Topic 12 - Meaning between the lines (Session A) > Conversational implicature and The Dumb Waiter > Task A > Answer

Conversational implicature and The Dumb Waiter

Task A - Our answer

The two hit men are clearly not equal in status. Ben appears to be the leader and Gus the junior partner. But Gus, although he doesn't seem to be amazingly bright, appears to have views of his own and challenges Ben on a number of occasions over rather trivial things to do with linguistic propriety. Ben thinks of himself as the natural leader and seems to view Gus as second rate and a linguistic pedant with ideas 'above his station'. But Gus seems eventually to come out on top over the linguistic argument they have here, even though Ben's view is not at all unreasonable. The little battle for power over correct linguistic usage that we witness between the two men is very trivial and clearly has a humorous side which seems rather absurd in the context of two paid assassins waiting to be told who they are to murder next.

We will use turn-taking analysis and Gricean analysis to test these interpretative remarks and add more analytical detail to them.

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