On June 14, 2025, Kasie and Rex took on what’s being implied. Here are the show notes:

Theme for the day

Implicature

Agenda

• Quick catch-up
• What is implicature?
• Who uses it?
• How to use it

Segment 1

So the definition is: “the action of implying a meaning beyond the literal sense of what is explicitly stated, e.g., saying the frame is nice and implying I don’t like the picture in it.”

This is what is implied, not what is explicitly said. Some other examples:

• It’s getting late – implication is the person needs to go
• The food was cheap, but delicious – the implication that cheap food isn’t expected to be delicious
• Some of the students passed the exam – implies that not all of the students did
• “What time is it?” “The milkman has come.” – implying it’s past the time when the milkman delivers his milk
• Could you please close the window? – it’s not actually about the person’s physical ability to close the window, but a request that they do so.

There are different types of implicature (way more academic than we need to be, but here goes anyway):

1. Conventional – based on the meanings of the words used, for example: “It’s getting late” states clearly the time is progressing past a certain marker, the implication is that marker ends whatever thing we’re doing.
2. Conversational – relying on the context of the exchange, for example: “I need tomatoes.” “Kroger has good tomatoes.” The implicature in the second statement is to imply that the first speaker can meet their need by buying the tomatoes at Kroger.
3. Scalar – this is about quantity – so always, sometimes, never, some, few, plenty, most, it provides scale for the listener, for example: “Most days we get summer storms.” The implication that the occurrence of storms is more frequent than random, but not quite daily – ‘most’ isn’t ‘every.’

One tests which types of implicature by: cancelability, detachability, calculability, and conventionally. In conventional implicature, for example, the speaker cancels the implication by providing additional details or context – “it’s getting late,” becomes, “it’s getting late and I have to get home.” The implication is gone because the second clause clarifies what I meant.

Yeah, it gets that academic. Here’s the PDF for your linguistic nerds.

Segment 2

Where do we see this in literature? Everywhere, really. Here are some AI-generated examples:

• The Raven – repeated use of “nevermore” implies the writer’s descent into despair
• A Modest Proposal – Jonathan Swift suggesting the Irish ought to cannibalize their children to solve their hunger, implying such a thing is practical and sensible, not disturbing
• The Great Gatsby – the lavish parties of the Jazz Age a described in a way that they’re revealed as empty and superficial

Some great literary proficients at this:

Hemingway – Hills Like White Elephants – “You don’t have to be afraid. I’ve known lots of people that have done it.” “So have I,” said the girl. “And afterward they were all so happy.” “Well,” the man said, “if you don’t want to, you don’t have to.” – the implication gives us the tone of the girl’s voice, doesn’t it? That he offers her to not do it, indicates her statement about the people she knows being happy was sarcastic.

Tennessee Williams – characters in his plays talk past each other, mask who they really are, and show aggression in questioning – A Streetcar Named Desire – Stanley’s continuous questioning of Blanche and her continuous vague references to magic and beauty builds the tension leading to her eventual breakdown and Stanley’s eventual violence against her.

Segment 3

So how do you do it? It probably comes naturally. It’s likely you’re doing it without even knowing it. Whenever you move the dialogue from the procedural (“How are you?” “I’m fine.”) to the slightly offset (“Can’t remember the last time it was this hot.” “Yesterday.”) you’re smithing the language, extending its capabilities. And that’s what implicature does.