Game theory in semantics and pragmatics

The interpretation of linguistic utterances is determined by the words involved and the way they are combined, but not exclusively so. Establishing the content that is communicated by an utterance is inextricably intertwined with the communicative context where the utterance is made, including the expectations of the interlocutors about each other. Clark and Marshall (1981) make a good case that even the reference of a definite description depends on the reasoning of the speaker and hearer about each other’s knowledge state. Likewise, computing the implicatures of a sentence requires reasoning about the knowledge states and intentions of the communication partners. To use a worn-out example, Grice (1975) points out that a sentence like (1b), if uttered to the owner of an immobilized car by a passerby, carries much more information than what is literally said.