Towards a Richer theory of dialogue

comments on professor Rivetti Barbò's paper

Richard M. Burian

pp. 445-457

in: Robert S. Cohen, Mark W. Wartofsky (eds), Language, logic and method, Berlin, Springer, 1983

Abstract

Dialogue is, of course, fraught with difficulty. Misunderstandings and complete breakdowns of understanding are all too common. Nonetheless, as Prof. Rivetti Barbò rightly reminds us, the misunderstandings which typically take place between speakers (and authors) of a natural language are only possible against the backdrop of a large structure of common (if perhaps rather rough) linguistic understandings. Her assignment of tasks to linguistic and philosophical theories of language is sound: such theories ought to set forth the (largely structural?) underpinnings which serve, de facto, as preconditions of success in linguistic communication; such theories ought to yield an account of those features and structures of natural languages which facilitate successful communication.