A Pragmatic Account for the Categorical Exchange between Content and Context

Studies in Logic, Vol. 16, No. 6 (2023): 74–101                     PII: 1674­3202(2023)­06­0074­28

Yang Hu

Abstract. One of the essential issues in indexical semantics is how the context determines indexical semantic content. The essence of the problem consists in how categorically contextual entities can be exchanged for categorically semantic entities via semantic theory. Under Kaplan’s two­dimensional semantic framework, “character” as a lexical rule is the key to realizing this exchange with, however, theoretical difficulties. On the basis of Verschueren’s idea of pragmatics and his Contextual Diagram, “-­General Condition” and “ ­Pragmatic Schema” provide a pragmatic account for such categorical exchange between context and content. Given “Corresponding Point” and “Distance Function”, two exchange models are proposed:“Impartial Exchange” and “Partial Exchange”. Both of them suggest a way of understanding what is meant by “contextual interpretation of indexical semantic content”. Several issues will also be discussed regarding this pragmatic account.