RT list: Proposal for approaching the issue of the relevance-theoretic significance of the explicature/implicature distinction

Dear colleagues,

Because of my work on a book about foundational assumptions in translation
and since the distinction between explicit and implicit information
traditionally plays a significant role in translation, the question of its
relevance-theoretic significance is something I need to come to terms with.
Please find attached a proposal that outlines how this question might be
addressed, including - provisional - answers of my own.

I'd appreciate feedback esp. on 2 points:
a) whether the outline takes into account all the key factors relevant to
the issue;
b) whether my provisional evaluation of the key factors seems valid (or
overlooks, for example, something of importance)

I am aware that my provisional answer may conflict with some strong
intuitions. However, that is not necessarily an indication that the answer
must be wrong. Indeed, it is generally recognised in natural science - under
which I would include RT - that quite often its insights disagree with what
common sense considers "natural" (cf. esp. Wolpert, L. 1992. The unnatural
nature of science. London: Faber.)

With best regards,
Ernst-August Gutt