Presupposition in Linguistics and Philosophy

Overview

A presupposition is a fundamental concept in pragmatics and philosophy of language. It refers to an assumption made by a speaker or writer that is taken for granted in an utterance. For a statement to be felicitous (appropriate and meaningful), certain conditions presupposed by the speaker must hold true.

Key Concepts

Presuppositions are often triggered by specific linguistic constructions, known as presupposition triggers.

• Existential Presupposition: Assumes the existence of entities mentioned. E.g., “My car is red” presupposes that I have a car.
• Factual Presupposition: Assumes the truth of a proposition. E.g., “John regrets leaving” presupposes that John left.
• Lexical Presupposition: Certain words inherently carry presuppositions. E.g., “stop” presupposes that the action was previously happening.
• Repetitive Presupposition: The use of “again” or “too” presupposes a prior occurrence. E.g., “Mary came too” presupposes someone else came.

Deep Dive: Types of Triggers

Understanding triggers is key to identifying presuppositions:

Definite Descriptions

Phrases like “the X” or “that Y” presuppose the existence and uniqueness of X or Y. For example, “The King of France is bald” presupposes there is a King of France.

Subordinate Clauses

Certain verbs and constructions in subordinate clauses often trigger presuppositions. “Before John arrived, we ate” presupposes John arrived.

Quantifiers

Words like “all,” “many,” or “few” can presuppose the existence of the relevant set.

Applications

Presuppositions play a crucial role in:

• Communication: They allow speakers to convey information efficiently by relying on shared background knowledge.
• Argumentation: Identifying presuppositions can reveal hidden assumptions in arguments.
• Legal Settings: Understanding presuppositions is vital for interpreting contracts and testimony.

Challenges & Misconceptions

Presuppositions can be tricky because they are often unconscious. They can be denied, though this can be awkward. For example, “John doesn’t regret leaving” still presupposes he left, but the speaker denies the regret.

FAQs

What is the difference between presupposition and implication?

An implication is something that logically follows from a statement, whereas a presupposition is assumed to be true for the statement to be meaningful.

Can presuppositions be false?

Yes, if the presupposed information is incorrect, the statement may be considered infelicitous or false, depending on the philosophical view.