Skip to main content
Article
Implicature, Pragmatics, and Documentation: A Comparative Study
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  • David Wright, Missouri University of Science and Technology
Abstract

This study investigates the link between the linguistic principles of implicature and pragmatics and software documentation. when implicatures are created in conversation or text, the listener or reader is required to fill in missing information not overtly stated. This information is usually filled in on the basis of previous knowledge or context. Pragmatics, the study of language use in context, is concerned with the situational aspects of language use that, among other things, directly affect implicatures required of the reader. I investigate how two manuals for the same software product can be analyzed on the basis of implicature and pragmatics. One is an original copy of the documentation that came with the product, the other an after-market manual. Results show that the aftermarket manual requires far fewer implicatures of the reader and does a better job of providing pragmatically helpful information for the user.

Department(s)
English and Technical Communication
Keywords and Phrases
  • implicatures,
  • linguistic principles
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2008 Baywood Publishing Company, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
1-1-2008
Publication Date
01 Jan 2008
Citation Information
David Wright. "Implicature, Pragmatics, and Documentation: A Comparative Study" Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2008) ISSN: 0047-2816
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/david-wright/18/