Presuppositions (2)
So presuppositions are those parts of a linguistic communication which are implied in the communication as opposed to being overtly expressed.
Now that we know that a person's linguistic communication can contain far more information than is expressly spoken or written, we want to be certain that we detect only information that is actually present, rather than information that we think is present. Ergo it is useful at this point to take a little time to differentiate between a presupposition and a mind-read.
Presuppositions are those things that whilst not overtly mentioned, can still be verified from the linguistic structures present.
A mind-read on the other hand is pure speculation on the part of the person receiving the communication which cannot be verified from the presented linguistic structures.
So that you can become proficient in detecting presuppositions and the difference between presuppositions and mind-reads, consider the following statement:-
'I'm not sure whether or not I should stop eating cream cakes'
...and now decide which of the following is a presupposition or a mind-read:-
- She currently eats cream cakes
- She loves cream cakes
- She eats exclusively cream cakes
Only the first one is a presupposition. The other two are mind-reads.
The key is the fact that the presuppositions are mentioned or implied somewhere within the communication. In this instance she mentions stopping eating cream cakes, which presupposes that she previously started eating cream cakes.
Points 2 and 3 are not mentioned or implied in any way in the original statement and are therefore mind-reads (as is our choice to assign the female gender to the writer, as that isn't mentioned in the original statement either).
Let's try another example:-
'I don't see why I can't do it, all of my friends are doing it'
- He feels that he is treated unfairly
- He wants to be liked by his friends
- This person's friends do something he currently does not do
Points 1 and 2 are mind-reads - they are not mentioned or implied in any way in the original statement.
Point 3 could be a presupposition and it could also be a mind-read. Insofar as he states in the sentence that all of his friends are doing it (whatever it is) it's a presupposition.
On the other hand we cannot ascertain whether his belief that all his friends are doing it is based on fact. Therefore they may not be doing it at all and it may actually be a mind-read on his part.
Let's try one more for good luck:-
'If I don't learn how to communicate with my boss I won't get a pay rise'
- He feels that he is treated unfairly
- He doesn't know how to communicate with his boss
- He wants to learn new behaviours
- His salary is linked to his communication skills
Points 1 and 3 are mind reads, 2 and 4 are implied in the original phrase and thus are presuppositions.