmatic meanings can become entrenched and conventionalized to be new coded meanings through repeated usage and suggests that the diachronic corpus method contributes to uncovering the connection between different types of meanings.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1057/s41599-025-05248-2

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