Dear Stefan,
The issue is not whether SOME communication is achieved by coding, but
whether ALL is.
In RELEVANCE, Dan and I argue that communication can be achieved in two
distinct
ways: by coding/decoding, and by ostension/inference. While the code model
is adequate to account for much animal communication, it is grossly
inadequate to account
for much human communication, and verbal communication in particular.
Although human
natural languages are codes, there is a substantial gap between the encoded
meaning of
a sentence and the meaning a speaker may convey by uttering that sentence
on a particular
occasion. We claim that this gap between sentence meaning and speaker's
meaning cannot
be bridged by a further layer of coding, but must be bridged by inference.
So verbal
communication can be analysed as involving BOTH coding AND inference.
All the best,
Deirdre
>Dear all,
>
>I am unclear as to how important the traditional semiotic code model of
>communication is to RT. Dan Sperber and Deidre Wilson seem to both reject
>it and then apparently integrate it into their RT model of communication.
>Does anyone have views on the matter?
>
>Best wishes to all
>
>Stefan
>
>
>Stefan Malmberg
>Måsvägen 3A1
>22100 Mariehamn
>Åland
>Finland
>Tel:018-13902
><mailto:stefan.malmberg@aland.net>stefan.malmberg@aland.net
-----------------------------
Deirdre Wilson
Professor of Linguistics
Department of Phonetics and Linguistics
University College London
Gower Street
London WC1E 6BT
-----------------------------
Tel (0)20 7679 3153
Home phone/fax (0)1865 862470
Home page URL: http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/deirdre
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