Extending and Applying a Logic for Pragmatics

The aim of this paper is to provide an example for each extension strategy of the pragmatic logic. Firstly, we analytically introduce the logic for pragmatics LP as a logic for assertions. Then, in section 3, we embrace the first strategy in an attempt to show that the speech act of denial can be reduced to the act of assertion (we are assuming, indeed, the equivalence thesis). However, we will see that this attempt fails: the act of denying A cannot be reduced to the act of asserting ¬ A. In section 4 and section 5, we propose two extensions of LP: the first one, which follows the first sub-strategy, previously cited, permits the treatment of the hypotheses, the second one, which is in harmony with the second sub-strategy, is such that the act of proving is formalisable.