Conversational Implicature
Pattern
Said X→meant Y via cooperative inference — context-dependent implied meaning
Definition
An inference drawn from the assumption that the speaker is following cooperative conversational norms. Not part of the literal meaning but arises from context and the expectation of relevance, truthfulness, informativeness, and clarity.
Examples
Example 1
A: "How did the job interview go?" B: "Well, the office was nice."
B's response flouts the maxim of relation — commenting on the office rather than the interview implicates it went poorly
Example 2
The concert was... interesting.
Choosing the weak positive "interesting" where enthusiasm was expected implicates disappointment (damning with faint praise)
Example 3
I have two children.
Scalar implicature: saying "two" implicates "exactly two" and "not more," even though "two" is logically compatible with "three"
AI Detection Note
AI struggles with generating genuine conversational implicature because it tends toward explicit, literal communication. When AI does create implied meaning, it often immediately explains the implication, defeating its purpose.
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