A Theory of Conventional Implicature and Pragmatic Markers in Chinese

The overall aim of this book is to advance a Gricean theoretical framework of conventional implicature within which Chinese pragmatic markers can be accommodated. It has two linked objectives. Firstly it sets out to advance a theory of conventional implicature. Conventional implicature is itself a highly controversial term, understood very differently by various brands of contemporary pragmatic theory, and is a pivotal concept in the debates between the Gricean and Neo-Gricean theorists on the one hand and proponents of Relevance Theory on the other. This book offers an exemplary analysis and definition of what is involved in these current debates, and it both clarifies and 'problematises' a large range of associated issues. The second objective is to offer a principled and systematic analysis of pragmatic markers in Chinese. Markers of this sort (and a range of interconnnected categories including discourse particles) have been the subject of intense investigation in recent years, and this detailed study of Chinese markers is a contribution in this area which is of substantial importance, both theoretical and empirical.