Paul Grice

Paul Grice was a British philosopher known for his contributions to the study of language, particularly how meaning is conveyed beyond literal words. He introduced the "Cooperative Principle," which suggests that effective communication relies on shared assumptions among speakers and listeners. His "maxims" (such as quantity, quality, relevance, and manner) guide how people should ideally communicate to be understood. Grice's ideas are foundational in semantics and pragmatics, influencing speech act theory, which examines how we perform actions through language. His work bridges the gap between language structure (syntax) and the meaning derived from context and intention.